Columbia • Core/Civic • Cortez Hill • East Village • Gaslamp/Horton … · 2020. 2. 7. · Joan Kroc Center, Celeste Dumas pauses on 16th Street where a pointed object lies.

KENDRA SITTON | Downtown News

As she patrols outside of the Joan Kroc Center, Celeste Dumas pauses on 16th Street where a pointed object lies. She swiftly pulls out a set of plastic gloves from her belt and clears the side-walk of what could be drug par-aphernalia. Later in her office, she threw the item in a bin for bio-hazardous materials.

After 10 years working in se-curity at Father Joe’s Villages, this small act is second nature.

“We look for hazards all the time. It’s really weird. I do it nat-urally everywhere I go — even though I’m not working,” Dumas explained. “I’ve been doing it for over a decade.”

As she has risen through the ranks at the nonprofit organi-zation that provides services to much of San Diego’s homeless

VINCE MEEHAN | Downtown News

Tom Brooks is the founder and CEO of Cornerstone Managing Partners, a construction man-agement firm whose expertise is taking on projects that leave most other companies spinning their wheels. Brooks has made high-rise residential projects his specialty, especially when it comes to the HOAs that come with the luxury units. This makes him a popular figure in Downtown San Diego given its surge in high-rise units in the last 20 years.

If something goes wrong in these towers, it can be a monu-mental task to fix it. And the af-fluent tenants do not take kindly to being displaced. This is where Brooks earns his reputation as a “fixer” of sorts to these high-value HOAs. His company has earned tens of millions of dollars as well as a stellar reputation of not only fixing problems, but also getting the key permits and approvals to do so. This is something that Brooks excels at and its origin is in his grassroots construction upbringing.

Brooks started out working with his uncle and his cousin doing entry-level house framing in Los Angeles during the ’80s. “I started out as a stick framer, I was working up in LA, I lived in Monrovia, and my uncle and my cousin, that’s what we did, we

DAVE FIDLIN | Downtown News

It won’t happen overnight, and there are still plenty of lo-gistical questions, but the path toward turning a portion of the Gaslamp Quarter into a car-free, pedestrian-friendly promenade is underway.

In late 2019, representa-tives of the Gaslamp Quarter Association officially announced plans for the promenade project. Tentatively, the proposal calls for closing stretches of Fifth Avenue — from Broadway to L Street

SEE FIFTH AVENUE, Page 6 SEE CORNERSTONE, Page 13

SEE DUMAS, Page 15

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Gaslamp promenade plans in progressCreating a car-free zone on Fifth Avenue could still be 3 to 5 years away

Father Joe’s compassionate security manager Dumas

Security manager Celeste Dumas in the courtyard at Father Joe’s. (Photo by Kendra Sitton)

Cornerstone Managing Partners celebrates 20 years in San Diego

Overhead view of proposed promenade (Photos courtesy Gaslamp Association)

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Children’s Park wants to play

After years of planning, the City of San Diego is doing a $6.05 million overhaul of the Children’s Park, giving residents and nearby workers an invitation to come out and play.

Children’s Park was originally designed by internationally re-nowned landscape architect Peter Walker. Completed in August 1996 in time for the Republican National Convention at a cost of $2.8 million, the park was orig-inally called “Civic Pond,” and was later changed to “Children’s Park.”

Covering two acres in San Diego’s urban fabric, this “pas-sive” park is located between Front and First Streets on the south side of Island Avenue, with little to offer and little to do, and mostly frequented by downtown’s transient population.

In 2016, the city’s then-Down-town development agency, Civic San Diego, selected landscape architects Schmidt Design Group (SDG) to craft a new Master Plan for the park to remedy its per-ceived flaws. The plan was unan-imously approved by the city’s Parks and Recreation Board in 2017.

The scope of the effort included robust community engagement with several public workshops where residents had the oppor-tunity to express their ideas and desires for the park renovation. Much of the feedback received di-rectly informed the final composi-tion of the new reimagined master plan for the site.

According to SDG landscape architect and principal, JT Barr, “The design team was committed to activating the park, increasing usability and safety while hon-oring its iconic attributes — the urban forest and Civic Pond — which remain significant features in the new open-space vision.”

In 2018, Spurlock Landscape Architects was selected to prepare construction documents, permit-ting, and to perform construction observation of the park.

Spurlock Senior Associate Amelia Capron is project man-ager for the design team as the prime consultant, managing the completion of construction docu-ments, permitting for the draw-ings, and coordination between the contractors and design team through construction.

“The new park programming is a true reflection of the neigh-borhood’s desires,” she said“It will now be able to serve its communi-ty, activating the space again and creating a true asset.”

The renovation effort, which is expected to be finished in the summer of 2021, will add fami-ly-friendly amenities intended to activate the entire space.

New amenities include space for a future retail vendor, dog run, large and unique children’s play area, fitness equipment, a flexi-ble-use lawn surrounding the Civic Pond, picnic areas, game tables for chess, ping pong and cornhole.

A public restroom will be open 24 hours with an attendant who will be able to have eyes on the park. People will be buzzed in and out of the restroom by the atten-dant to reduce issues that have oc-curred in other Downtown public restrooms.

There will also be an off-leash dog park with an artificial turf called “K9 Grass” by ForeverLawn, specifically created for wear and tear by dogs, and featuring a rou-tine cleaning regimen.

The children’s playscape in-cludes a series of large custom play structures not found else-where in Southern California to create a destination playground. This equipment is primarily con-structed of wooden components and includes a custom three-level tower structure with slides, wood-en climbers, and equipment for

The mixed use area includes a cafe. Another area of the park An additional sitting area

Art on the Land

By DELLE WILLETT

SEE CHILDREN’S PARK, Page 4

Overhead view of the park (Images courtesy Spurlock Landscape Architects)

sdnews.com 3San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020NEWS

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Brand incubator BASIS celebrates 1-year anniversaryVINCE MEEHAN | Downtown News

Christopher Lander is the founder of BASIS, a Downtown brand incubator that has re-cently launched four separate e-commerce brands. His mission is to disrupt the dental, hair, and skin care industries with his new brands, and so far his plan is pan-ning out. These direct-to-consum-er brands include: TryAutoBrush.com, IvyLeafSkincare.com, ShopUnt a ng le d.c om, a nd ShopTheCore.com — and they’re all owned and operated by BASIS. Lander and his team have reached the one-year anniversary land-mark, and are looking forward to many more successful years here in San Diego.

His office is located on the fifth floor of the San Diego Union Tribune building on B Street, where his team members work on their laptops while lounging on beanbag chairs. The laid-back environment is typical of many of today’s young upstart companies, but the company has had to overcome a few ma-jor hurdles to get to the one-year anniversary intact. This includes a merger with a separate compa-ny called Ads, Inc., which was marred by the sudden death of its founder Asher Burke in a highly

publicized helicopter crash in Kenya in March.

“Obviously, that was just a cra-zy time for us, and I had to decide if I was going to keep it all togeth-er and run both sides of the busi-ness,” Lander said. “I eventually decided to separate the business-es and that’s where BASIS stands today.”

At the time of the merger, Lander and Burke sought out and hired leaders in the field of e-com-merce in various different fields. But after Burke’s death, a lot of the cash flow that was to come along with the merger was lost. As a re-sult, there was a round of layoffs, and the ones who survived were suddenly forced to take on addi-tional responsibilities that were not necessarily in their comfort zone. But the wealth of experi-ence that the new hires brought with them made this transition successful and resulted in the four brands currently owned by BASIS. The most popular brand is AutoBrush, “the unique electric toothbrush of the 21st century.” This product fits in your mouth like an athletic mouth guard, and the AutoBrush for Kids model is a hot seller.

For the merger, Lander and Burke’s goal was to snatch up all the e-commerce marketing

stars and create a superpower that would dominate the field. This included running the whole show as opposed to marketing for other people. And Lander in-tends to hold true to that plan no matter what fate throws at him. “The back story is that we are good marketers, we are able to sell things online profitably. So, we wanted to be able to build as-sets instead of marketing for other people,” Lander said.

