THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION
The Best Investment You Can Make in Your Neighborhood
February 5, 2004
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more than 1,000 members strong, and growing every day!
Please encourage interested friends and neighbors to send their
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to us at e.letter@TERA90041.org so we
can keep them informed, too.
This week:
Home tour planning begins at home (item #2)
I rhyme, therefore I am (Item #3)
Get in line behind your grocery workers (Item
#6)
Table of Contents:
1. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE -- PLANNING
AHEAD
2. ECLECTIC EAGLE ROCK HOME TOUR 2004: FIRST PLANNING MEETING -- TONIGHT, FEBRUARY 5
3. KICK OUT THE JAMS: YOUNG PEOPLE'S POETRY WORKSHOP -- 4:00 P.M. TODAY, FEBRUARY 5
4. THINK GLOBALLY, VOTE LOCALLY
5. THINK GLOBALLY, VOTE LOCALLY, PT. II (HIGHLAND PARK EDITION)
6. RALLY FOR THE STRIKING GROCERY WORKERS -- THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7
7. ONE DAY SHOW KICKS OFF GALLERY OPHELIA'S BUSY MONTH --
FEBRUARY 7
8. THE FIFTH ANNUAL AZTEC NEW YEAR FESTIVAL -- THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8
9. NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL DISTRICT 6 STAKEHOLDERS MEETING -- FEBRUARY 11
10. MOUTH WATERING HOLIDAYS DEPARTMENT -- FEBRUARY 14
11. EAGLE ROCK'S TEEN CENTER SHOWS OFF THEIR FACELIFT -- FEBRUARY
20
12. ER ACTOR ON "ER" -- 10 P.M. TONIGHT,
FEBRUARY 5
13. WE'VE GOT MAIL
14. THE LAST WORD -- CHINESE PROVERB
1. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE -- PLANNING AHEAD
Don't forget to join us tonight for TERA's first meeting to plan
the 2004 Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour! Details of the meeting can
be found in item 2 below. It is especially important for Eagle Rock
businesses to plan ahead. 700 people from all over the area came to
admire Eagle Rock's unique character, and more come each year.
I am especially excited about the Home Tour Committee Chairs this year -- Tracy
King, Joanne Turner and Liz Wagner. But the strength of
the event rests on the strength of our volunteers. Come be part of a
great day for all of Eagle Rock!
-- Hilary Norton Orozco, TERA President
2. ECLECTIC EAGLE ROCK HOME TOUR 2004: FIRST PLANNING MEETING -- TONIGHT, FEBRUARY 5
Thursday,
February 5
7:00 p.m.
5278 Ellenwood Drive
Eagle Rock (third house south of Hill Drive)
Please come and be a part of Eagle Rock's biggest event! The Fifth
Annual Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour will take place in October, and we
need to begin planning now. It's hard work, but it's really fun and
rewarding, and you get to know and work with terrific people!
We've chosen the neighborhood along College View Avenue south of Colorado
Boulevard, and we're already in the process of gathering house candidates.
It's a truly unique and interesting part of Eagle Rock!
All Home Tour Committee members need to be TERA members. If you are not
already a TERA member and want to join our Committee, we'll be happy to sign
you up at the meeting.
Please remember the many benefits this wonderful event brings to our lovely
little town, and help us make it happen!
3. KICK OUT THE JAMS: YOUNG PEOPLE'S POETRY WORKSHOP -- 4:00 P.M. TODAY, FEBRUARY 5
Local poet Lisa Sandoval sends us word of her plans to unleash the poet in
Eagle Rock's younger residents:
"My name is Lisa Marie Sandoval, and I am a performance poet
living in Highland Park. I have compiled a collection of poems called The
Yowling & Other Sounds from Highland Park, many of which
have been published in journals around the country. As a result of my
literary composition and performance, I have been appointed as a City of
L.A. Artist in Residence for Council District 14.
