Eastside Citizen

MTA committee endorses hybrid proposal for 2 Freeway

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:29:00 +0000

We are playing catch up with this story. A committee of the Metropolitan Transit Authority on Wednesday voted in favor of what's called a "hybrid alternative" to improve traffic conditions where the 2 Freeway ends at Glendale Boulevard on the border of Echo Park and Silver Lake. Many Echo Park residents had pushed for another idea that would have created more park and public space, but the MTA said other transit agencies involved in the project could not get behind that proposal, according a previous story in The Eastsider.

The MTA's Planning and Programming Committee voted to, among other things, spend more money to complete a study of the hybrid proposal, which would realign some of the exit lanes Residents had complained that the hybrid alternative was proposed by MTA staff at the last minute after years of public meetings and studies. But a consultant working with the MTA said the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council had sent a letter supporting the hybrid alternative. The full MTA board is scheduled to vote on the matter Dec. 1o.

The Echo Park neighborhood council finds itself in another mess

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:10:00 +0000

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After several years of meeting everywhere from playgrounds to parking garages, the Echo Park neighborhood council recently found a permanent home. But those new offices, which formerly housed an LAPD Stop-In Center behind the Echo Park's Bank of America branch, are apparently not in move-in condition. The space needs a heavy-duty cleaning, and the leaders of the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council have put out a call for brooms, buckets and volunteers to clean out the space on Saturday:

"Items need to be carried into A dumpster placed directly in front on Echo Park Avenue. Once cleared, the walls need to be washed and prepped for future painting. There is a large conference room carpet that needs to be removed along with bulky items like sofas, refrigerator, desks and old bank items that are no longer used.

ITEMS NEEDED – Cleaning supplies, rags, paper towels, brooms, trash bags, shovels, gloves, water hoses, scrub brushes, buckets and anything else you can think that would help clean."

East LA cityhood campaign makes some financial progress - one bowl of menudo at a time *

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:35:00 +0000

The most recent drive for East Los Angeles cityhood has attracted plenty of attention. Money, however, has been a different matter. The East Los Angeles Residents Association, which is backing the proposal to turn unincorporated East LA into a self-governing municipality, needs to raise about $134,000 to pay for a fiscal analysis. But, in July, the EGP News reported that cityhood boosters had raised only $25,000 from a combination of menudo breakfasts, tours and other events. Since then, the cityhood movement has raised more money - another fundraiser is planned for tonight - but it still has a long way to go

Francisco Cendejas, an association board member, said in an email that the group has now raised about half of the $134,000 needed to pay for the study. Another fundraiser is planned for next week but the group also faces a Nov. 20 deadline to raise the remainder. However, earlier this year, the group apparently was able to extend a previous deadline to raise sufficient funds.

Menudo lovers will have to wait until the next breakfast fundraiser to enjoy their favorite meal. Tonight's cityhood dinner is being sponsored by Tamales Liliana's.

Photo from Cityhood for East LA/Flickr

* Correction: A previous version of this post identified Francisco Cendajas incorrectly as director of the East LA Residents Assn. His correct title is board member. Benjamin Cardenas is the director.

El Sereno residents win the battle of Elephant Hill but who will pay the bill? *

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:40:00 +0000

Residents of El Sereno have waged a 25-year battle against investors seeking to build homes on what is called Elephant Hill on the boundary with South Pasadena. On Tuesday, residents declared victory after the City Council agreed to settle a lawsuit with the Elephant Hill property owners by buying their approximately 15-acre site and an adjacent 5-acre parcel for $9 million to create a future park. Still to be worked out, however, is how the city is going to pay for the deal to resolve the dispute, which has proved awkward at times for Councilman Jose Huizar.

Huizar told the Los Angeles Times that the cash-strapped city will have to borrow money to buy the land and settle filed by the developer against the city. But how will the city pay off that loan? Huizar said the city will seek to be reimbursed by the state but did not provide any details about how much and when that would happen.