Nikki Johnson is the director of brand development at BASIS, and one of the people Lander brought on board for the merger. Johnson is excited about the suc-cess that the AutoBrush for Kids

has enjoyed. “The whole idea is to change the way people look at health and beauty products, and make a dent in the health and beauty space,” Johnson noted. “It’s actually making kids enjoy brushing their teeth, so all of the parents are saying their kids are using it eight times a day be-cause it plays jungle music and the kids are actually having little dance parties. And they’re actu-ally excited to brush their teeth now, which is exciting for us be-cause you just want to build the good habit of kids getting used to brushing their teeth and not mak-ing it such a negative thing for them. Kohl’s and CVS and Target

have all reached out us because of seeing us out there and what kind of difference we’re trying to make in the oral health care space for kids.”

As for the future, Lander wants his company to collectively catch its breath after the drama earlier in the year. But he also wants to springboard onto bigger things once that is done. “I want to stabilize and then grow version four of AutoBrush,” Lander said. “Then I’d like to expand outside of the United States, wherever that takes us.”

—Vince Meehan can be reached at [email protected].

(Top row l to r) Director of Brand Development Nikki Johnson, founder Christopher Lander, Project Manager Cori Taylor, (bottom row l to r) Media Buyer Lead Micheal Mariano, Media Buyer Lead Jonathan Roth, Mariel Bacci. (Photo by Vince Meehan)

The AutoBrush for Kids features happy animal face motifs. (Photo courtesy of BASIS)

2- to 5-year-olds, a saucer swing and a “Viking” swing.

Spurlock principal landscape architect Brad Lents said that a major component of the design is the utilization of porous paving materials throughout the park to help treat stormwater and reduce large excavations for stormwater detention basins that would have impacted the preservation of ma-ny of the existing pine trees.

Because of the grading, in order to provide new program areas and

ADA access throughout the park, a number of the existing trees will have to be removed.

“We worked closely with an arborist to save as many of the existing trees as we could, while replacing some of those that were removed with new trees,” ex-plained Lents.

The removal of the existing Italian cypress around the perim-eter of the park and replacement with Raywood ash will open up visibility into the park and provide better shade on the sidewalk.

A focal point in the park is a sculpture by Miki Iwasaki called “Petrichor,” meaning a pleasant

smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.

A s cu lpt u ra l i n s t a l la-tion consisting of multiple

three-dimensional, interlock-ing abstract forms that “float” above the ground in a cloud-like shape, “Petrichor” is designed to take your eye up into the trees in

search of the clouds. Night light-ing will illuminate the artwork, creating a strong evening pres-ence and serving as a beacon in the park.

Although the park is heavily amenitized, there is still room for flexibility and pop-up events. Construction is expected to start this summer so everyone can go out and play.

—Delle Willett has been a mar-keting and public relations profes-sional for over 30 years, with an emphasis on conservation of the environment. She can be reached at [email protected].

Children’s ParkCONTINUED FROM Page 3

A play area for kids (Image courtesy Spurlock Landscape Architects)

sdnews.com4 San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020 BUSINESS / NEWS

Sparks Gallery is located in the heart of the Gaslamp be-tween Island and Market on Sixth Avenue. This historic space was originally called the Sterling Hardware Building and was built in 1924. This 1920s period design has original maple floorboards and brick walls that were restored by hand, creating an amazing 4,500-square-foot space. There is also a mezzanine level, exterior patio, and a fully equipped kitchen. This gallery was designed for contempo-rary artwork. All of the artists live in San Diego or Southern California.

Sonya Sparks is the owner and chief curator of this lux-urious gallery, which opened in 2013. Sparks collects talent with high impact and gives the public high-quality pieces of art with reasonable prices. In 2015, the gallery was awarded the People’s in Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse by Save Our

Heritage Organisation (SOHO). This month, the Gaslamp Quarter Association presented them with an award for the Best Gallery at the San Diego Union-Tribune’s 25th Anniversary Gaslamp Gala presented by the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter.

The Sparks Gallery hosts eight unique jewelers, who cre-ate amazing wearable art. I had the opportunity to interview Alexandra Hart about her cou-ture jewelry featured there. Hart is inspired by natural symbiotic relationships with inanimate ob-jects. In fact, she named the re-cent solo show she had at Sparks Gallery “Symbiosis.” The concept behind her art is a combination of abstract ideas with traditional

jewelry. Influenced by biology and plants, you will see some jewelry with petals and others have feath-ers. The exhibition had walls with sketches of human form render-ings and then the jewelry was placed so that it looked like a necklace was around the neck or a bracelet around the wrist of the figure. There also were live man-nequins walking around and in-teracting with the guests creating a nontraditional event.

Hart began her business in 1995 and earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Art and Metalsmithing. She has fashion experience designing for Karl Lagerfeld and Givenchy fashion jewelry. Working as a metalsmith, she uses gold silver, platinum and copper. Her goal is to promote re-sponsible sources of materials us-ing ethical metalsmithing and fair trade gems.

A sampling of the names she us-es for her pieces inspired by nature are the feather wrap cuff bracelet, petal earring and necklace, quill earrings and rings, the Venus flytrap earrings and sea anemo-ne. I especially like the filoblume

feather as part of the Pure Flight collection and the ginkgo leaf necklace and earrings. I asked Hart what was next for her. She said that she would be teaching a class at the Anneville Studio in Liberty Station and Cogent Studio on Morena Boulevard.

Sparks Gallery also brings dif-ferent layers to the consumer with hands-on activities such as metal workshops, painting sessions, and a gold leaf workshop. The gallery is located at 530 Sixth Ave. For more information, visit sparks-gallery.com.

—Diana Cavagnaro is an inter-nationally renowned couture mil-liner based in the historic Gaslamp Quarter. Learn more about our hat designer, teacher and blogger at DianaCavagnaro.com.

Sparks has a Hart

Upcoming EventsMarch 7, 2020Luncheon and fashion show to benefit Soroptimist International of San Diego. “Striving for the Stars” will be presented by Gretchen Productions at the Sheraton Harbor Island Marina Tower. For info: 619-670-9880.

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Fashion Files

By DIANA CAVAGNARO

Alexandra Hart and Sonya Sparks (Photo by Diana Cavagnaro)

Feather wrap cuff bracelet (Photo by Diana Cavagnaro)

Ginkgo leaf earring and necklace (Photo by Diana Cavagnaro)

Wall rendering for solo exhibition (Courtesy photo)

Tantalus necklace (Courtesy photo) Created for Alexandra’s solo exhibition, “Symbiosis” (Photo by Raymond Elstad)

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Guest Editorial

The disturbing tale of 101 Ash StreetBARBARA BRY | Mayoral candidate

Mayor Faulconer’s five-year financial outlook projects four straight years of city budget deficits, despite one of the strongest economies in years. Why are the streets, sidewalks, parks and other city facilities continuing to deteriorate when San Diego’s economy is booming? Unfortunately, it’s difficult for San Diegans to get a straight answer to that ques-tion because our current city administration lacks transpar-ency and accountability.

But on Friday, Jan. 17, when city administration announced the city-purchased former Sempra Energy headquarters at 101 Ash St. must be vacated, again, we got a look behind the curtain. And what was revealed is a shocking example of mismanagement and lack of accountability plaguing our city.

The lack of oversight and accountability at 101 Ash St. is reflective of bigger prob-lems at City Hall. Although

my predecessors on the City Council — including two of my opponents for the mayor’s of-fice — approved this lease-pur-chase agreement, no one has yet accepted responsibility for this fiasco. I have asked the city auditor to investigate the process by which the building was purchased, the due dili-gence that was conducted on both the value and the physical condition, and the subsequent handling of the management of this project and the overall expenditures on the project.

The city’s chief operating of-ficer claimed on June 17, 2019, that the “project remains on schedule and within budget.” In August 2019, county regu-lators shut down renovations at 101 Ash St. due to asbestos violations. After “remediating” the violations, the building was subsequently occupied by city employees until Jan. 17, when once again, 101 Ash St. was deemed unfit for human occupation.

101 Ash St. is neither on-time, on-budget nor safe for

occupants. We need a city administration that is account-able for the management of our tax dollars. How much tax rev-enue has been wasted and who is responsible? These issues matter because while $18,000 per day is being spent just on lease payments, that revenue could be used to fix our roads, sidewalks and parks.

We must demand more of city officials. We must demand leaders who have the skills and knowledge to successfully manage our city’s budget and administration.