"My project involves offering a poetry workshop at Center
for the Arts, Eagle Rock, 2225 Colorado Boulevard, that will teach young
people aged 14-24 how to write, polish, practice, and perform their spoken word
poetry. The workshop meets every Thursday afternoon at 4:00 p.m.
from now through the end of March, culminating in a Poetry Jam to be held on
Saturday, March 27, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event, entitled "Life
Through My Eyes," will feature workshop participants presenting their
spoken word creations before a communitywide audience. Refreshments will
be served. There is no cost for the workshops or the Poetry Jam.
"For more information, please call (323) 226-1617."
-- Lisa Marie Sandoval, City of L.A. Artist in Residence, Council
District 14
4. THINK GLOBALLY, VOTE LOCALLY
From Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council President Dalila Soleto comes news of
the upcoming Neighborhood Council elections:
"It's election time again in Eagle Rock! The Eagle Rock Neighborhood
Council will be filling the seats of directors who were elected for a one-year
term. The following is a list of the open positions:
Youth
Faith-Based Organizations
Business
Civic Organizations
Sub-District 2
Sub-District 5
Sub-District 7
Sub-District 8
"The election will be held on Saturday, March 27, 2004. Please
look for more information in the upcoming weeks.
"If you are interested in running for one of the seats mentioned above,
please contact Bill Markis, Election Committee Chair, at
District8@EagleRockCouncil.org or me at President@EagleRockCouncil.org.
We can also be reached by phone at (323) 257-6381."
-- Dalila Sotelo, President, The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council
5. THINK GLOBALLY, VOTE LOCALLY, PT. II (HIGHLAND PARK EDITION)
If you're a resident or stakeholder of Historic Highland Park, you'll be
happy to know that you, too, have a slew of upcoming Neighborhood Council
vacancies to fill in the not too distant future. Here's the full lowdown
from the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council's Robert Mendel:
"As you may know, it is election time in Highland Park! The
Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council (HHPNC) is holding elections
for all its board seats. The soon-to-be open positions are as follows:
Below is a list of dates remaining in the elections process:
Please note that all applications for candidacy must be submitted at the HHPNC
Board meetings, or send them to the DONE office, 3516 North Broadway, Los
Angeles, CA 90031. Also note that the Candidate Forum and the elections
will take place at the Franklin High School Cafeteria, 820 North Avenue 54, Los
Angeles, CA 90042.
For further information, please visit http://www.historichighlandpark.org.
6. RALLY FOR THE STRIKING GROCERY WORKERS -- FEBRUARY 7
Our friends at the Community Strike Support Network have organized a
demonstration at the Eagle Rock Albertson's this Saturday to show our
commmunity's support for the local grocery workers who've been on strike for so
many, many months now. Here are the details:
2:00
p.m., Saturday, February 7th
Albertson's supermarket
4211 Eagle Rock Boulevard
(Just south of York Boulevard)
"Defend living wages and health care benefits for all. Meet at
Albertson's market at 4211 Eagle Rock Boulevard this Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
The march will proceed up Eagle Rock Boulevard to York Avenue, and then
circle back to Albertsons for a rally. Bring signs!
"For more info contact the Community Strike Support Network at (323)
258-9125. Or email kkroger@sbcglobal.net."
-- Community Strike Support Network
7. ONE DAY SHOW KICKS OFF GALLERY OPHELIA'S BUSY MONTH --
FEBRUARY 7
Eagle Rock's Gallery Ophelia just sent us their February events calendar,
and it looks like things'll be hoppin' through leap day at the little gallery
on Colorado.
"MOD.I.FI: I am not my IKEA
furniture"
Featuring works by Rebecca and Jeff
Bughouse
Closes today, February 5th!
"LOVE WORKS"
A one day group show with works by Armitage,
Freeman, Oshima and Von Wening
Saturday, February 7th only. Reception, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
"HUMAN|NATURE"
New Photographic Works by Pete Metzger and Jeff Amlotte
February 10th through the 29th.
Reception, Friday, February 13th, from 6;00 - 9:00 p.m.
Gallery Ophelia is proud to present new photographic works by Pete
Metzger and Jeff Amlotte. Amlotte's epic explorations of
nature, and Metzger's sensual human forms reveal contrasting and complementary
landscapes of the body and the earth.