Huizar has been solidly on the side of El Sereno residents in this fight. But he has also found himself facing off against one of his influential supporters and campaign fundraisers: Ben Reznik, the attorney and City Hall lobbyist representing the Elephant Hill developer.

Still, despite the issues raised over the Elephant Hill settlement, many residents are just glad that a chunk of one of El Sereno's last undeveloped hillsides will remain open space in the middle of a predominately Latino neighborhood. In a statement issued by the Latino Urban Forum, Elva Yañez (pictured above at the podium), the El Sereno resident who lead the most recent efforts to preserve Elephant Hill, hailed the settlement as a victory for environmental justice:

"After a long and hard fought struggle, the residents of this community have been afforded the environmental protections that are rightfully theirs. We are pleased that this poorly planned project is not moving forward and environmental justice has prevailed.”

Related links:
City Council votes to pay $9,000,000 for Elephant Hill. Mayor Sam
Density be damned: El Sereno shuts down major development. LA Weekly
City council agrees to buy Elephant Hill. Streetsblog LA

* This post has been updated with hotos of this morning's Elephant Hill press conference by Martha Benedict.

Debs Park shapes up as mountain bike battle ground

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:31:00 +0000

The steep hills and narrow canyons of Debs Park in Montecito Heights provide a nearly 300-acre refuge in the middle of the city. There is nothing peaceful, however, about the tug-of-war being waged over Debs between mountain bikers, who want to open the park to off-road riding, and park advocates concerned about safety. The issue will be coming up at a Wednesday night public meeting in Highland Park as the city's Planning Department reviews an update to the city's Bike Plan.

The Bike Plan deals mostly with surface streets and paved bike paths. But the off-road portion of the plan has often generated a great deal of acrimony. In fact, the Planning Department hired a mediator to help gather public opinion on the off-road portion of the Bike Plan. But, judging by comments in online forums, tensions are still running high. As in previous versions of the plan, one trail in Debs Park would be dedicated to off-road mountain biking (Griffith Park would get two). Mountain bikers say these trails would help meet the growing demand for off-road biking, noting that cities across the country have been able to make room for off-road biking in public parks. Opponents to off-road biking, however, have managed to block off-road biking proposals for more than a decade and have vowed to do so again. Martha Benedict, chair of the Debs Park Advisory Board, made her opposition clear in a recent post on the NELA List:

"The Debs Park Advisory Board unanimously opposes mountain biking on dirt trails in Debs Park. We do not believe that mountain bikers are entitled to displace the traditional park users. We do not agree with the argument that mountain bikers and hikers can safely use the same dirt trails. We do not believe any portion of the city's dirt trails should be shared with mountain bikers. It's like insisting soccer players and polo players use the same field--at the same time."

Bike Plan Meeting:
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Location: Ramona Hall
Address: 4580 N Figueroa Street
Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm

Neighborhood cops make way for Echo Park neighborhood council

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:49:00 +0000

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The Echo Park neighborhood council - which has found itself meeting in churches and libraries as well as in parking garages and even a play ground - has finally found a permanent home.

The Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council has agreed to lease the back of the Bank of America at Echo Park Avenue and Sunset Boulevard for more than $400 a month. News of the lease comes about a year after the LAPD Stop-In Center, which acted as a neighborhood office for Rampart and Northeast division officers, in the same location closed abruptly without explanation, said Susan Borden of the Echo Park Security Assn. Councilman Ed Reyes introduced a motion to have the Los Angeles City Council approve the lease.

Borden said the security association, Echo Park Chamber of Commerce and other community groups took it upon themselves to open up the 1,300-square-foot Echo Park Stop In Center in 1995 in a part of the branch that once housed walk-up teller windows and other offices. The chamber paid to install a bathroom in the space, a television set and office furniture were donated and the owners of the former Pioneer market used to provide snacks for the officers, Borden said. So, last fall, Borden was surprised to hear that the Rampart Division had decided to shut down the center without explanation.