I continue to demand the city auditor provide the following information:

• Why did the City Council and city attorney approve a lease/purchase agreement that effectively relieves the sellers of any responsibility for undis-closed defects in the building?

• What due diligence oc-curred prior to consummating the lease/purchase agreement regarding valuation and the physical condition of 101 Ash St.?

• What is the total cost to-date to relocate staff to and from Ash Street, including temporary locations?

• What are the details on all budget items, including increases?

• What is the economic impact of the suspension of Development Services Department services for the duration of the move and from this date until services are fully restored?

• What measures have been put in place to stop this fiasco from happening again?

It is a simple equation: When we elect officials who lack financial and management ex-pertise and allow the city ad-ministration to be unaccount-able, we expose the city and its residents to financial risk. That risk threatens the safety and welfare of our neighborhoods. We must demand better!

—Barbara Bry represents District 1 on the City Council. She is also a candidate for San Diego mayor.

— to vehicular traffic and add-ing a number of new features, including public art and street furniture.

While the announcement offi-cially bubbled to the surface last fall, Michael Trimble, executive director of the Gaslamp Quarter Association, said there had been talk of making changes to the layout of one of San Diego’s most visible neighborhoods.

“As a concept, it’s actually been kicked around for decades,” Trimble said in a recent inter-view with Downtown News. “Obviously this is a large project, and a very expensive project.”

Cost, actually, will be one of the sticking points. The transfor-mation has been pegged at ap-proximately $40 million, based on all of the plan components. Trimble and others involved with the preliminary planning have cited four possible funding sources: state and federal grants, corporate donations and private investment.

“There are complications. It’s not an easy task,” Trimble said of the various pieces of the puzzle that will need to come together for the project to see the light of day. “Working out the details will take time.”

The Gaslamp Quarter plans have drawn comparisons to other well-known sites with similar amenities, including the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Trimble said several factors contributed to the formal unveiling of the plans at this point.

“Gaslamp is at a turning point right now,” Trimble said. “This is the front door to the city, and it gives visitors a first impression.”

With other well-established San Diego neighborhoods mak-ing tweaks, Trimble said the promenade also is a logical next step in giving Gaslamp Quarter a distinctive edge in the greater cityscape.

“There’s just a lot of options for people these days,” he said. “We want this to be a place where people can meet and enjoy life.”

Based on current esti-mates, Trimble said the actual

groundbreaking of the targeted area of Fifth Avenue could still be three to five years off on the horizon.

In the meantime, the Gaslamp Quarter Association, which is helming the planning process, is working to gather feedback from Downtown residents, busi-ness owners and other people in-terested in weighing in on the project.

Since the project’s initial an-nouncement, the association has been taking comments through an online form that can be accessed at gaslamp.org/promenade.

By his estimates, Trimble said the comments funneled into his office through the form have been “overwhelmingly positive,” with about 97% of respondents saying they favor the promenade plans.

The next step in the associa-tion’s formal feedback process is an informational meeting, set for 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 11, at the Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter Hotel, 401 K St.

While there is still a bounty of questions at this early stage, Trimble said he is encouraged

by the broad-level support from representatives of other closely aligned organizations, in addi-tion to local election officials.

“Activating the Gaslamp and investing in a pedestrian-fo-cused promenade will enhance the experience of visitors and provide exciting opportuni-ties for people to gather,” City Council member Chris Ward said in a statement. His 3rd District representation on the City Council includes Gaslamp Quarter.

Joe Terzi, president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority, also has gone on re-cord in support of the plans.

“It will create a sense of com-munity, and a place for social connections and entertain-ment,” Terzi said in a statement. “Its completion will represent a vital renaissance for the city — one that will serve the com-munity as a place to gather and celebrate life in America’s Finest City.”

—Dave Fidlin is a freelance jour-nalist with a special affinity for San Diego and its people. Contact him at [email protected].

Fifth AvenueCONTINUED FROM Page 1

A rendering of the promenade versus how it appears now (Photos courtesy the Gaslamp Association)

sdnews.com6 San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020 OPINION / NEWS

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CONTRIBUTING

EDITORS

Jeff Clemetson x130Tom Melville x131

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CONTRIBUTING

WRITERS

Barbara BryDiana Cavagnaro

Tom CesariniDave Fidlin

Christopher GomezLana HarrisonVince Meehan

Frank Sabatini Jr. Sandee Wilhoit

Delle Willett

COPY EDITORDustin Lothspeich

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OPINIONS/LETTERS: San Diego Downtown News en-courages letters to the editor and guest editorials. Please email either to [email protected] and include your phone number and address for verification. We reserve the right to edit letters for brevity and accuracy. Letters and guest editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or staff.

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LA JOLLA

That’s amore! Celebrate a romantic Valentine’s Day in Little Italy

Make Valentine’s Day weekend extra special this year with a ro-mantic getaway to San Diego’s Little Italy. Lovebirds every-where are called to this popular Downtown neighborhood to en-joy a list of endless activities. Filled with award-winning restaurants, unique shops, and fine hotels, the 48-square-block neighborhood has everything you need to make this weekend special for you and your loved one.

If you’re still on search for the perfect Valentine’s gift, Little Italy has one-of-a-kind shops to spoil your significant other. Search for small apothecary items and gifts at Love & Aesthetics or find a unique home decor while antique shopping at India Street Antiques.

Take an afternoon stroll through the charming neigh-borhood and hit up a variety of bars and wineries. Swing by for a tasting at Pali Wine Co. Winery Tasting Room to sip on some of the best pinot noir and chardon-nay from the central coast or Carruth Cellars Wine Garden, an urban winery offering premium wines from Northern and Central California. Before dinner reserva-tions, stop by the European-styled Piazza della Famiglia to watch the sun set against gorgeous views of the San Diego Bay and remi-nisce shared memories with your sweetheart. Also in the Piazza, the Little Italy Food Hall has an amazing full service bar to grab pre-dinner drinks.

Share an intimate Valentine’s Day dinner at one of Little Italy’s premier restaurants. It is the ul-timate destination for authentic Italian cuisine with venues like Davanti Enoteca, Nonna Italian Comfort Food, Bencotto Italian Kitchen and Civico 1845. For fine dining, make a reservation at Herb & Wood or Juniper and Ivy to experience diverse menus de-signed by all-star chefs.

After dinner or just because, treat your valentine with some-thing sweet! Visit Salt & Straw to split a scoop of uniquely flavored,

handcrafted ice cream or in-dulge in delicious baked goods at Extraordinary Desserts. Also, inside the Little Italy Food Hall, discover true Italian gelato at Bobboi Natural Gelato. For those looking to turn Valentine’s Day up a notch, enjoy a night out on the town at hot spots like Craft & Commerce’s speakeasy False Idol, San Diego’s oldest tavern Waterfront Bar & Grill or Born & Raised’s 1920s-style rooftop.

To explore all of the romance the neighborhood has to offer, surprise your significant other

with a weekend staycation. Carte Hotel, Little Italy’s newest hotel, is near the Embarcadero waterfront, which is perfect for starry eve-ning walks and offers stunning views from its rooftop pool and bar. Porto Vista Hotel is just steps away from all of the excitement of the neighborhood and is offering a special cupid’s deal including a complimentary Champagne bottle.

From Valentine’s Day prepa-ration to romantic celebrations, Little Italy is the place for a mem-orable Valentine’s Day weekend that will wow your beloved.

—Christopher Gomez has been Little Italy’s district manager since 2000. Reach him at [email protected]. To stay connected with Little Italy, check out what’s going on in the neighborhood by fol-lowing on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For more information, visit LittleItalySD.com.

Forget an American in Paris. How about a Neapolitan’s adventures in San Diego?

When you don’t se e Neapolitan tenor and Little Italy favorite Rosario Monetti belting out a favorite aria in awe-inspir-ing programs and venues locally and globally, you can find him overseeing his newest venture — Meshuggah Shack in Mission Hills — serving up a great cup of coffee, and often with a tune at no additional charge. You can also see Rosario perform in Little Italy at Amici House in the com-ing months where he assembles unforgettable shows. We sat down with Rosario to ask him about his latest endeavor.

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THIS NEW VENTURE?