Gallery Ophelia is located at 2114 Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock.
Hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6:00 p.m. For
more information, call Candace Metzger at (323) 982-9945. Or visit http://www.galleryophelia.com.
8. THE FIFTH ANNUAL AZTEC NEW YEAR FESTIVAL -- FEBRUARY 8
Sunday, February 8
1:00p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
with a concert by Esteban
Leon at 6:30 p.m.
The Eagle Rock Community
Cultural Association, now doing business as The Center for the Arts, Eagle
Rock, will present its Fifth Annual Aztec New Year Festival from
February 4th through March 2nd, with a Free Festival on February 8th
from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. that will feature Aztec Dancers, arts workshops, live
music and a gala reception for Latina photographers Olivia Barrionuevo, Sandra
de la Loza, and Kathy Gallegos, whose work will be on display throughout the
month. At 6:30 p.m. on February 8th, the Center is pleased to present the
music of Esteban Leon, a Mexican vocalist, singing classical and
contemporary Mexican music.
The Center will also feature ceramic artworks from the youth of the Los
Angeles Theatre Works (LATW) Arts and Children Project, a Youth Outreach
program of the LATW, which is approaching its 20th year of providing arts
education to at-risk and high-risk youth in Greater Los Angeles.
The festival, which is supported in part by a grant from Adelphi
Communications, is free and open to the public. Donations, however, would
be greatly appreciated. The Center is located at 2225 Colorado
Boulevard, a block west of Eagle Rock Boulevard. For more information,
please call the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, at (323) 226-1617.
9. NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL DISTRICT 6 STAKEHOLDERS MEETING -- FEBRUARY 11
Here's a special notice for stakeholders of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood
Council's District 6 (and if you live there, you probably know who you are--if
not, we're talking about the neighborhood just west of Eagle Rock Boulevard and
north of Yosemite / Wawona.)
"District 6 Stakeholders:
"Please mark your calendars for the next District 6 Stakeholder
meeting on February 11, 2004 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at 2401 Colorado
(northwest corner of Ellenwood and Colorado). This quarter's
key discussion topic is "How Do I Do More in 2004?" I invite
you all to attend, share your issues and concerns, and brainstorm on way we can
work together to resolve them.
"I also want to thank all who helped with the Community
Clean-Up on January 17! We had a good turnout, and cleaned out a
lot of trash under the 2 freeway and overpasses. Paul
Racs, Assistant Director of Operation Clean Sweep (OCS), the department
which provides invaluable graffiti removal and community clean-up services,
advised us that OCS needs our support. City departments are currently
competing for their fair share of the City's reduced budget. If you
value the services provided by Operation Clean Sweep, Paul urges us all to
write the mayor and insist that the City maintain funding for Operation
Clean Sweep.
James K. Hahn, Mayor
200 N. Spring Street
Room 303
Los Angeles, CA 90012
"However, to keep this area cleaner in the future, I also
need to identify a business that will agree to empty a trash can (to be purchased by
the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council), at the bus stop on
Colorado under the 2 freeway overpass. This area collects a lot of trash,
and a sturdy, graffiti-resistant trash receptacle is urgently needed. The trash receptacle
to be purchased by the Neighborhood Council will be just this type, and it can
be marked with a plate indicating the name of the company that is sponsoring
its maintenance. If you have contacts at any businesses in that
area, please let me know at 323-256-5733 or ernc-district6@pacbell.net.
"I hope to see you on the 11th."
--CHERYL LEUTJEN, District 6 Community Director, Eagle Rock
Neighborhood Council
10. CUPID LANDS ON COLORADO BOULEVARD -- FEBRUARY 14
Our friends at Camilo's California Bistro & Catering Co. plan to roll
out the red carpet for Cupid on February 14, and invite you to join them!
Saturday,
February 14, 2004
Two Seatings:
5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Seating
(seats MUST be cleared by 8:00)
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. Seating
Valentine's Day celebrants at Camilo's on Colorado Boulevard will
enjoy a grand five course meal with main course choices that include
Maine Lobster Thermidor, Filet Mignon Stilton or New Zealand Lamb Chops.