"It was a big disappointment," said Borden. "Maybe they can get it back to being of some use to the community."

The lease must still be approved by the Los Angeles City Council.

Turning a profit off a green thumb can get urban farmers in trouble *

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:25:00 +0000

Councilman Eric Garcetti and his partner, Amy Wakeland *, have transformed their hillside lot in the Elysian Heights section of Echo Park into a large edible garden , complete with fruit trees, a vegetable patch and a "worm-factory." But if Garcetti and Wakeland ever tried to sell some of their home-grown crop to a local market they might violate an obscure 1946 city law called the Truck Garden Ordinance. The law prohibits homeowners from selling some types of edible foods and flowers grown in residential areas of the city. The ordinance forced Silver Lake flower grower Tara Kolla to switch from flowers to vegetables allowed under the law. Now, at the urging of community gardening and green advocates, Garcetti has proposed updating and clarifying the act to give urban farmers more flexibility to sell what they grow. It's been dubbed the Food Flower & Freedom Act, which is being championed by a coalition called Urban Farming Advocates.

"There's definitely a growing interest in locally-grown food and I'd like to see increased accessibility to these products," Garcetti said in a statement.

* Correction: Previous versions of this story identified Amy Wakeland by the wrong last name.

Take a slow hike down a high speed rail line

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:32:00 +0000

A proposal to build a California high-speed passenger rail line along the Los Angeles River has picked up speed. But constructing that line means digging a 100-foot-wide trench through neighborhoods like Cypress Park and Glassell Park, where trains would zoom through at more than 110 miles an hour, as reported previously in The Eastsider. Neighborhood activists like Glassell Park resident Helene Schpak are concerned that many residents still don't know about the high-speed rail line or what will happen to the homes, shops, parks and schools on or near its path. That is why Schapack, as a member of the Glassell Park Improvement Assn., is helping organize a Sunday Nov. 8 walk along proposed route of the high speed train between Union Station and Glendale. It promises to be a long, 7.5 mile journey in which volunteers will help photograph and document what sits in the path of the train, Schpak writes on the NELA List:

"The purpose of this urban expedition is to gather information with the goal of informing and engaging more members of the community in a dialogue on the pros and cons of the proposed rail alignments. Given a greater base of balanced information, we hope to encourage a live and informed discussion on all possible alternatives before the [California High Speed Rail Authority] imposes their choices upon us."

Click on the NELA link for details.

The best of plans sometimes don't work out - just ask Ed Reyes

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:21:00 +0000

For a man trained as an urban planner, this week has certainly not gone as planned for First District Councilman Ed Reyes. On Monday, Reyes saw months of work as head of the council's Planning and Land Use Management Committee go up in smoke after a Superior Court judged blocked the city's campaign to close hundreds of pot clinics. Reyes and fellow committee members had held countless hearings over the summer reviewing requests by the marijuana dispensaries seeking exemptions from the very same moratorium that the judge threw out this week. Now, Reyes and fellow council members are rushing to adopt some tough restrictions on the clinics that open.

"We painted ourselves into a very tough position and now we act," said Reyes, according to the LA Times.

On a different matter, Reyes on Wednesday faced a well publicized set back at the hands of neighborhood activists when the city council failed to approve his proposal to raise fees to appeal zoning decisions and building permits. Reyes said the higher fees were needed to cover the costs of processing and hearing such appeals. But neighborhood activists said the ordinance would only help developers by silencing residents who could not afford to pay the higher fees to challenge real estate projects. As a result, Reyes said he will comeback with a revised proposal in about 30 days. At least that was the plan.

Photo by JimW/Flickr

Will Boyle Heights vendors give up the sidewalk for a parking lot?