It was by chance. A friend told me about the coffee kiosk on sale, and the funny thing is that we always talked about this little place and how much we loved it. Everything started from the previous owner who, about 10 years ago, turned a bank ATM into a coffee kiosk — yes, it was an ATM before. The quirkiness is basically the creativity of the old owner but even more the contri-bution over the years of the loyal customers — each of them has put in a bit of his own vision of the place.

AS AN ITALIAN ENTREPRENEUR IN SAN DIEGO, WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED ABOUT DIFFERENCES IN BUSINESS (AND LIFESTYLE)

PRACTICES BETWEEN ITALY AND THE U.S.?

The main difference from a business point of view is the easier approach to bureaucracy here, from the very beginning to the final step for the business to be active and alive. In Italy, the bureaucracy is a nightmare, which pushes away many entre-preneurs from my native country. The lifestyle also is very different —everything in Italy is delayed — breakfast at 8 a.m., lunch at 1:30 p.m., and dinner at 8:30 p.m. And, of course, the nightlife as well — and I mean daily night-life — you go out at 11 p.m. over there, and here at 11 p.m., you are already in your dreams, sleeping.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO NEW ENTREPRENEURS COMING HERE?

To learn the American and Californian culture and lifestyle first, which gives you a better perspective and perception of who your future clients will be.

Little Italy Culture & Heritage

By TOM CESARINI

Rosario Monetti (center) is flanked by his amici, Italian researchers at UCSD, enjoying a visit to Meshuggah Shack. (Photos courtesy of Rosario Monetti)

Little Italy News

By CHRISTOPHER GOMEZ

SEE NEAPOLITAN’S, Page 15

Couples enjoying Valentine's Day in Little Italy (Photos courtesy Little Italy Association)

sdnews.com 7San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020LITTLE ITALY

Nearly two doz-en restaurants and bars are taking part in the “Gaslamp Mardi Gras Big Easy Bites & Booze Tour.” The self-guid-ed tour takes place from 1 to 5 p.m. Feb. 22 along sever-al blocks inside the Gaslamp Quarter.

Food and drink samples will be doled out by the partic-ipating establishments, which include The Smoking Gun, Spill the Beans, The Field, Tropical Savor, Brian’s 24, and more.

The cost is $25 per person, which in-cludes 20 “bites,” 20 cocktail “sips” and beads at every stop. Attendees must be 21 years of age or older. Tickets can be purchased online at sdmardigras.com.

—Frank Sabatini Jr. can be reached at [email protected].

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The Los A ngeles-based Mendocino Farms salad and sandwich shop opens Feb. 13 in the Gaslamp Quarter. With 32 lo-cations in California and Texas, its downtown debut marks the company’s fourth outlet within San Diego County.

The fast-casual eatery offers a chef-driven menu featuring

playful takes on cobb, taco and Chinese chicken salads, as well as hearty tuna melts, turkey clubs, vegan burgers and more.

Totaling 2,700 square feet, the restaurant will fill the lower lev-el of Tower 180 and feature live greenery, floor-to-ceiling win-dows and a raised patio. 1010 Second Ave., mendocinofarms.com.

In an effort to reignite the din-ing experience at the Glass Door, which offers views of the bay and skyline from the fourth floor of Little Italy’s Porto Vista Hotel, a new breakfast and dinner menu has just rolled out.

The menus were created by food and beverage director Josh Weast, who arrived several months ago from the Silverado Resort and Country Club in Napa Valley.

Since opening in 2008, the restaurant’s momentum has fluctu-ated with a fleeting roster of chefs,

general managers and culinary concepts. Now it’s all about coast-al-American cuisine for breakfast/brunch and French-inspired dishes for dinner — both relying on locally sourced ingredients.

New items include pork belly Benedict, egg-white frittatas, avo-cado-asparagus salad, beef bour-guignon, and pan-seared salmon. In addition, happy hour featuring discounts on drinks and share plates is held from 3 to 6 p.m. daily. 1835 Columbia St., 619-564-3755, portovistasd.com/eats.

Salmon with carrot puree and seasonal veggies at the Glass Door (Courtesy of Olive Creative Strategies)

In the ongoing revitalization of Seaport Village, the Port of San Diego recently an-nounced several incoming cu-linary concepts. They include a still-unnamed restaurant by television chef Sam Zien (a.k.a. Sam the Cooking Guy), and a convenience store called Seaport Market, which will sell beer, wine and prepared salads and sandwiches. Both are slated to open this summer.

Zien’s full-service restaurant will feature a courtyard for cook-ing demonstrations, wine tast-ings and musical entertainment. It will operate in partnership with Grain & Grit Collective, which runs Carnitas Snack Shack and the Little Italy Food Hall. The latter is home to Zien’s Not Not Tacos stall.

Other food-and-beverage vendors due in 2020 are Mr. Moto Pizza, Spill the Beans, Mike Hess Brewery and San Pasqual Wine Tasting Room. 849 W. Harbor Drive, seaportvillage.com.

‘Sam the Cooking Guy’ has a downtown restaurant in the works. (H2 Public Relations)

Mama Chen’s Chinese chicken salad at Mendocino Farms (Courtesy of Bay Bird PR)

More than 50 craft and bou-tique beers are on tap at the new Ale Tales Taproom in the East Village. The spacious bottle shop has two other locations, one at 2569 Linda Vista Road, and the other in Albany, CA. Here,

it shares space with Bread & Cheese Eatery, which sells soups, salads and gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. And the beer selection extends to cans and bot-tles as well. 1520 J St., 619-786-2537, aletalestaproom.com.

Deborah Scott at Indigo Grill (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)

A downtown walking tour offers the sights and flavors of Mardi Gras. (Facebook)

After a 26-year run, Indigo Grill in Little Italy will close. The mod-ern-Latin restaurant, founded by chef Deborah Scott and later run in part-nership with the Cohn Restaurant Group, will conduct its last day of ser-vice on Feb. 8.

Scott is still in partner-ship with the Cohn Group at Coasterra and Island Prime/C Level, both perched along the water-front. In a statement is-sued announcing the end of Indigo Grill, she offered no explanation, but said in part: “It feels like the end of an era. I will always remember and appreci-ate the opportunities this landmark as afforded me.” 1536 India St., 619-234-6802, cohnrestaurants.com.

sdnews.com8 San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020 DINING

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I’m always interested to learn where restaurants source their breads from, given the range of reputable wholesale baker-ies sprinkled across our region. Though until lunching at Zinqué recently, I had never encountered a San Diego kitchen that receives loaves directly from France.

For the tartines, which are open-face sandwiches topped with various proteins and spreads, the bread hails from Poilane Bakery in Paris. The long-established business is famous for its slow-fer-mentation technique using nat-ural sourdough leaven. It arrives baked, packaged and ready for consumption.

What you get are dense, rustic slices of goodness, which paired swimmingly to our tartine of choice — one that’s topped sim-ply with butter, salami and cor-nichons. Other options include tuna nicoise, tomato-avocado, and smoked salmon with crème fraiche, egg and fresh dill.

From yet a dif-ferent bakery in France is where t he c r oi s -sant dough originates. The buttery, flakey beau-ties are baked on s it e a nd serve as vessels for chocolate or prosciutto with Gruyere cheese. They’re available on the breakfast-brunch menu.

As a twosome focused on lunch, we dove straight into an order of green curry soup made greener with broccoli and spinach. The curry notes were subtle. Thus if you don’t like curry, you could end up cherishing this because of its upfront flavor of fresh-squeezed lime and faux creaminess from

coconut milk. Fresh cilantro and hints of spiciness made the recipe all the more alluring.

Most of the fare at Zinqué is lightly armed with dairy, which reflects the Mediterranean cui-sine that owner Emmanuel Dossetti grew up with in his na-tive Marseille, France. Where pay-loads of cheese, cream and butter exist in other regional types of French cooking, they’re replaced here often by olive oil, vinegars,

fresh veggies and fish.The “le bowl” is where France

meets wel l-ness-minded S o u t h e r n Cal i fornia. Brown rice serves as the

bedding for arugula, avoca-

do and shavings of nutty-tasting Comte cheese. It features a choice of chick-en or egg-white

frittata. We chose the latter, which harbored the salt given to the dish.

