"Eagle
Rock: Where land use planning is a contact sport"
THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION
January 30,
2003
"Thanks for the TERA weekly update. I am continually amazed
by the level of professionalism and technical detail
your group is able to provide to your ever-increasing constituency.
What an asset to a community buried in the LA bureaucratic shuffle.
I've only seen such vigor and intelligence in Larchmont and Brentwood in LA,
and even they don't compare. Keep up the fine work -- while frustrating
--
very rewarding for the betterment of the community."
-- Tom Eidem, noted economic development advisor, San Clemente
1. VOTE IN THE EAGLE ROCK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL ELECTIONS -- FEBRUARY 8
2. DEATH OF BILL WONG
3. ART IN EAGLE ROCK BUSINESSES
4. INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND BIG-BOX
STORES
5. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WALGREENS
6. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
7. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
8. RIDDLE OF THE WEEK
1. VOTE IN THE EAGLE ROCK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL ELECTIONS --
FEBRUARY 8
The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council will hold its first-ever elections on
Saturday, February 8, from Noon ¥ 7pm at Eagle Rock City Hall, 2035 Colorado
Blvd. IF YOU CARE ABOUT EAGLE ROCK, PLEASE VOTE IN THIS HISTORICAL
ELECTION!
Twenty-two candidates are running for eighteen elected positions: eight area
representatives and at-large posts for president, treasurer and representatives
for the business, civic organizations, public-safety, educational and
faith-based aspects of the community, as well as a youth representative. Ballot
counting will be handled by the City of Los Angeles Department of Human
Relations, which will release election results within 72 hours of the close of
elections.
Eagle Rock has not had an officially elected body of representatives since the
1920s when it became part of the City of Los Angeles. "This is real
milestone, and an important step because the neighborhood council will give
Eagle Rock an official voice with the city,Ý says Dan Paul, who has organized
pre-election activities for the interim council, which now faces the challenge
of reaching stakeholders to encourage strong voter turn-out.
The elections are open to people who have a stake in Eagle Rock, regardless of
their residential zip code. "What happens in Eagle Rock is important to
people who live in a lot of different areas. Anyone who cares about the
future of Eagle Rock should make it a point to cast their vote,Ý Paul says.
People who live, work, own property, conduct a business, do their shopping or
participate in local organizations in Eagle Rock may vote in the Eagle Rock
Neighborhood Council elections. Those who wish to vote may register in advance
or on-site the day of the election.
info@eaglerockcouncil.org
www.eaglerockcouncil.org
2. DEATH OF BILL WONG
The community of Eagle Rock lost a great friend today. Longtime resident
Bill Wong succumbed to cancer this morning. Bill's family owned a produce
store near the corner of Eagle Rock and Colorado Boulevard, and Bill was a
graduate of Eagle Rock High. He was a supporter of the school, the
Chamber of Commerce, the Collaborative Eagle Rock Beautiful, and the town of
Eagle Rock. Please hold him in your prayers.
Edward Rivera
Northeast Observer
P.O. Box 411046
Los Angeles, CA 90041
323-258-5973
fax: 734-633-6807
http://www.arroyosecojournal.com
Memorial Service for BILL M. WONG
Sunday February 2
(Bill's birthday)
12-3pm
12-1: lunch
1-3: service
Home of Michael Nogueira, Jr.
2154 Hill Drive
(at Eagle Rock Boulevard)
All are welcome.
3. ART IN EAGLE ROCK BUSINESSES
January 21, 2003 [The date PLUM will plummet down in history]
Debra Boudreau (323) 254-2141
EAGLE ROCK, CA--Two Eagle Rock businesses, Camilo's California Bistro and
Designer Framing, along with art consultant Debra Boudreau, are presenting an
exhibition with internationally acclaimed artist, Heriberto Juarez, Toros e
Torsos, beginning Monday January 28, 2003. On view through March,
the exhibition presents works on paper, and paintings that profile Juarez's
love for the spectacle of the bullfight.
Camilo's California Bistro is located at 2128 Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock,
(323) 478-2644.
Designer Framing is located at 1581 West Colorado Boulevard, on the northeast
corner of Townsend Avenue and West Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock, (323)
478-9513.
4. INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND BIG-BOX
STORES
The Home Town Advantage Bulletin
Issue #13 - February 2003
In communities across the country, citizens are taking action to defend and
strengthen their local economies. The Institute for Local Self-Reliance
(ILSR)has been tracking these efforts and will use this bulletin to provide
bimonthly updates on significant developments. We hope it will serve as a tool
for making connections and sharing strategies within this growing movement. We
encourage readers to share news and resources by sending email to
smitchell@ilsr.org.
ILSR is a nonprofit organization providing research, analysis, and innovative
policy solutions for building healthy communities and strong local economies.
This bulletin is part of ILSR's New Rules Project, at
http://www.newrules.org, which publishes a quarterly journal, The New Rules;
several electronic bulletins on specific issues; and books, including The
Home Town Advantage: How to Defend Your Main Street Against Chain Stores and
Why It Matters. We also maintain a web-based clearinghouse of model public
policies at http://www.newrules.org.
BIG BOX STORES DRAIN CITY REVENUE, STUDY FINDS
Big box retail, shopping centers, and fast-food restaurants cost taxpayers more
than they produce in revenue, according to a fiscal impact analysis in
Barnstable, Massachusetts.
The study, conducted by Tischler & Associates, compares the tax revenue
generated by different kinds of residential and commercial development with the
actual cost of providing public services for each land use. Barnstable is a
community of 48,000 people on Cape Cod.
The study found that big box retail generates a net annual deficit of $468
per1,000 square feet. Shopping centers likewise produce an annual drain of $314
per1,000 square feet. By far the most costly type of development, according to
the study, are fast-food restaurants, which have a net annual cost of $5,168
per1,000 square feet.
In contrast, specialty retail, a category that includes small-scale Main Street
businesses, has a positive impact on pubic revenue (i.e., it generates more tax
revenue than it costs to service). Specialty retail produces a net annual
return of $326 per 1,000 square feet. Other commercial land uses that are
revenue winners include business parks, offices, and hotels.
"This study shatters the common misperception that any sort of growth
creates revenue," says Christopher Cullinan of Tischler & Associates,
a fiscal,economic, and planning consulting firm. "Communities often talk
about development in terms of the new revenue it will bring, but they rarely
give serious considerations to the on-going costs of servicing that
development."
The two main factors behind the higher costs for big box stores, shopping
centers, and fast-food outlets, compared to specialty retail shops, are higher
road maintenance costs (due to a much greater number of car trips per
1,000square feet) and greater demand for public safety services.
-- Tischler & Associates: http://www.tischlerassociates.com
5. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WALGREENS
Strength in patterns!!! Please look at the following links!!!
http://www.nwaonline.net/pdfarchive/2000/July/16/7-16-00%20D4.pdf
http://www.badwalgreens.com/what_can_I_do.htm
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/97758_walgreens29.shtml
6. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
"I am disappointed and furious re: the Walgreen store situation. Mr.
Pacheco really misrepresented himself (lied?) to the community. I have
two ways to express my views, with my vote and with my checkbook, the latter
being more powerful at times. I would gladly sign a Petition stating that
no one in my household will every set foot in this store, nor make purchases in
any other Walgreen store. The local Sav-on and Rite- Aid stores are ample
providers of my families drug store needs.
A phone volunteer from Mr. Pacheco recently contacted me for my support, and I
told her I was waiting to see his position on the Walgreen store. For a
brief moment I was undecided, but no more. I will inform him as to why I
will NOT be voting for him. I will also inform my neighbors of what has occurred.
So many people are unaware and uninformed. Even though Glassell
Park is so close to Eagle Rock, most people here have no idea what is happening
down the road, or up the hill, until it is too late.
Thank you so much for all the hard work of trying to keep the community
informed. I am a little less furious, but more motivated."
-- Pamela Thackery Glassell Park C.D. 14
"Dear City Council members,
Please show some respect for the citizens of Los Angeles and their desire to
live in neighborhoods that don't look like one big development.
Despite Mr. Pacheco's support of the Walgreens development, it does not
have the support of the residents of Eagle Rock. Further, it violates
the Specific Plan for that area. Citizens worked for years to develop
appropriate specific plans for their areas as a guide to developers. Now
Walgreens, with the full support of Mr. Pacheco, wants to argue that zoning
laws, specific area plans--none of that applies to them. They are
special.