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:00:00 +0000

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Councilman Jose Huizar has proposed the creation of an evening "farmers market" in a Boyle Heights parking lot to provide an alternative to street vending. The market would operate out of a city owned parking lot near Cesar Chavez and Chicago avenues in an area where an increase in outdoor vending has increased competition and tension, according to a recent story in The Eastsider by Ana Facio Contreras.

The motion introduced by Huizar in August calls for the testing of a market organized and operated by nonprofits with the assistance of city agencies. The market would be located in a city parking lot on Chicago Avenue south of Cesar Chavez Avenue. "Vendors interested in taking part would have to register with the nonprofit and follow certain rules and regulations, particularly as they pertain to food preparation and public health," according to the motion. But will the vendors who now crowd the sidewalks be interested in moving to a parking lot?

Martha Nunez Marin, 53, a street vendor who sells snacks from a shopping cart on Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Soto Street said she is distrustful of any proposed plans the city has to set up an official vending market.

“We would have to see what they (the city) want to do. I don’t want to go there and then have the city take everything away. Maybe it’s a trap. I don’t know if I would move there. I sell more here than there. I don’t want to lose my spot.”

The Eastsider is seeking more details and comment from Huizar's office regarding the plan.

Ana Facio Contreras contributed to this post.

Patience might finally pay off in more parkland *

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:03:00 +0000

About 18 acres of Elysian Heights hillside that sweeps from Landa Street down to Riverside Drive is moving closer to becoming public parkland. A community meeting tonight will update residents who have been working for about 20 years in transforming the site into an extension of nearby Elysian Park. After fighting off a proposal to build a warehouse comple x on the site, members of the Citizens Committee to Save Elysian Park lead the effort secure bond money to purchase the land and eventually build a park. That was back in the 1990s. Now, the city will review its most recent plans for the property.

The first phase calls for sports fields, game courts and picnic areas near the bottom at Riverside Drive and a scenic overlook at the top near Landa Street and Echo Park Avenue. The 18 acre parcel does not share a boundary with Elysian Park but some residents say it will help make Elysian Park more accessible to Elysian Valley and other nearby neighborhoods.

* Update: Julie Wong, spokeswoman for Councilman Eric Garcetti, provided a few more details about the 18 acres. The first phase of the project will cost about $1.65 million. But the site must compete for state bond funds that are slowly flowing to the city. If the park lands near the top of a citywide priority list, work on the first phase could begin as soon as the first quarter of next year and take about 10 months to complete, Wong said. "Council President Garcetti has been vocal about wanting this project to be a priority," she said.

The new parkland has been considered an expansion of Elysian Park but it's not clear if the 18 acres will bear the same name. "The city has a naming process that involves community members," Wong said.

Mt. Washington mobilizes against a freeway tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:21:00 +0000

The idea of digging a six-lane freeway tunnel that begins in El Sereno, loops around Mt. Washington and emerges in Glassell Park seems far fetched. The concept, one of many being considered to close the 710 Freeway gap, is for now the dream of Caltrans engineers with no money behind it. But the idea has many residents across Mt. Washington and Glassell Park terrified. On Monday night, Councilman Jose Huizar, in response to those fears and a well-organized anti-tunnel campaign, appeared before a meeting of the Mt. Washington Assn. to express his opposition to the construction of any tunnel through the area. "It does not make sense to me," said Huizar. It's what residents want to hear but many remained fearful of a Mt.Washington-Glassell Park version of Boston's Big Dig. "It's a good start," said Mt. Washington resident Nancy Campeau. "But there is [still] a tremendous threat."

* * *

Campeau is part of a small group of activists who have come together recently to put pressure on Huizar and other Los Angeles city officials to take a more public stand on the tunnel concept. In a short matter of time the Los Angeles activist have held meetings that have attracted hundreds of residents, collected petitions with more than 3,000 signatures, teamed up with freeway opponents in South Pasadena and have shown up at Los Angeles City Council meetings demanding action. On Mt. Washington, the movement gathered steam after local architect Frank Pasker wrote a story titled The 710 Freeway: It's Closer Than You Think! in the July issue of Mt. Washington Assn. newsletter. Divina Lombardo, who lives near Terrace 45 and Cleland Avenue, was shocked when a neighbor gave her a copy of the newsletter. "The entrance of the tunnel is supposed to be near my house," Lombardo said. "I got scared."