My favorite sandwich in the world (aside from a hefty Reuben) is France’s signature croque-mon-sieur — or “madame” if choosing a sunny-side egg on top. Zinqué offers both, using bread in this case from a Los Angeles bakery.

I ordered the madame, which contained the obligatory layer of ham inside, as well as the right measure of bechamel sauce. The egg was perfectly cooked, although the amount of toasted Gruyere on top fell short. Perhaps it is in keeping with the menu’s lighter, healthier approach. But ideally the cheese should encase the entire sandwich, and the con-sumer should suck up the guilt.

Other lunch items include steak frites with chimichurri or peppercorn sauce; mussels in white wine and herbs with frites; smoked salmon carpaccio; zuc-chini quiche, and the unexpected findings of prawn and pork belly tacos.

The dinner menu features many of the same items, with the addi-tions of a charcuterie plate, assort-ed flatbreads and ratatouille.

Cocktails, and French wines and bubbly are in abundance from a full bar sitting at the center of a modern-industrial layout that opens to the street.

Zinqué operates daily starting at 7 a.m. It closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday, and at 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. It also offers happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, when select drinks and small bites are discounted.

—Frank Sabatini Jr. is the author of ‘Secret San Diego’ (ECW Press) and began his local writing career more than two decades ago as a staff-er for the former San Diego Tribune. You can reach him at [email protected].

French fare sans the heaviness

Zinqué2101 Kettner Blvd. (Little Italy)

619-915-6172, lezinque.com

Lunch prices: Soups, salads and bowls, $10 to $15; tacos, burgers, sandwiches and tartines, $6 to $17; quiche, $13 and $14; entrees, $14 to $33

Restaurant Review

By FRANK SABATINI JR.

The croque madame (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)

Salami tartine (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)

Zinque offers plenty of sidewalk seating options (Photo courtesy Haley Hill Photography)

A modern French eatery in Little Italy (Photo courtesy Haley Hill Photography)

The ‘le bowl’ with veggies and egg-white frittata over brown rice (Photo by Frank Sabatini Jr.)

sdnews.com 9San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020DINING

Curtain going up!SANDEE WILHOIT | Downtown News

With pomp and circumstance, the magnificent Balboa Theatre opened on Friday, March 28, 1924. All of San Diego was excited to welcome screen stars Corrinne Griffith, Conway Tearle, Adele Rowland and “the funniest man

in the world,” comedian Charles Murray. After guests entered the spacious lobby and passed into an auditorium featuring multi-col-ored ref lective lighting, they settled in to watch “Lillies of the Field,” starring Griffith and Tearle. Also featured was Fanchon and Marco, a popular brother and sis-ter vaudeville duo and their revue, the “Musical Melange.” The the-ater could accommodate films and live acts, both human and animal. Opening night was a huge success!

Perhaps more noteworthy was that this elaborate and visually stunning building was produced by an all San Diego team. San Diego architect William Wheeler

designed the building for the owner, Robert E. Hicks, a former newspaperman from Colorado, who moved to San Diego in 1913. Wheeler was especially pleased to work on this project, as he was a former actor and vaudeville per-former, and would ultimately per-form at the Balboa on occasion.

The general contractor was the Wurster Construction Company and Mr. J. Campbell did the sculp-turing and modeling. Other San Diego sub-contractors were: the Pioneer Truck Company, excavat-ing; Spreckels Brothers, portland cement; John Hanson, rock and sand; W.C. Merritt, plumbing; J. O’Neil, brick contractor; Benton Roof and Paint, roofing and paint; Ed Thayer, plastering con-tractor; and W.J. Baily, plasterer.

Additionally, other San Diegans in-volved were National Iron Works, San Diego Tile and Woodstone Company, Southern Electrical Company and the Austin Safe and Desk Company, which provided the theater seating.

The building combined the the-ater with 34 offices and six stores. It was primarily designed as a movie house, but it also had com-plete facilities for live stage perfor-mances. When the venue opened, it had a Robert Morton 4-32 pipe organ. In 1928, the organ was moved to the Fox Theatre. The cost of the building was $800,000 and was dubbed by the press as “a gem of a theater.”

Beginning with the entrance, this steel reinforced concrete gem was a marvel of exquisite detail. Originally, there were two box offices, one on either side of the doorway. The entrance floor featured a tile mosaic commem-orating Balboa’s discovery of the Pacific Ocean, and the walls were covered with elaborate maps of the Americas. The acoustics were unusual and seemed to anticipate modern stereophonic sound, as there were air registers to carry the backstage organ sound to various points all over the theater. On the side walls close to the stage were ornamental waterfalls cascading over artificial rocks, which provid-ed a cooling effect as well as an in-teresting sight and sound display.

Up a ramp from the foyer, pa-trons could retreat to a “pleas-ance.” This was a special feature of the theater, which provided comfortable davenports and chairs and soft music from the wall grills.

Led into the auditorium by ush-erettes in Spanish-themed toreador costumes, guests could be seated in one of 904 leather cushioned opera seats, placed 36 inches apart. The ambience was further enhanced by reflective upward lighting, used both internally and externally, in four colors or any blend of the four. Rich tapestries covered the walls, and a large orchestra pit accom-modating musicians associated with vaudeville and silent films was at the front of the stage.

The 42-foot-wide and 28-foot-deep stage included a special opening for a 1,200-pound el-evator used to transport equip-ment from the basement or for special effects. Underneath the stage were lounges for musicians, which could be entered from the orchestra pit, dressing rooms for the performers, as well as spaces for carpenters, electricians, and stagehands. A 72-foot f ly loft towered over the beautiful maple stage and was spacious enough to accommodate 29-line sets, which could be used for curtains, screens or scenery. The stage itself was well reinforced to provide for the weight of various animal acts that played. One, in particular, gained special recognition. It was a circus act which boasted an educated horse, a singing mule, perform-ing monkeys and a trick elephant who danced the ballet. The trick was on the audience though, as the elephant was not given time

to relieve itself before the act, and did so onstage, spraying not only the entire orchestra pit, but also the first two rows of the audience. The theater had to pay a very large cleaning bill! There were no further animal acts.

The exterior was no less the-matically detailed. The building is crowned by a polychrome tiled dome, which echoes the Spanish influence seen on the nearby Santa Fe depot dome tower and the foun-tain in Horton Plaza park. Various businesses occupied the storefronts over the years and included restau-rants, confectioners, tailors, jewel-ers, photographers, beauty salons, and later, tattoo parlors. In 1927, the KFBC broadcasting station op-erated from the roof of the build-ing. The Fox West Coast Theatres Inc. art department occupied the fifth floor from 1931-34, and in 1943, half of the office rooms were converted to hotel rooms to accommodate the influx of WWII servicemen arriving in San Diego. These lodgings of dubious integrity operated until 1965.

In 1930, the Balboa became a deluxe Spanish-language theater. The following year, local Spanish teachers made arrangements to bring in groups of Spanish stu-dents at reduced rates. Balboa Theatre advertisements included the phrase, “Learn Spanish while being entertained.” However, by 1932 the Great Depression put a stop to the reduced rates, and the Balboa returned to screening Hollywood films.

The theater continued to op-erate until 1985, when it was acquired by the Center City Development Corporation, who intended to incorporate it into the Horton Plaza Redevelopment Plan. In 1986, the late Toni Michetti formed the Balboa Theatre Foundation, a nonprofit, which negotiated with the city to renovate and reuse the theater for live performance once more. With a $26.5 million restoration, the Balboa reopened for its inaugu-ral season in 2008. It once again hosts international live entertain-ment of the highest caliber.

—Sandee Wilhoit is the historian for the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation. She can be reached at [email protected].

The Balboa Theatre still has live shows today. (Photo by Tim Trevaskis)

Balboa Theatre

1924

648 4th Ave., southwest corner of Fourth and E

Architectural Style: Spanish Renaissance Revival

Architect: William Wheeler

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sdnews.com10 San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020 HISTORY

Utility box art provides glimpse into history of the Gaslamp QuarterLANA HARRISON | Downtown San Diego Partnership

On the southwest corner of Fifth and G streets in the bustling heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, is a small piece of history.

It’s a utility box, just one among a few in a recently completed proj-ect in the Gaslamp Quarter called “Gaslamp Did You Know?”