But Walgreen's isn't special. Eagle Rock--and its intelligent, creative,
active community--is.
I don't live in Eagle Rock, but I visit frequently and my husband works there.
I live nearby, in Mt. Washington. We are just as concerned with
developments that are appropriate to our community, that respect the rights of
neighbors, that do not violate OUR area Specific Plan. So when I see
other neighborhoods, like ours, having to fight to enforce a law that they
should not have to fight for--I get angry. No neighborhood should have
to beg the City to enforce the laws that are on its books--it should be
automatic. Yet each neighborhood must continually rally support just to get
developers to follow the law.
I fully understand the sense of violation that residents feel when they see a
neighborhood with individuality and style being transformed into Chain Building
USA. Towns and cities are rapidly losing their character, as well as
their home-grown businesses. Our money isn't necessarily helping our
neighbors make a living or going into the community; it's helping enrich
shareholders elsewhere. Historic preservation is more than just keeping
buildings as they were. It's also about keeping communities distinctive
and unique so they remain attractive and vital.
When a significant number of citizens complain--the City Council should listen!
When the area Specific Plan is violated--the City Council should say no,
everyone needs to abide by the law! When a Council member ignores the
needs of his constituents--the City Council needs to remind him that this is a
democracy. At a time when Neighborhood Councils are being formed to
increase community participation in government, it is a slap in the face to
permit this development to continue. The area Specific Plan was developed
over time with a great deal of citizen input and should apply to all.
Please, show the stakeholders of Eagle Rock the respect their current (and
temporary) council representative does not. Los Angeles is already enough
of a patchwork of ugly buildings. The time and energy of citizens,
community pride, concern with the appearance and function of a neighborhood,
development of community norms--all of these are valuable resources that make
cities great. The lack of them spells the death knell of genuine community.
Please respect these citizens' respect for their communities. Do
not permit this illegal development. Sincerely --"
-- Laura Knowles, Mt. Washington resident
"Many of you know that Eagle Rock is about to elect its first local
governing body since the 1920s. The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council
elections will take place Saturday, Feb. 8, at Eagle Rock City Hall, 2035
Colorado Blvd. I encourage each of you to cast a ballot in this historic
election.
But the real reason I'm writing to you is to encourage you to elect Dalila
Sotelo as council president. Dalila's face will blush when she reads
this, because she has no idea I'm writing it, but the people of Eagle Rock need
to know a few things about her and her opponent:
Dalila Sotelo's endless dedication to developing and leading the new council
during the past year and a half since its inception has helped make the council
one of the best and most effective in the City of Los Angeles.
Dalila Sotelo has fought for, worked for, supported and encouraged this council
to be worthy of this neighborhood and to be as good as it possibly can be.
Her hard work and tireless devotion have earned her the respect and
admiration of the interim council and countless members of this community.
This is the kind of selfless, intelligent and hard-working leadership
Eagle Rock needs and deserves.
In stark contrast to this is Dalila's opponent for council president, Mr.
Robert Flores, who is a virtual stranger to the Eagle Rock Neighborhood
Council. Mr. Flores does not participate in the council in any way, in
fact in the last year and a half since the council began, he's attended only
two meetings and has done none of the work -- yet he's now campaigning to lead
the organization.
Mr. Flores is obviously very anxious to be elected to a neighborhood council Ä
and it appears that any council will do. Mr. Flores asserted himself
first in Glassell Park, then Highland Park, then Lincoln Heights, but to no
avail. Now he's come to Eagle Rock in the hopes that voters will
ignore Dalila Sotelo's record of excellent service and elect him in her place.
Unfortunately, voters are not likely to know the difference between Dalila
Sotelo's qualifications and Mr. Flores' apparent political agenda. They
will simply see two names on a ballot and will choose one.
However, now there are a huge number of Eagle Rock community members who DO
know the difference, which makes it more important than ever that you vote and
that you vote for Dalila Sotelo. Please cast your vote for the candidate
who got the neighborhood council where it is and who can take it, and all of
Eagle Rock, to the next level. Cast your vote on Feb. 8 for Dalila Sotelo
for Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council president. Thank you for your
time."
-- Jessica Wethington, Eagle Rock resident and community activist
"This evening, January 23, 2003, the Heritage Coalition of Southern
California met at the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, which is listed on the National
Register and is in the process of being restored by the current owner.
