THE EAGLE
ROCK ASSOCIATION
The Best Investment You Can Make in Your Neighborhood
March 11, 2004
What? You're not yet a member of TERA?
Join now!
Here's how:
Click on
http://www.TERA90041.org/teraform.htm
Now more than ever,
please support your residents association --
more than 1,000 members strong, and growing every day!
Please encourage
interested friends and neighbors to send their email addresses
to us at e.letter@TERA90041.org so we
can keep them informed, too.
This week:
Walgreens update (item #1)
Take action for the arts (Item #2)
Route 66 art auction (Item #5)
Table of Contents:
1. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE —
ANTONIO RESPONDS TO OUR LETTERS ON WALGREENS
2. LA ARTS AND CULTURE PROGRAMS IN JEOPARDY -- HERE’S WHAT
YOU CAN DO
3. TERA'S ECLECTIC EAGLE ROCK HOME TOUR -- ONE DOWN, THREE TO GO!
4. WORK WHERE YOU DRINK! THE COFFEE TABLE IS HIRING -- MARCH 13
5. GET YOUR KICKS AT THE ROUTE 66 AUCTION -- MARCH 13
6. MAGIC AND MYSTERY AT THE EAGLE ROCK LIBRARY -- MARCH 18
7. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS IS TOWN HALL MEETING
TOPIC — MARCH 18
8. CONTEMPORARY ART OF CUBA IS THE TOPIC AT AVENUE 50 -- MARCH 18
9. CONCERNED ABOUT PARKING IN EAGLE ROCK? ATTEND THE ERCPR PUBLIC MEETING —
MARCH 20
10. COMING TO A POLLING PLACE NEAR YOU: NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL ELECTIONS
— MARCH 27
11. TAKING BACK YOUR BACK: A YOGA ESSENCE CLASS IN BACK CARE — MARCH
27
12. “LIFE THROUGH MY EYES”: THE POETRY OF EAGLE ROCK YOUTH —
MARCH 27
13. THE THEODORE PAYNE FOUNDATION’S 1st ANNUAL NATIVE PLANT GARDEN
TOUR — MARCH 28
14. VAN DE KAMP’S BAKERY REVIVAL IN DANGER OF DOWNSIZING — ACT NOW!
15. WE'VE GOT MAIL
16. THE LAST WORD — EMMELINE PANKHURST
1. PRESIDENT'S
MESSAGE — ANTONIO RESPONDS TO OUR LETTERS ON WALGREENS
Thank you all for writing letters to Councilman Villaraigosa's office
requesting an update on the "focus group" meeting to discuss ways in
which the facades of buildings and the overall appearance of the
parking lot can be improved. Here is the response from Councilmember
Villaraigosa's Eagle Rock Deputy, Michael Cathey.
-- Hilary Norton Orozco, TERA President
“Thank you for all your letters regarding the Walgreens
development. As everyone already knows, the project was fully permitted
before July 1st, 2003.
“Immediately upon taking office, Councilmember Villaraigosa began dialogue with
the developer on ways to enhance the aesthetics of the project.
“The focus group met several times with the developer, and the developer was
charged with coming back with enhanced renderings. Several dates were
secured to return with the renderings but were, at the last moment, cancelled
by the developer.
“Councilmember Villaraigosa will continue to impress upon the developer the
importance of returning to the focus group with the promised renderings.
“Given that the permits were previously granted, this administration will be
vigilant in working with Building and Safety to make sure the developer meets
all requirements put forth by these previously granted permits.
“Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions. I can be
reached at (323) 254-5295.
“Sincerely,”
-- Michael Cathey
Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa
Council District 14
2035 Colorado Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
2. LA ARTS AND CULTURE PROGRAMS IN JEOPARDY -- HERE’S WHAT
YOU CAN DO
From our friends at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock comes this vital
message about the city’s tentative plan to shut down funding for the Cultural
Affairs Department, and what concerned residents can do to stop this proposal
from becoming a reality.
“Everyone reading this has been positively impacted by The City of Los
Angeles Cultural Affairs Department (CAD). You've attended events
funded by CAD; seen artworks that would otherwise never have existed;
perhaps received a grant to make or present art; benefited by services and art
made by organizations funded by CAD; and maybe even fought a good fight with or
against them. You have certainly benefited from their efforts.
“Now, under the rubric of ‘Priority Based Budgeting,’ ‘The Mayor's Budget Team’
has crafted a way to dismantle and eliminate the City of Los Angeles Cultural
Affairs Department (CAD). Under the guise of ‘consolidation,’ the
agency’s functions will either be eliminated or atomized to corners of non-arts
trained agencies.