She also got organized. Divina and Campeau quickly held a neighborhood meeting in a room at a nearby church. So many people showed up that the meeting was moved into the main sanctuary of the Holy Virgin Mary Orthodox Coptic Church. The meeting soon found Mt. Washington residents teaming up with neighbors in Glassell Park, Highland Park and South Pasadena over the 710 tunnel issue.

But some other neighborhood activists and groups, however, have not seen the tunnel studies being conducted as an immediate threat. The Eagle Rock Assn. said in the group's August email newsletter that "those opposed to a local solution may be firing their cannons a little early." But tunnel opponents wanted to eliminate this threat before it picked up steam and funding. Many Mt. Washington residents were putting particular pressure on their council representative, Huizar, to take a stand against the tunnel. Not only does Huizar represent Mt. Washington and a large swath of Northeast Los Angeles, he also sits on the board of the powerful Metropolitan Transit Agency.

So, getting Huizar to publicly say he opposed the tunnel options through Mt. Washington and Glassell Park was considered a victory. Huizar also said that he and fellow councilmen Eric Garcetti and Ed Reyes, both of who represent adjacent neighborhoods, were working on a council motion to deal with concerns dealing with any proposed freeway tunnel. In response to a question from an audience member Monday night, Huizar said he would as a transit agency board member support looking at non-freeway alternatives to reducing traffic congestion.

But Huizar said he has not determined whether or not he will support the building of a freeway tunnel under El Sereno, which he also represents. It's also not clear how effective Huizar and his fellow councilmen will be in influencing the direction of the 710 freeway tunnel, which is a state and federal project. Now, many Mt. Washington residents said their next task is to make sure the Los Angeles City Council passes a resolution against the freeway tunnel.

"I can't sleep yet .... until the whole City Council passes that legislation," said Lombardo.

Image from No on 710 Freeway Tunnel on Facebook

Cypress Park seniors grow older waiting for a center of their own

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:22:00 +0000

When work began on the new Cypress Park branch library in 2001, many expected that the old library on Pepper Street would be transformed into a senior center. The new library did open but the old Pepper Street branch, a 1927 building that resembles a New England Colonial -style church has remained empty. Cypress Park seniors have not given up on the idea and seem to be making some progress on transforming the shuttered library into an active community center, according to a story in the EGP News.

Renovating the old library and making it accessible to the disabled, however, will require about $2 million, which might be hard to come by given the economy and the city's budget crises. Randy Muñoz, Executive Director Latino Diabetes Association, told EGP News that Cypress Park seniors are being overlooked:

“There’s not a lot for them to do here," he said.

Photo by laavocado via Flickr

Who will be counting cigarette butts at this year's Echo Park Coastal Clean up?

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:13:00 +0000

Last year Echo Park volunteers collected 5,017 cigarette butts as part of Coastal Clean Up Day. A recent walk down Echo Park Avenue indicates that volunteers might collect more butts this Saturday during this year's Coastal Clean Up event at Echo Park Lake.

How does sweeping up cigarette butts from Echo Park Avenue help clean coastal waters? The goal is to pick up the trash from Echo Park streets and sidewalks before it falls into storm drains that feed directly in the lake. The waters from the lake eventually flow through other storm drains into the ocean

"Much of the trash found on beaches and marine environment comes from an inland source," said Ida Talalla, who is organizing the Echo Park clean up in partnership with Central City Action Committee. "Last year over 160 volunteers collected over 1,000 pounds of trash and 5,017 cigarette butts. Keeping trash out of storm drains is essential as all area storm drains exit into

Echo Lake."