During our tour of the hotel, we were informed that Walgreen's had
offered a very substantial sum for the property. The owner's response was
that it would be over her dead body.
My response was that we could sure use her in Eagle Rock. They say it's
always darkest before the dawn. Hopefully we will prevail yet with this
cause."
-- Charles J. Fisher, Highland Park resident and historic preservationist
"I am extremely disappointed that the Walgreens development has been
approved. As you are all elected officials, I want you to know that you
have seriously misrepresented our community's interests and underestimated our
reaction to this huge disappointment.
Given the opportunity to vote for you or someone else, guess who I'm going to
chose?"
-- Nancy King, Glassell Park resident
"Mr. Pacheco:
After reading the TERA newsletter this evening, I am truly angry about your
completely unjustified position on the Walgreen proposal. It looks as if
your mind is made up and you could not care less about the facts, or about our
opinions. Why on earth do we bother to get together as citizens and try
to improve our community if our elected representative (I use this term loosely
because I think the term 'representative' is not quite accurate) ignores the
law and the wishes of the community? I think the answer is obvious.
I will be calling for a lawn sign to support Mr. Villaraigosa immediately.
Don't you know how TERA started -- over one more piece of destruction of
the character of our town? I had thought that you had changed your mind,
but apparently I was not the only one who was unpleasantly surprised.
Your actions are a great example of why people are cynical about
politicians. This is the strongest letter I have ever written to a
politician, but I won't change a word. And . . .I will be talking to as
many voters as I can about why they absolutely should not vote for you for any
office. Period. Yours --"
-- Barbara Aran, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"Dear Councilman Pacheco --
The purpose of this email is to express my utter disappointment in your
acceptance of the Walgreens plan. I have always been a proud supporter of yours
and even responded positively to your campaign when one of your campaign
workers came to my door last week. I agreed to put a yard sign in my yard.
I will now return it to your offices.
Now, though, I am a proud supporter of Antonio Villaraigosa. You have
lost the votes that you need because of this issue. Many Eagle Rock
residents feel the same.
I am completely disgusted. I thought that you really cared about your
constituents and would NEVER cave into corporate America and their dirty money.
A past supporter --"
-- Terri Hopper, Eagle Rock resident
"Mr. Pacheco --
I don't know why you are so beholden to Walgreens ($$$?), but your lack of
leadership, courage, and backbone in this issue is sealing your fate in the
upcoming election. Because you have turned a deaf ear to the citizens of
Eagle Rock, my wife and I are now actively campaigning against your
re-election.
Maybe this is all part of your Master Plan: You are pushing the Walgreens
construction forward knowing that you will soon be looking for work and that
Walgreens will be hiring cashiers. Good luck with that."
-- Ned Kerwin, Mount Royal Drive, Eagle Rock
"Mr. Pacheco,
In the press release regarding your approval of Walgreens' eleventh hour
revision of their site plan last week, you are quoted as saying, 'I was
pleased to see the developer understand the true meaning of a wall.'
I'm glad to discover that you apparently shared the doubts so many of your
constituents have been expressing for more than a year at public forums right
here in your district. My only question is, if you were so skeptical
about the developer's long standing assertion that a set of pillars and a
canopy were sufficient to define a wall, why on earth didn't you say anything
earlier?
As it was, those of us who shared your apparent concerns were left flapping in
the wind as stone-faced representatives of the city planner's office repeatedly
reminded us that the developer's definition of a wall--however bizarre--carried
the blessings of the city planner as well as the city's own department of
building and safety. Sincerely --"
-- Vince Waldron, Glen Aylsa Avenue, Eagle Rock, and TERA member
"My imaginary crime is to spray paint in big black letters: PINOCCHIO on
Nick Pacheco's campaign sign over near the mall. How long would his nose
be?"
-- Marny Hackley, Eagle Rock resident for 23 years
"Nick: If Walgreens wins, you are gonna lose! Don't do this--the last
thing we need in Eagle Rock is another Pharmacy/Mass Merchandiser."
-- Sharon Miro, Eagle Rock Resident
"It doesn't surprise me that Mr. Pacheco knew how the vote was going to go
prior to the 'official' vote. There's always pre-polling to see which way
the political winds are blowing. The real question here is: Why are these
guys so willing to openly flout the law? They must have something to
gain. What is it?"