“If Mayor Hahn's has his way, here are a few inevitabilities:
”The
final decision will be made in the coming weeks. However, it is a very
real threat, and unless your voice is heard -- and heard now — the Mayor’s
shortsighted and ultimately disastrous plan will prevail.
“So get noisy! And get prepared to celebrate beating city hall.
“For a full list of City Council members and their contact information, go to
http://www.lacity.org/council.htm.
“Thanks!”
-- Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock
3. TERA'S ECLECTIC EAGLE ROCK HOME TOUR -- ONE DOWN, THREE TO GO!
TERA member Teri Aranguren has kindly offered to serve as our Home Tour's
volunteer coordinator. Way to go, Teri!
Our Home Tour committee still needs:
€ A secretary, who will
take meeting minutes and compile and send out agendas before each monthly
meeting (a relatively easy assignment)
€ Someone to handle promotion,
entailing coordination of marketing the tour (distribution of posters, flyers,
etc., and we'll help recruit volunteers -- design and media contact will be
done separately)
€ Hey, you artists out
there -- we still need a "Scenes of Eagle Rock" art show
coordinator (formerly the "plein air" show -- we decided to open
the competition up to all media and interior scenes of Eagle Rock, and we think
it will attract a lot more talent, which is great for Eagle Rock!)
Please remember that you will not need to do anything other than one
specific job (unless you want to do more), making it easier and more fun
for everyone. Also, you may work with a partner to handle any of the
above duties. Our Home Tour committee is open to all TERA members
interested in furthering TERA's goals and making Eagle Rock an even better
place to live. If you'd like to help out but are not already a TERA
member, we'd be happy to sign you up at the next meeting. It's the best
investment you can make in your neighborhood, not to mention the best deal ($20
per individual or $25 per household)!
On a personal note, I have worked on this committee since our very first Home
Tour in 2000, and it's always been a lot of fun and very gratifying. I've
been able to meet and work with terrific, dedicated people. Also, a great
bonus for our committee members, as well as our volunteers, is a free pass to
the tour and the always fabulous (!) post-tour party.
Most importantly, the tour does GREAT things for our town! Just look at
the wonderful changes to our commercial district we have all enjoyed during
these past few years. Our Home Tour has had much to do with these
positive changes. I'm very proud of the many things TERA has accomplished
since its inception in 1986.
Our next Home Tour meeting will take place Monday,
April 12.
Details of upcoming meetings will be sent out in our e.letter in the
coming weeks. Please help us make this Home Tour the best one yet!
Please contact me at artburn@earthlink.net if you are interested in
helping with any of the above jobs. Thanks so much!
-- Joanne Turner, President Emeritus, The Eagle Rock Association
(TERA)
4. WORK WHERE YOU DRINK! THE COFFEE TABLE IS HIRING -- MARCH 13
In preparation for their grand
opening in late March, Eagle Rock's long-awaited Coffee Table will
be interviewing for all positions Saturday at the soon-to-be-legendary
Coffee Table Eagle Rock. Resumes may also be faxed to (323) 669-8567
anytime.
5. GET YOUR KICKS AT THE ROUTE 66 AUCTION -- MARCH 13
The Board of Directors and staff of the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock
cordially invite you to:
Admission is $10.00, which includes two complimentary beverages, tempting
appetizers, robust refreshments, and a snazzy martini bar. All
proceeds go to support the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock’s festivals,
programming and exhibitions. Admission to this event is free if you
purchase or renew your Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock annual membership.
Artworks offered at the auction include pieces from: Leigh Adams, Alex
Aleixo, Candace Allen, Linda Allen, Mindy Allen, Nancy Armitage,
Bill Beccio, Jordan Biren, Ellen Birrell, Enid Baxter Balder, Olivia
Barrionuevo, Alfredo de Batuc, Lynne Berman, Debra Boudreau, Ursula
Brookbank, David Bunn, Brigette Burns, Elizabeth Bryant , Kristin
Calabrese, Lavialle Campbell, Carolyn Castano, Deborah Calley,
Hillary Chartrand, Mika Cho, Ellen Cline, Linda Day, Margi Denton,
Kim Dingle, Richard Espinoza, Patricia Espiritu, Nicholas Fedak,
Donald Ferguson , Sarajo Frieden, Caio Fonseca, Roberto Gil De Montes,
Patricia Gonzalez, Cidne Hart, Kevin Hass, Joel Hoyer and Martin Freeman, Salomon
Huerta, Jennifer Joanou , Charles Karubian, Martin Kersels, Robert Koss, Nancy
Kyes, Haven Lin-Kirk, Ladisloa Loera , Linda Lyke, Madame X, Barry
Markowitz, Jason McKechnie, Kelly McLane, Julie McManus, Siobhan McClure,
Pentti Monkkonen, Vally Mestroni, Alexis Moore, Lisa Murray, Rebecca
Niederlander, Mary Louise Ordway, Marc Pally,Jared Pankin, Carolie
Parker-Lopez, Renee Petropolous,MaryAnna Pomonis, Kate Pedigo, Ester
Petschar, Mandis Razavi, Wm. Neil Roberts, Steve Roden, Greg Rose,
Connie Samaras, Lui Sanchez, Elizabeth Saveri,Thomas Schirtz, Jamie
Scholnick, Jim Shaw, Michael Sheehan, Wayne Shimabukuro, Denise Seider,
Tim Steele, Coleen Sterritt, David Tourje, Marni Weber, Alex Wiesenfeld,
Rebecca West,Michael Woodcock, Liat Yossifor, Liz Young, Julie Zemel, and
many others.