The clean up begins at 9 am when volunteers gather at the northwest corner of the lake near Glendale Boulevard and Park Avenue. Registration begins at 8 am or you can register online and download a required waiver.

Photo by Louisa_Catlover via Flickr

The significant impacts of the Barlow Hospital development

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The proposal to build a 1.2 million-square-foot development on the grounds of Barlow Hospital next to Elysian Park would most likely have significant impacts on everything from scenic views and air quality to historic structures and traffic congestion. It also might be smelly. Those findings come from an initial study into the potential environmental impacts created by a proposal to build 888 units of housing, a new hospital and shops on the hospital's approximately 25-acre property.

***

The leaders of the 107-year-old hospital said the property, which now consists primarily of one and two story cottages and buildings, needs to be developed so they can raise enough money to build a new hospital that meets state safety standards.

The initial study, which is still being modified, will act as a guide for a full environmental impact report that is not expected to be completed until next year. Echo Park residents and others have until Sept. 23 to submit comment on the project and the initial study. A meeting was held last Tuesday night as part of the process to gather comments on the project and the environmental review process.

Among some of the potentially significant issues that would require further study: the risk of landslides caused by hillside development; destruction of habitat for sensitive wildlife and plant species; and new or intensified "objectionable odors" created by intensified housing and hospital development.

Eric Garcetti to mix El Grito with electronica

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:08:00 +0000

Councilman Eric Garcetti is known for embracing the new, from the minimalist lines of his Echo Park home to his frequent Twitter and Facebook posts. So, it may not be too surprising that Garcetti's council office wanted to update the city's traditional Mexican Independence Day celebration known as El Grito to appeal to the iPod generation. Of course the September 15 event will include mariachis, the ringing of the "rebellion bell" as well as the traditional VIP reception with the council members and mayor. But the El Grito celebration that Garcetti and council member Jan Perry are sponsoring will also feature the electronic rhythms of the Tijuana-based Nortec Collective (shown in the video above) and the sounds of Chicano rock band Quetzal, according to a press release issued by the council offices:

"This year, Los Angeles’s event will celebrate tradition while embracing a new urban approach to the traditional festivities. The hip, experimental sounds of Nortec Collective and local favorite Quetzal will blend with the traditional, vibrant sounds of Mariachi Reina de Los Angeles and the energetic sounds of K-Paz de la Sierra, lending a new twist to an event that has become a tradition for Los Angelenos."

Julie Wong, Garcetti's press secretary, said the injection of some modern music was a collaborative effort that involved the two council offices and El Grito's event organizer. "Council members Garcetti and Perry wanted to include some fresh music to attract a broader audience to the event (while still maintaining the traditional components of the event)," Wong said in an email. "Our offices worked together (along with our event producers) to select the musical groups and reach out to them to see who was available."

Echo Park residents scope out proposed Barlow Hospital development

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:38:00 +0000

Williams Hall at Barlow Hospital was packed tonight with residents, as well as a class of urban planning students, to review information about a proposal to transform the park-like hospital grounds into a giant housing development. Many residents who attended the so-called "scoping meeting" organized by the city's Planning Department said they had expected more details about the project, which includes nearly 900 units of housing, a new hospital and shops.

Residents will have until September 23 to submit comments about what should be reviewed in an upcoming environmental impact report. More details about the proposed project are included in a PDF document.

City staff, consultants and hospital officials were spread out in Williams Hall to handle individual questions about the project as well as the environmental review process. But many residents expressed frustration that there was no presentation summarizing the project and would have preferred to see more details plans, which are still in the early, conceptual stage. "It's just very vague," said Estefan Blanco, who, has lived on a hill overlooking Barlow for more than 40 years. "They are trying to see if it's a hostile vibe."