The evening's dessert is "Romantic Hearts": fresh raspberries
and cream heart tarts, with gelato de chocolate served on a bed of "Love
Potion."
Pre-paid reservations will be required at $60.00 per person, plus tax &
gratuity and beverage.
For reservations, call (323) 478-2644.
11. EAGLE ROCK'S TEEN CENTER SHOWS OFF THEIR FACELIFT -- FEBRUARY
20
The ROCK Teen Center's director Donna Robey-Sullivan tells us the Center's
about to celebrate its third anniversary with a party and open house, and you're
invited. Here are the details:
Friday,
February 20
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
1597 Yosemite Drive
(two blocks east of Eagle Rock High School)
On Friday, February 20th, Eagle Rock's Reach Our Community Kids (ROCK) Teen
Center will have an Open House to celebrate its third year of
providing free after-school recreation, tutoring and computer services to
teenagers in Northeast Los Angeles.
The Open House will also highlight the recent efforts of local volunteers and
private donors to renovate the facility. A grant of $12,500 dollars from the
H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation was awarded to the ROCK last September.
The funds were used to install new flooring, to soundproof the tutoring
room and improve the outside lighting and to install security equipment.
Construction workers from the Eagle Rock community volunteered three
weeks of their time over the winter holidays to complete the remodel.
³After-school programs like ROCK are particularly vital in light of the tight
budget crunch that California is now facing,² said Cathy Miller, volunteer
board member of ROCK. ³This Open House serves as a testimony of what can be
accomplished when a community and local churches come together.²
Parents of local teens as well as the general public are invited to stop by on Friday,
February 20th, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, to see the ROCKıs new look, and to
learn about our youth programs and computer technology center. The ROCK
Center's Executive Director, Donna Robey-Sullivan and staff will also be
present to share teen success stories and how their own lives have been
impacted by helping kids.
ROCK is a faith-based non-profit that in 2001 opened its after school
program in a building donated by benefactor Vince Grater. In
2003, over 250 young people visited the ROCK Teen Center, 70 of whom
participated in the ROCK Teen Bank incentive program. The Teen
Bank allows participants to earn points toward merchandise for hours spent
taking part in homework coaching, youth leadership council, college
mentoring and computer challenges. Supported mostly through
private donations and contributions from churches and other local
organizations, the Teen Center is open to all young people aged 12-18.
The Center is open Monday through Thursday from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and
from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 on Fridays.
For more information, please call (323) 257-6102, or visit
http://www.rockids.org.
12. ER ACTOR ON "ER" -- 10 P.M. TONIGHT, FEBRUARY 5
We thought we'd close out this week's e.letter calendar with a little
sprinkle of stardust:
Fans of NBC's "ER" might want to watch for Eagle Rock
resident (and TERA member) Randy Kovitz, who shows up in tonight's
episode of the popular medical drama. That's him playing the Infectious
Disease Specialist opposite "ER" newcomer Thandie Newton.
Our congrats to Randy on his first visit to the ER. Break a leg!
13. WE'VE GOT MAIL
"I Just wanted to thank you for running our letter about our proposed
wine store in the e.letter ('We've Got Mail,' e.letter, January 15,
2004.) Your readers provided great and positive response to my
request for feedback, and it is really helping us in our decision on where to
locate. My business partner will be out there for a week mid-February and
we're hoping to get real lucky and lock down a property then. I'll
keep you posted as to our plans as they unfold."
-- John Nugent, Brooklyn
* * *
"Thank you for your wonderful writing, excellent news gathering, and ceaseless
efforts on behalf of what I like to call our 'little oasis in the middle of the
urban desert that is Los Angeles.' Although I frequently disagree with
the tone and content of some of the articles and/or letters, I deeply treasure
each issue of the e.letter, since it helps to form and maintain a sense of
community: kind of a modern-day, high tech analog of the old-fashioned backyard
fence. It's too bad more communities don't follow our lead vis-a-vis a
weekly 'e.letter' -- but then, they're not Eagle Rock!"