-- Kathy Thomas, Eagle Rock resident
"http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-walgreens25jan25.story
According to the paper, Councilman Pacheco flip flopped twice on this issue and
ended up supporting the developer, even though the project does not comply with
the Colorado Blvd. Specific Plan.
I attended the PLUM (Planning and Land Use Management) Committee meeting and
was alarmed by the unwillingness of the Council Members to uphold a Specific
Plan. Attack one, you attack them all. They might have had their
doubts, but they all deferred to Councilman Pacheco and his testimony."
-- Clare Marter Kenyon, Mt. Washington resident
"I share your frustration, though my level of rage certainly couldn't
equal yours, just by virtue of the energy, sweat, and tears you have
contributed to this issue ... and this community.
Needless to say, I will never shop at that Walgreens. What will happen to
the crummy building they're going to erect when the company goes belly-up
because they've overbuilt, probably on overextended borrowing?
I have a Villaraigosa campaign sign in front of my house. I know he's a
politician's politician (read: just about as trustworthy and true as any other
politician, which means not at all). However, he is an alternative to
Pacheco, and there's no way in hell we're voting for him. (BTW, I just
got 2 calls in a row from a Pacheco campaigner trying to tell me what REALLY
happened with the Walgreens. I now regret that I hung up on her because
I'm curious what story she would have come up with!) Best regards
--"
-- Harlan and Ginny Moyer, Eagle Rock residents
"You are one in a million. Am still trying to figure out how we got
so lucky as to have fate point you in our direction. Where would Eagle
Rock be today without all your hard work and pure spirit? Because I don't
tell you enough . . . THANK YOU. Sincerely --"
-- Gail Stanley, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"I am in complete agreement with you. That Pacheco claims to have
brought about some substantive change in the plans and he is now satisfied is
pathetic. As if his satisfaction is all that is required to make the
proposal conform to the specific plan. It would seem that the object of
his efforts has been to see the Walgreens built, come hell or high water.
Keep up the fight. Best --"
-- Jamie Angell, Eagle Rock resident
"I sat behind you at the PLUM meeting the other day and I have to say I am
more angry and frustrated than ever by this decision. I want you,
personally, to know that I am 100% behind you and the work you are doing.
For me, it is NOT the winning that is important . . . it is, as you say,
just one more step in the constant and never-ending struggle to do what is
right for the future of our communities.
Thanks for the good fight. Please let me know if there is any last shred
of hope, because I am slow to put the fire out. I will never shop at
Walgreens again. Really."
-- Carol Cetrone, CD 14 resident
"I'd like to say a sincere thanks to you and TERA in your efforts
regarding the Walgreens project. However, the outcome was wholly
predictable. Sadly, representational democracy has become a myth in
America in the last ten to fifteen years. Letters, phone calls, emails,
petitions and comments at public hearings have no impact. Decisions are
made by and for those with money and corporations like Walgreens is a perfect
example. The Supreme Court's appointment of George Bush as president in
2000 is another example.
While I still think that TERA plays a vital role in guiding the course of our
community, there are clearly limits to its practical effectiveness."
-- Eric Vincent, TERA Member and Eagle Rock resident
7. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Hell hath no fury like
a woman scorned."
-- William Shakespeare
8. RIDDLE OF THE WEEK
"Question:
When is a wall sort of a wall, and the other previously-considered wall,
but now still really is not a wall, because one can see through the false wall
to parked cars which the wall law does not allow, and in support of which,
anyway, those in charge are therefore stonewalling, and the parking isn't
walled off and concealed as the wall law mandates?"
Answer: When it's a Walgreens."
We welcome your comments. Please
include your name.
Please encourage interested friends to send their e.mail addresses to us at artburn@earthlink.net
so we can keep them informed, too.
If you have changed your e.mail address or would like to be removed from
this list, please contact artburn@earthlink.net.
TERA -- The Eagle Rock Association -- YOUR COMMUNITY IN ACTION -- http://www.TERA90041.org
--
P. O. Box 41453, Eagle Rock, CA 90041 -- (323) 259-TERA -- a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit public benefit corporation
Joanne Turner
<artburn@earthlink.net>
President, The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)