Blanco and his mother, Echo Park resident Ann Robinson, said hey were mostly concerned about noise generated by roof-top air conditioners as well as traffic coursing through Stadium Way. "Traffic is bad enough with Dodger Stadium" nearby, said Robinson.

Synthetic soccer field to debut in Boyle Heights *

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Soccer fans and political leaders will gather this afternoon at the Boyle Heights Sports Center for the grand opening of new soccer and playing fields made from artificial grass. Funding for the playing fields, part of $2.2 million worth of improvements at the park, became tied up for as part of the state's budget crunch, according to a press release issued by the office of Councilman Jose Huizar. But the city tapped its own funds to complete the fields.

Huizar's office said this is the city's first synthetic soccer field east of the Los Angeles River.

* Update: This story has been updated with a photo of the grand opening provided by Council District 14

Eagle Rock prepares to celebrate it centennial

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:35:00 +0000

The City of Eagle Rock existed for little more than a decade before its residents abandoned independence to become a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles in 1923 (regrets, anyone?). But Eagle Rock has retained a strong identity, even it's former City Hall, over the decades. Now, residents are taking the first steps to plan a 2011 celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the city's incorporation. Councilman Jose Huizar's office is holding a meeting tonight to discuss potential ideas, including a parade or the revival of Dahlia Days:

"A number of things have been suggested such as a parade which would celebrate our early history when Eagle Rock participated in Pasadena’s Rose Parade. Other ideas include something like the old “Dahlia Days” which is no longer held here, or something like back in 1997 when we celebrated the official dedication of the great rock for which Eagle Rock is named."

Photo from Big Orange Landmarks

El Sereno residents battle Caltrans over blighted bungalow court

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:35:00 +0000

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Perhaps Caltrans should stick to managing freeways instead of apartments. A story in the August issue of The Voice (pdf format) chronicles the so-far fruitless effort by El Sereno residents to get the state highway agency to fix up or demolish 10 bungalows near Huntington Drive and Maycrest Avenue that have sat empty and boarded for more than a decade.

The property was one many that Caltrans purchased over the years as it prepared to extend the 710 freeway through El Sereno and South Pasadena. While the agency is now exploring building an underground freeway tunnel, the El Sereno bungalows it owns continue to deteriorate and infuriate neighbors. Residents got even angrier this year when they discovered that the pile of documents they had gathered to back up their complaints had been lost by the office of Councilman Jose Huizar. One resident told the Voice:

“Ever since we began working with the Councilman’s office it seems that we were not

getting anywhere because the staff at the El Sereno office seemed to change over every six months. There never has been continuity, it was like starting over every time a new staff member would replace the one before."

Transportation department moves to improve relations with neighborhood councils

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:00:00 +0000

The city's network of neighborhood council are supposed to be kept updated about municipal activities in their communities. But they are often kept in the dark. But, ever so slowly, the neighborhood councils and city departments are developing the process for keeping communities informed. On Saturday, representatives of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Councils Coalition will meet in Glassell Park with officials of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation to hammer out an agreement - called a Memo of Understanding or MOU - to make sure the councils remain in the loop.

The proposed agreement would require that the department assign an employee to attend council meetings and respond to requests for information. Also, the LADOT would seek neighborhood council input about major projects or policy changes.

The meeting will be held at 10 am at the Glassell Park Community Center, according to officials with the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council.

Gloria Molina, the pre school

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Eastern Group News reports the opening of the first public building named in honor of longtime County Supervisor Gloria Molina: the Gloria Molina-Para Los Niños Child Development Center in East Los Angeles. The Molina Center, as it is being called, will serve nearly 90 children in the East Los Angeles Civic Center complex:

“From the very beginning, we envisioned a central, welcoming and accessible Civic Center to serve our East Los Angeles families – we dreamt of a unique hub that included cutting edge learning facilities for our children and youth – and our vision became a reality with our state-of-the-art library, and now, our state-of-the-art Child Development Center!” Molina told the EGP News.