While the utility box itself isn’t particularly old, its modern wrapped façade chronicles a bit of the intersection’s history from nearly 150 years ago.

In 2019, diners move in and out of the building, ready for a night out in Downtown’s famous enter-tainment district. In 1874, occu-pying that corner of the block was a bank. And over the next couple decades, it would house the city li-brary, the police department, and the mayor.

“Gaslamp Did You Know?” is part of an ongoing effort by the Downtown San Diego Partnership to enhance the pedestrian expe-rience in our urban core through visual storytelling.

“Our Clean and Safe program works with each neighborhood to create projects that not only beautify our Downtown streets-capes, but also foster positive and memorable experiences that our

unique to that neighborhood,” said Sean Warner, director of Community Enhancement for the Partnership. “We’ve already seen the ‘Gaslamp Did You Know?’ utility boxes spark curiosity and delight in passersby.”

Throughout the past couple of years, the organization partnered with Jason Gould and a network of artists through his North Park-based art studio, Visual, to paint utility boxes in the Columbia District, City Center, and Marina with colors and themes that re-flect the Downtown vibe.

The Gaslamp Quarter presented a unique opportunity to highlight the neighborhood’s long and var-ied history through a collabora-tion with the Gaslamp Quarter Association (GQA), Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation (GQHA), and a local design studio with an office in the community, A7D Creative Group.

“The GQHF is proud to have partnered on this innovative project that highlights the archi-tecture and people that helped make modern day San Diego,” said Rhiannon Luna, executive director of the GQHA. “The his-toric images wrapped onto the utility boxes are a great way to engage the public and entice

them to learn more by visiting the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation and taking a guided walking tour.”

Using images from the San Diego History Center, so far, five boxes along Broadway and Market Street have received this retro makeover, with another batch slated for installation in 2020 on Fourth and Sixth avenues.

In addition to the box on Fifth and G, casual passersby and cu-rious lay historians can discover Wyatt Earp, a gambling hall oper-ator and prospector from the 19th century, on Fifth and E, or check out the Yuma Building on Fifth and Market. According to GQHA, this building was one of the first brick buildings in Downtown San Diego.

Two other boxes, each with their own fascinating history lessons, are located on Fifth and Broadway, and Fifth and F.

According to Liddell, communi-cations manager for GQA, the idea here is that while visitors, employ-ees, and residents partake in the neighborhood’s many restau-rants, bars and shopping options, they can also get a glimpse of how the streets they tread and the buildings they encounter have changed over the years.

“This project not only helps tell the story of the Gaslamp Quarter’s remarkable history, but also en-hances the pedestrian experience for those who visit our thriving entertainment district through-out the year,” Liddell said. “We’re thrilled to see people, whether they

are visiting the Gaslamp Quarter for the first time or are regular pa-trons, interacting with these cre-atively refurbished utility boxes.”

—Lana Harrison was the com-munications coordinator for the Downtown San Diego Partnership.

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A photo of Wyatt Earp in the Gaslamp Quarter on a utility box The Yuma Building’s history told on a utility box

A utility box with a picture of City Hall (Photos by A7D Creative Group)

sdnews.com 11San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020FEATURE

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were stick framers,” Brooks said from the library of the Harbor Club in Downtown San Diego. “And we followed the 210 free-way out east as it was being built, and it was just all tract homes, and we were rough-framing the houses one a day; sometimes one and a half with the larger homes.”

Brooks continued to gain more construction expertise until he hurt himself due to the nature of the trade. The injury lead to a series of events resulting in his success here in San Diego. “I hurt my back so I got out of that for a while and soon found myself in San Diego. I spent a day in the La Jolla Cove and I came out of the water going, ‘Why doesn’t ev-erybody want to live here?’ Back then, there weren’t the seals, you could swim out around, you could jump off the rocks, this was the late ’80s and oh man, I was in love! I came out of the water and was dating a girl at the time – who became my first wife – and I told her, I don’t care what we have to do but I’m moving here.”

Within a year, he found a way to move to San Diego for good. He migrated back into construc-tion by installing cabinetry in kitchens, baths and remodels. At his church, he met a lot of contractors divided into two groups: residential contractors and commercial contractors. He said the residential contrac-tors always looked at the com-mercial guys as having it made. They were making more money in less time than he was in doing remodels. “I started begging for a job at one of the commercial contractors in town and for three years I banged on their door and asked for a job. And they finally hired me!”

“In those early years, I did mostly sales and marketing where I raised the amount of money being made for the com-pany from $15 million a year to $50 million. But when the mar-ket crash came, it was no longer about sales and marketing, it was about relationships. You could drag in plans all day long, but if you couldn’t hit the numbers, you were in trouble. I pretty much got my notice. They said, ‘You’re not producing.’ So, I went OK, take

me off payroll, take me off of over-head, put me on the jobs and I’ll figure it out. That’s when I started bidding my own jobs.”

This led to his now successful DIY model of just getting things done on his own and eventually inspired him to create his own company. “When I was a residen-tial guy doing kitchen and baths and homes and remodeling, I drew my own plans, I pulled my own permits. I wasn’t an archi-tect, but back then you could do that as an owner, builder, and de-signer. I’m used to drawing my own plans, I had my light table, I had my little blueprint machines and I absolutely loved it. But I couldn’t make any money draw-ing plans, so I had to build. And so that’s what I did! I rebirthed my skill set and went back to my roots and started that process. I left that company after nine years and started Cornerstone. I really didn’t want to actually be a contractor, I really wanted to be a developer. But a couple of clients called up and said, ‘You know, we got a building we want you to build’ [and] the rest is his-tory. In 2007, we turned more to construction management and we specialize in HOA high-rise luxury now.”

Cornerstone now serves as a construction management firm as well as commercial construc-tion and litigation consulting. They specialize in “outside of the box” projects including decom-missioning a heliport atop the Harbor Club residential tower Downtown and designing a rock-et-testing facility for SpaceDev/

Sierra Nevada Corporation near Lakeside that came with its own unique permitting and logistical issues. He also oversaw a project at The Grand North, where an entire tower needed to be repiped without displacing the residents, and another at Diamond Terrace that suffered major f looding damage.

Through it all, Brooks has re-lied on his instinctual skills to solve problems that others can-not. He never earned a degree; instead he tapped into a gift for problem solving that comes nat-urally. “I’m a builder! I mean, I can frame it, I can hang it. When I close my eyes, when I look at a building, I can close my eyes and I can see the systems.”

Brooks said his most interest-ing project to date was his work for SpaceDev/Sierra Nevada Corporation. The company need-ed a rocket-testing site to devel-op a unique engine for Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic spacecraft. This engine needed to be able to fire, then shut off, then fire and shut off again. This is not how normal rocket engines work, usually you fire them off and that’s it. Brooks found a plot of land in Slaughterhouse Canyon off Highway 67 near Lakeside. The owners had creat-ed a box canyon from past min-ing that served as a perfect test bed for the rocket.

Brooks’ plan was to bore a tunnel into one of the canyon walls and back the rocket en-gine up to it. Then they would fire the rocket engine into the tunnel during testing. The tun-nel curved upward and opened above the canyon so the exhaust plume would exit skyward. This proved successful and SpaceDev/Sierra Nevada Corporation won the contract, but the part that amazed Brooks the most was how he got all the city, county and state agencies to sign off on the concept in one meeting. That is the forte of Tom Brooks and indicative of why he has so much respect as the go-to guy in the construction business here in San Diego. “That… was insane!’” added Brooks with a grin.

—Vince Meehan can be reached at [email protected].

