[TheOracleAtLilac]

You don't sound like a native.

There's nuthin' to recommend downtown LA. or all of L.A. for that matter.
It's not a destination.
Any attempts (like Bunker Hill, etc) to make it a draw will fail cuz nothing (except crime & poverty) is centrally located in L.A.

[Swordfished]

You're right, I'm not a native. But I have lived in the outlying area (Santa Monica) for about 3 years now.

You seem convinced that LA is eternally damned. Do you have some kind of axe to grind?

There are at least 120 new or redevelopment projects on the boards or under construction for downtown, nearly all at market-rate. To me that points to poverty being crowded out and crime lessened. Far from a panacea, but moving in an upward direction.