The recent ruckus over a homeless shelter in Koreatown got loud enough amid the summer heat to mute rumblings of a possible deal between Bank of Hope and Hanmi Bank, which would amount to a whole new era for the neighborhood and the Korean-American community in general. The chatter has been persistent enough to merit a bit of digging, though, and here’s the latest word from Wilshire Boulevard, addressing the rumor K-town style: a deal would have been done by now if the talk was true when it first cropped up several months ago—and if it’s true now, it won’t take six months to become public … The same ruckus that put the patter about the banks on the back burner led to a recent call from Mayor Eric Garcetti, who was restrained in tone and tenor, as usual – a welcome contrast to trends elsewhere and a valuable reminder that public servants can and should deal respectfully with the public and the press, which has a crucial role to play at every level of our American Democracy. Garcetti called to take issue with a recent commentary I authored, concerned that it left an impression that a recent meeting intended to take up the problems of homelessness on the Westside was instead about the since-discarded idea for the aforementioned shelter in Koreatown. The mayor conceded that his staff seems to have bumbled communications about the meeting. I’ll add that they were clumsy enough to lose control of the agenda, creating room for various interpretations of the gathering in its wake. You can nonetheless credit the mayor on his initial point – and also give him kudos for squaring up on any mishandling of the matter by his office, with bonus points for the grown-up manner he maintains in communicating with the public and the press … Anyone else notice that other parts of L.A.’s public sector have tapped Irvine down in Orange County for a good bit of high-level talent lately? The past year or so has seen former Irvine PD Chief Dave Maggard become top cop at LAX; Dr. Thomas Parham go from vice chancellor at UC-Irvine to president of Cal State-Dominguez Hills; and Mike Izzi leave his post of athletic director at UCI for the same position at Cal State-Northridge … Had to wonder what Beverly Hills-based Urban Lifestyle Hotels and partner GreenOak Real Estate in New York tapped into when their renovation of the Hotel Figueroa went overtime and over budget, with an original plan estimated a 1-year and $45 million stretching into three years and $60 million. It looked to be worth the time and expense during an Aug. 14 opening party, where Downtown Center BID boss Carol Schatz and her husband, newsman-turned-PR pro Fred Muir, joined several guests at a table for dinner in the open dining room on the ground floor. Fitting spot for Schatz, affording a bird’s eye view of a vibrant crowd that enlivened the well-done makeover, with both factors helping to illustrate the progress of the Downtown Renaissance she helped inspire … More inspiration and an intellectual challenge can be found across the street from the Hotel Fig if you look above the construction fence to consider the words carved over the doorway of the Variety Arts Theater. “In Essentials Unity • In Nonessentials Liberty • In All Things Charity” goes the recommendation. The Variety Arts Theater isn’t the only building to carry the quote, which seems to have been the subject of much thought and discussion in various circles before and since Lutheran theologian Rupertus Meldenius first put it to paper in the 17th century in Germany. It also can be found at the headquarters of the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry in Washington, D.C. The nonprofit group has been a consistent proponent of a cooperative view of agricultural life and rural America since the 19th century. Remarkable how relevant the motto remains on the streets of Los Angeles today … Sullivan Says: Anyone at liberty to take in one of the finest nonessentials of Southern California should consider the Breeders’ Cup that was recently awarded to Santa Anita Park for 2019 as an opportunity that might not come again.