CornerstoneCONTINUED FROM Page 1

The SpaceDev/Sierra Nevada Corporation rocket being tested at Brook’s Slaughterhouse Canyon test facility. (Photo courtesy of SpaceDev/Sierra Nevada Corporation)

Founder and CEO of Cornerstone Managing Partners, Tom Brooks, atop the Harbor Club at the site of the former helipad. (Photo by Vince Meehan)

sdnews.com 13San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020BUSINESS / PUZZLES

Sunday, Feb. 9Dancing in the Orange Groves

The Maritime Museum’s con-cert season featuring the Hausman Quartet opens with an evocative California adven-ture featuring a mix of music, pairing two Haydn masterpiec-es with works suggestive of our own time and place. Terry Ri-ley’s “Good Medicine Dance” is the final segment of his ep-ic “Salome Dances for Peace,” which updates the legend of Salome to today (or at least to 1987). Caroline Shaw’s “Valen-cia” is an ode to the common supermarket orange, but also in the composer’s words “a kind of celebration of awareness of the natural, unadorned food that is still available to us.” General admission is $30. 1492 N Har-bor Drive. 4-6 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 11

‘Smacked: An Adventure in Healing”

Adventures by the Book is pleased to announce “Smacked: An Adventure in Healing” with international and New York Times business journalist Ei-lene Zimmerman on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 6:30 p.m., at Growth 1031, 9540 Towne Centre Drive, Suite 150, San Diego CA 92121. The event is ticketed ($27 per person, includes book) and is open to the public.

Thursday, Feb. 13The Tiny Made Mighty

A larger-than-life inflatable sea creature will be on display in Seaport Village: come visit the big blue octopus cyanea. This 12-foot-tall installation highlights the magnificent diversity of our oceans and draws attention to the risks climate change poses to endangered species while serving as an example of how everyone can make efforts to sustain the ecosystem.

Friday, Feb. 14

Valentine’s Day

At VistalAt the intersection of city sky-lines and the glistening water horizons, couples will enjoy gleaming views overlooking the bayfront as they savor a deca-dent four-course prix fixe menu by celebrated chef Amy DiB-iase. $75 per person. Call 619-535-0485 for reservations.

At Saffron + SageThe holistic health club in Little Italy is celebrating Valentine’s Day with two specials, offering special services to indulgent couples and to those who want a little self-love. They are offer-ing couples massages ($300) as well as facials ($150).

At Carté HotelLittle Italy’s Carte Hotel will be offering 20% off best available

rates for Valentine’s Day, along with rose petal evening turn-down service, a sunset Cham-pagne toast for two at Above Ash Social and a fixed dinner for two at Watercolors, priced at $100 (excluding taxes and gratuities).

Saturday, Feb. 15

Monster JamThe most action-packed mo-torsports experience for fami-lies in the world today returns to San Diego for a high-octane event featuring the ultimate mix of high-flying action and four-wheel excitement. Petco Park at 7 p.m. $15.

Sunday, Feb. 163-D Plankton Theater

Visitors are invited to put on plankton 3-D glasses and be wowed by an underwater world where the microscopic is mag-nified to three-dimensional glory — captured by Scripps Institu-tion of Oceanography scientist Jules Jaffe. Each video is about 1-3 minutes long, and the series of short videos will be viewable on loop daily at Seaport Village. Feb. 16-21.

Climate ClashThe Climate Clash, a sea crea-ture-costumed professional wrestling match, takes place live at Seaport Village at 2:30 p.m. Free to attend, the Climate Clash gives voice to the crea-tures and ecosystems threat-ened by climate change, pit-ting creatures against some of the things that are endan-gering them. Come watch the 660-pound giant Humboldt squid take on a school of lo-cal fish, or a “climate denier” versus a melting glacier. All matches will take place in the Lighthouse District, where a pro-fessional wrestling ring will be erected with plenty of seating for audiences.

Alexandra Savior at Soda Bar

Alexandra Savior is in San Di-ego with her sophomore album, “The Archer.” Alexandra’s voice and lyrics are eerie and seduc-tive, creating a melancholy, nos-talgic soundscape. Backed by Western guitar riffs, swelling

strings and atmospheric per-cussion, the album oozes noir moodiness while maintaining an elegant charm. $12. Show starts at 9 p.m.

Hope and Humor Comedy Tour

Comedian Kristina Kuzmin will be in San Diego at American Comedy Co. for her book/com-edy tour after the release of her new book “Hold On, But Don’t Hold Still.” 5 p.m. at 818 Sixth Ave. Tickets are $35.

Friday, Feb. 21Meet the Winemaker

Baja Wine + Food brings a unique opportunity to taste Val-le de Guadalupe wines while learning about the wines direct-ly from their makers, while en-joying the stunning San Diego skyline from IDEA1 Rooftop Lounge. The rooftop wine expe-rience is accompanied with Baja cheeses and beautifully-styled charcuterie boards by Al ‘Fre-skō Experience. Photographer Josue Castro will provide artis-tic B&W portraits and live music will be performed by flamenco fusion extraordinaire David De Alva. A portion of the proceeds will support Vanguard Culture. 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $50.

Saturday, Feb. 22

The Big Easy Bites and Booze Tour

Can’t make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year? No problem, the Gaslamp Quar-ter is back to bring the NOLA

vibes to the Gaslamp Quarter with yet another dazzling Fat Tuesday-inspired jubilee! The Big Easy Bites and Booze Tour is making its way back on Sat-urday, Feb. 22, from 1-5 p.m. to bring you the decadent revelry this holiday is all about. Grab your crew and get the full Mardi experience with an edible twist this year with this tantalizing self-guided tour filled with 20 delicious bites and 20 New Or-leans-inspired sips. Tickets start at $25.

Commedia Italian StyleSan Diego Italian Film Festival and Italian Cultural Center pres-ent a lecture on Pietro Germi, his comedies, and Italy in the 1960s. The lecture will be taught by Antonio Iannotta, Ph.D., ar-tistic director of SDIFF and pro-fessor of Italian at USD. Given that Italy is celebrating Carnival at this time, we will offer spe-cial Carnevale Sweets (frappe and castagnole) by Marco Bla-si Chef Catering. 2-3:30 p.m. at Lower Hall, Our Lady of the Rosary (1654 State St.). Tickets are $30.

Saturday, Feb. 29An Artist @ the Table

Engage your senses with a beautiful four-course fine din-ing experience by Vanguard Culture’s culinary director, chef Daniella de la Puente and wine pairings from the Valle de Guadalupe presented by Baja Wine + Food, all while enjoy-ing the scenic skyline views of IDEA1’s Rooftop Lounge, Downtown (899 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101.) Tickets range from $100-$175. Seating is very limited. 21-plus event only. 6-9 p.m.

Friday, March 6‘Balanchine and More’

City Ballet of San Diego, along with The City Ballet Orchestra, will be performing at Spreck-els Theatre on March 6-8. A pre-concert free lecture from Artistic Director Steven Wistrich will be held before each perfor-mance. Tickets are $32-$92. Purchase at cityballet.org or through Ticketmaster. 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. 2 p.m. on Sunday.

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community, she has less time for patrolling the center and its surrounding streets. This also means less interactions with cli-ents — something she misses. In her role as security manag-er, she has updated the security training program to make sure officers are responding instead of reacting to clients. Their approach now is to be compassionate and individualized.

“Throughout the last three years, we really did a whole 360 because we noticed they were more heavy-handed, more of that authority figure, which we already know we are. We don’t need to present in that way,” Dumas said.

In a class she pioneered on de-es-calation, she teaches security to introduce themselves first and to ask someone how they’re doing and explain why they’re asking them to do something instead of just ordering them to do it. While

on her patrol, Dumas greeted ma-ny people by name and some even mentioned it had been too long since they had seen her. More than 1,000 people are on-site at Father Joe’s Villages each day, whether because they live in permanent supportive housing or are seeking emergency shelter, food, or medical care, among other services.

“I look at anyone as a person first,” Dumas said. She explained

she is intentional about being em-pathetic to people who may have trauma stemming from people in uniform. “We have to understand that that’s OK. How are we going to de-escalate [when] we already know that we’re a precipitating factor already because we wear a uniform, we’re looked at as the authority figure?

“We are security, yes, we have to have rules and we have to en-force the rules. But at the end of day, we need to see what’s the ‘why’ behind ‘why is this individ-ual here,’” she said.

There are, of course, limits to what the security team can do and she has fostered a positive re-lationship with San Diego Police Department so they come when-ever there is an issue her team is not equipped to handle. Recently, they were called in when Dumas spotted a man in view of a se-curity camera waving a knife in an empty hallway. While he wasn’t waving the knife at any-one, Dumas said he didn’t look like he was having a good night and looked angry, so she decid-ed to be proactive by bringing in SDPD.