The naming of public buildings in honor of elected officials often comes near the end of their political careers or after they have left office. The 60-year-old Molina has indicated she is plans to remain in elected office for several more years. She is expected to seek reelection in 2010 for another four-year term on the County Board of Supervisors before planning to retire, according to the LA Times.

Silver Lake residents want to DASH to Los Feliz

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Silver Lake residents have been trying for at least a decade to get the city to run a DASH bus line through the neighborhood without success. The most recent effort now underway is asking residents to contact Councilman Tom Labonge, who represents Los Feliz, and Councilman Eric Garcetti, who represents most of Silver Lake, to organize a community forum this fall to discuss extending the Los Feliz DASH bus line into Silver Lake. A sample letter reads:

"This community forum will give constituents the chance to learn about a proposed public/private partnership and what is required to bring DASH into Silver Lake. We need your leadership in this effort.

The current Los Feliz DASH is under-utilized. Extending the Los Feliz DASH through Silver Lake offers a practical solution to gridlock on Sunset Blvd, Hyperion Avenue, Rowena Avenue and Glendale Blvd. A public/private partnership to fund DASH will provide Silver Lake much-needed north-south local transit and give your constituents a better way to enjoy."

But are Silver Lake residents going to leave their Priuses at home to dine at Farfalla in Los Feliz?

Here's an idea: Why not use parkland for parks?

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:19:00 +0000

The city's Recreation and Parks Department owns more than 25 acres of river front property on the north end of Atwater Village. That property, which sits across the Los Angeles River from Griffith Park is not used as parkland, however. Instead, the department uses it mainly for storage, employee parking and maintenance yards. Why not open this land up to the public? That's the idea behind ongoing efforts to create what The City Project Blog says could be the next great urban park, an extension of Griffith Park:

"Is it a pipe dream? No. It’s what happens when the community, through its representatives on the Griffith Park Draft Master Plan Working Group, recognizes that by combining North Atwater Park, the North Atwater Park Stream Restoration site an a significant portion of Central Service Yard, the public’s enjoyment of Griffith Park can be expanded and multiplied, without the prohibitively expensive purchase of new parkland.

At the core of this opportunity is the discovery that Central Service Yard (CSY) in North Atwater Village is dedicated public parkland. An analysis of maps and records by the Recreation and Parks Department’s Real Estate Division found, in the Fall of 2006, that this choice riverfront parcel contiguous to North Atwater Park is not only parkland, but is part of Colonel Griffith’s original rancho grant. As a result, in January 2007, the Griffith Park Draft Master Plan Working Group discussed, approved and added to their rewrite of the Griffith Park Master Plan, language proposing that as much as possible of CSY’s 27.55 riverfront acres now inhabited by the Department’s Central Service Yard be returned to public park use."

Photo from The City Project website.

River revitalization on the agenda

noreply@blogger.com (The Eastsider LA) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:53:00 +0000

Residents interested in the future of the L.A. River - including how $25 million in potential federal funds will be spent - can attend two presentations and workshops today at the LA River Center in Cypress Park. First District Councilman Ed Reyes, the City Council's point person on river projects, will be on hand to "encourage community participation," said district spokeswoman Monica Valencia. The program will be divided into two parts, Valenica explains in an email:

"During the first part of the meeting, participants will hear presentations by the City and the Army Corps of Engineers. These topics include the River Improvement Overlay District (RIO), the Cornfields Arroyo Seco Specific Plan and the River Bikeway. Other L.A. River-related organizations and groups will be there as well to answer questions and provide people with information.

The second part of the meeting is a design workshop to gather public input on future L.A. River projects in anticipation of $25 million in federal support. Participants will break up into small groups, map out their vision for the L.A. River and give a short presentation to the
larger group."

For those who could not attend the afternoon session, the program will be repeated again from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. More details about river revitalization can be found at LAriver.org

Image from LAriver.org