Barack Obama fundraiser to affect downtown L.A. street access

Several streets have been closed to parking and may face closure as the Democratic Party event continues. The snarls could get worse this evening.
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
11:50 AM PDT, June 24, 2008
Several downtown Los Angeles streets this morning have been closed to parking and may be shut entirely as Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) speaks at a campaign fundraiser at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in his first visit to Southern California since being assured of the Democratic presidential nomination.

The event began at 11 a.m. with a $28,500-per-person "VIP dinner" benefiting the Democratic National Committee, followed by a $2,300-per-person general reception.

 
Traffic near downtown is expected to worsen later in the day as the Dodgers host the Chicago White Sox at Chavez Ravine at 7:10 p.m. and "A Chorus Line" plays at the Ahmanson Theatre at 8 p.m.

Grand Avenue is closed to parking between 1st and Temple streets until 11 p.m., said Bruce Gillman, a spokesman for the city's Department of Transportation.

Hope Street is closed to parking for all but television trucks between 1st and Temple streets until midnight, said Los Angeles Police Sgt. Ruby Malachi. She said the northbound lanes could also be closed to through traffic if congestion worsens this afternoon.

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molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com




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