-- Steve Watkins, Marwood Drive, Eagle Rock
* * *
"Please thank Hilary Norton Orozco for her very useful review of
TERA's first public meeting, ('President's Message: How Our Garden Grows,'
e.letter, January 29, 2004.) Unfortunately, due to my work travel
schedule, I don't get to make that many events; but I always feel 'in-the-know'
thanks to the e.letter. I'm always bragging about my Eagle Rock when I
travel."
-- Maria N. Nazario, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
* * *
It's been three weeks, and we're still getting
email in response to a reader's comment in the January 15th e.letter regarding
the need for sound walls along the 134 freeway above Eagle Rock. Like
every other reply the topic has generated so far, these latest missives are
from readers who are firmly against the idea:
"I usually lurk and monitor the messages in the e.letter, but this subject
has prompted me to come out of the shadows. I have lived in Eagle Rock
since 1957 when my parents bought a house on Dahlia Drive just north of Hill.
To give you some perspective, if you were on the 134 and stopped right
under the Figueroa Street sign, you could look onto my patio. I have seen
and heard the hills in their pristine era and since then, after the
completion of the 134. Other than the occasional really loud motorcycle
or truck, I get more noise from coyotes and barking dogs than I do from the
freeway. I enjoy the beauty of the hills and do not want some
purported do-gooder to put up an eyesore that serves no purpose. This is
just my humble opinion."
-- Vic Baron, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"This is the first I've heard about these walls. It sounds like a
horrendous proposition. Now that we are all in agreement, what can be
done?"
-- Lisa Caruso, Eagle Rock
We're not sure that there's anything to be done, Lisa--at least not
immediately. Keep in mind that the question of sound walls on the 134 is
only under discussion because it was raised in a letter from a reader; it
was not spurred by news of any imminent action on such a project at the state
or local level. Given the obvious passion on this topic that's been
expressed by our readers, we will be happy to forward copies of all the
correspondence we've received on the subject to our state representatives
in the offices of Senator Jack Scott and Assembly Member Carol Liu, with copies
to City Councilmember Villaraigosa and Neighborhood Council President Dalila
Soleto -- all of whom will no doubt be happy to have this correspondence
available for review when and if the issue of 134 sound walls ever does find
its way to the front burner. As always, we welcome further discourse on
this matter, and invite you to write us at the address in the paragraph below.
* * *
We welcome your comments, complaints and/or
compliments on the e.letter or any topic of interest to greater Eagle Rock.
Please address your message to e.letter@TERA90041.org,
and include your full name, along with your city, neighborhood or professional
affiliation. Opinions expressed in the e.letter's "We've Got
Mail" section do not necessarily reflect the views of The Eagle Rock
Association (TERA), the e.letter editor, or The Eagle Rock Association Board of
Directors, who reserve the right to publish letters or other materials
submitted to the e.letter at their sole discretion. Letters or other
material chosen for publication may be edited for style, clarity and brevity.
Please let us know if you do not wish to have your comments appear
in the e.letter.
14. THE LAST WORD -- CHINESE PROVERB
"One drumstrick alone can't make much
noise."
-- Chinese Proverb
The TERA e.letter is distributed weekly and seen by more
than 2000 readers with an interest in Eagle Rock and Northeast Los Angeles.
Please encourage interested friends to send their full name and email
address to us at e.letter@TERA90041.org
so we can keep them informed, too.
If you have changed your email address or would like to be removed from this
list, send us an email to e.letter@TERA90041.org
with the word(s) "remove" or "address change" in the
subject box, as appropriate.
If you have a press release, letter of comment, question or other notice that
you feel might be of interest to the Eagle Rock community, send it to e.letter@TERA90041.org. Your
announcement -- in the form of an email text message, (no attachments, please)
-- must be in our hands by noon on Monday to be considered for inclusion in
that week's issue.
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
The TERA e.letter
A publication of The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)
Vince Waldron, editor
e.letter@TERA90041.org