Her team is currently under-staffed, with gaps being filled with contracted security compa-nies (although they are relegated to roles where they will not inter-act with clients). This is an issue that may not be resolved quickly as Dumas is careful in the hir-ing process to make sure new officers can handle the stress of the job while avoiding becoming callous. Despite this, or perhaps because she wants the team to remain healthy, she emphasizes self-care to her officers. This was particularly important when one of the dogs in their K-9 unit died and many needed time to grieve.

In the past year, the security team also had to adapt to a grow-ing number of overdoses that happened in and around the fa-cility. Officers each carry a dose of Narcan, which can treat an over-dose in an emergency situation. Dumas counted 30 overdoses in 2019; many occurred in a bath-room Father Joe’s keeps open to the public.

Unlike many with dim views of the homeless, Dumas is careful not to stereotype people as drug abusers or mentally ill until she can learn their actual story. She said that often when she leaves psych evaluations, she is amazed by the people she serves.

“I’ve heard some stories man, and I’m just like, ‘You’re amaz-ing… you are so brave. I can’t even imagine going through what you’re in. Look at you! You are still trying to fight,’” Dumas said. “Even just trying to get help is a huge step. I just admire [them].”

Dumas knows she could get a higher-paying job elsewhere, but there are advantages to work-ing at Father Joe’s. She is filled with purpose each day and her

supervisors have invested in help-ing her grow within the organi-zation. Instead of hiring outside help, her supervisors have helped her budget and schedule for the department, helping her after each promotion. She sees that the staff are not just invested in clients and residents, but also each other.

Dumas’s dedication was rec-ognized last year when she was given a CREED Award. Recipients are nominated by fellow staff members for going above and beyond in serving in the spirit of the Father Joe’s Villages CREED (Compassion, Respect, Empathy, Empowerment, Dignity). Many of the examples submitted for why she deserved the award related to the professional manor she con-ducts herself while working with different departments.

“Multiple staff members put up how I’m CREED-like in how I speak to people, how I de-escalate things — things I do so natural, I didn’t know people were watch-ing,” she said.

—Kendra Sitton can be reached at [email protected].

DumasCONTINUED FROM Page 1

Dumas inside her office at the Joan Kroc Center in Downtown. (Photos by Kendra Sitton)

Dumas carries a bright blue lanyard, which tells fellow staff members she has worked at Father Joe’s for 10 years. She is looking forward to getting a new lanyard when she celebrates her 15-year work anniversary.

Dumas noticed a hazardous item on the sidewalk and stopped to dispose of it safely.

What works in our own country, no matter how effective it is and how good we are over there, can be a failure over here. Long story short — whoever comes here for the first time and wants to be an entrepreneur has to put his na-tive cultural ego on the side and be willing to accept the cultural differences of this place and be willing and happy to work with it; compromise and melt in with it; without, of course, losing his own authenticity and flavor.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PASSION AND SINGING CAREER.

My passion for music started when I was a kid even if I was not really aware that I was able to sing. Eventually some friends of mine were playing in a bar, and because they previously heard me singing in the car with them asked me to sing something and join them at this club. The song was “With or Without You” by U2, and it was a success. The people went crazy and requested me even the day after, and so I became of-ficially part of the band. That was the moment I understood that I had the potential and the talent to be a professional singer. The real game changer came later on when I started studying music and voice, and my first teacher told me that my voice was naturally made

to sing classical and opera, and here I am as an opera singer now.

WHAT NEW MUSICAL PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON?

I am working on organizing a beautiful concert with a 25-piece orchestra with the collaboration

of an acclaimed orches-tra director and music arranger who has ar-ranged and directed the music for Andrea Bocelli and many other famous Italian singers. I am also going to Sicily for a week as a guest singer for an archeological and wine tour, and there are oth-er projects that I will tell about and promote very soon.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT ROSARIO MONETTI?

Come see me at the Meshuggah! When I am there, most likely I will be singing while making coffees!

Remember that a smile is always something available for every-one. For me, it’s all about my love for life, music, and a cup of great coffee.

Visit meshuggahshack.com for more information.

—Tom Cesarini is the executive director and founder of Convivio and also serves as the Italian honorary consul of San Diego. Convivio cul-tivates community and fellowship, advances Italian cultural identity, and fosters multicultural awareness across myriad disciplines through ed-ucation and research, social enrich-ment, and innovative programming. Visit or conviviosociety.org or follow along at @conviviosociety.

Neapolitan’sCONTINUED FROM Page 7

Rosario Monetti enjoying some relaxation at his newest hangout. (Photos courtesy of Rosario Monetti)

sdnews.com 15San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020NEWS / LITTLE ITALY

Congratulations

REAL Marketing Inc. has helped real estate agents build their market share and client retention for more than 28 years across North America, specializing in increasing market share and improving customer retention. We are pleased to announce our team has helped Gregg Neuman and the Neuman & Neuman Team extend their lead in Downtown sales for the NINTH consecutive year.

REAL Marketing, Inc. is a marketing company dedicated to promoting real estate agents and their businesses. Gregg Neuman is the team leader of Neuman & Neuman Real Estate, Inc. a team of more than two real estate agents working together for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties and the data above under Gregg Neuman includes all transactions closed by the Neuman & Neuman team. Many of the agents featured in this ad are also teams or sole practitioners. All information above was based upon data available at the end of December 2019, for January 1 through December 31, 2019. The information is based upon data supplied by Sandicor MLS and includes all transactions reported under the agents named above. Neither Sandicor nor the MLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by Sandicor or their MLS may not reflect all real estate activities in the market. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Copyright © Trendgraphix, Inc. ©2020 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties is a member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates LLC. DRE 01317331

REAL Marketing, Inc. Congratulates the Top Downtown San Diego Real Estate Agents in 2019!

TOP AGENTS in 92101Total Sales by Real Estate Agent in 2019

(Incl. buyer sales and listings sold, January 1 - December 31, 2019)

86

48

18

17

17

11

10

9

9

8

8

8

8

TOP 10 in 92101

Total Sales by Company

1. Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

2. Coldwell Banker

3. Compass

4. Pacific Sothebys Intl Rlty

5. Big Block Rlty

6. Keller Williams

7. Redfin Corporation

8. Urban Pacific San Diego Realty

9. Welcome To San Diego R.E.

10. Windermere Homes & Estates

161

143

138

125

71

47

46

24

24

23

Results for 2019

6

6

6

6

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

5

Total sales for the 92101 zip codedecreased to 789 units last year, which is a 6.1% decrease from 2018. The average sales price increased 3.35% to $666,323, while the average days on market have increased by 15.2% to 46 days.

Gregg Neuman of BerkshireHathaway HomeServices CaliforniaProperties tops the list for a TENTHconsecutive year with 86 total 92101sales. While his sales represent 53%of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServicesCalifornia Properties’ sales in Downtown, he continues to outsell

entire brokerages including Compass, Coldwell Banker Residential, Willis Allen, Welcome to San Diego Real Estate, Redfin Corporation, Big Block Realty, and Bennion Deville Homes.

With a total of 161 sales accordingto data available from Trendgraphix,Berkshire Hathaway HomeServicesCalifornia Properties finished anotherstrong year and also sustains their leadover all other Downtown brokerages.

Congratulations to all Top Real Estate agents in Downtown San Diego for another outstanding year.

8

8

8

8

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

6

1. Gregg Neuman

2. Chad Dannecker

3. Francine Finn

4. Denny Oh

5. Michael Chious

6. Marla Hovland

7. Jamie Pullman

8. John Husar

9. Claudette Cooper

10. Greg Burnham

11. Robert Whalen

12. Ryan Ponce

13. Michael Ciampa

14. Alan Hamrick

15. Carlos Pastrana

16. David Spiewak

17. Gerry Burchard

18. Mike Althof

19. Trudy Stambook

20. Jeff Grant

21. Jeffrey Walker

22. Melissa Goldstein Tucci

23. Franchesca Meram

24. Pablo Martinez

25. David Stone

26. Jorge Castellon

27. Maureen Tess

28. Sean Zanganeh

29. Deb Herscovitz

30. Mark Hoppe

31. Jeannine Savory

32. Thomas Holmes

33. Lisa Padilla

34. Eric Jones

35. John Reeves

36. Richard Combs

37. Susana Mora

38. Jeffrey Sill

39. 21 tied with 4

sdnews.com16 San Diego Downtown NewsFebruary 2020