6. MAGIC AND MYSTERY AT THE
EAGLE ROCK LIBRARY -- MARCH 18
On Thursday, March 18, the Eagle
Rock Branch Library welcomes master magician Tony Daniels, who
returns to our library to present his beguiling show,”Magical Tales.”
For more information, call Kent Brinkmeyer at the Eagle Rock
Branch Library (323) 258-8079.
-- Mary Wynton, Eagle Rock Library, Children's Librarian
7. UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE FOR ALL CALIFORNIANS IS TOWN HALL MEETING
TOPIC — MARCH 18
From Councilmember Antonio R. Villaraigosa comes this invitation to a Town
Hall Meeting convened to seek solutions to California’s mounting health care
crisis:
“I am writing to invite you to participate in a televised town hall sponsored
by Council District 14 and the non-profit and non-partisan Foundation for
Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. The town hall meeting will discuss
California’s ailing health care system and potential solutions to our common
problems.
“There is a growing commonality of concerns about the escalating costs in the
health insurance system and the crisis for uninsured and underinsured
Californians. The town hall will explore, from different perspectives, common
problems with, and common solutions to the current health care crisis.
“The goal of the town hall is to continue to forge a consensus on strategies
for a cost-effective universal health care policy.
“Prescription drug bulk purchasing and health care purchasing pools are two
such strategies to be discussed which could provide cost savings in existing
state, county and city health care expenditures that can be then applied to
increasing access to care.
“Bill Rosendahl will moderate the event on Thursday, March 18 at Los Angeles
City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, in the Council Chamber. The event
will begin promptly at 5:00 p.m. and end 6:30 p.m. All guests are asked
to arrive no later then 4:30 pm.
“The town hall will involve government officials, nurses, doctors, hospital
representatives, patients, consumers, health plans, business owners, and health
care advocates. L.A. CityView 35 will televise the town hall. Other
members of the media will be invited to attend and report on the town hall
deliberations.
“This town hall is one in a series of events held across the state by the
California Health Consensus Project. Videos and transcripts of past
events may be viewed at http://www.CalHealthConsensus.org
“Please RSVP to Jerry Flanagan of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer
Rights at (415) 633-1320 or Jerry@consumerwatchdog.org as soon as possible.
We look forward to your participation.”
-- Antonio R. Villaraigosa, 14th District Councilmember
8. CONTEMPORARY ART OF CUBA IS THE TOPIC AT AVENUE 50 -- MARCH 18
In conjunction with the exhibit,
"Ruben Rodriguez: Erotic Art From Cuba", the Avenue 50
Studio will host a panel discussion with art historian Shifra M. Goldman,
PhD, and Adolfo V. Nodal, author of Memoria: Cuban Art of the
20th Century. Mr. Nodal will have books available for sale.
Shifra M. Goldman has a PhD in art history from UCLA, with a specialization in
modern Latin America. She is a Research Associate with the Latin American
Center, UCLA and has taught at California State University, Los Angeles and
UCLA. Dr. Goldman is currently working on her fourth book about modern
Latin American art. Adolph V. Nodal emigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in
1957. He held the position of General Manager of the City of Los Angeles
Cultural Affairs Department from 1988-2001.
"Rubén Rodríguez-Erotic Art from Cuba/Arte Erótica de Cuba" runs
from February 21 through March 14, 2004 and is free to the public.
Avenue 50's hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to noon, and
Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
9. CONCERNED ABOUT PARKING IN EAGLE ROCK? ATTEND THE ERCPR PUBLIC
MEETING — MARCH 20
The Eagle Rock Community Preservation and Revitalization Corporation (ERCPR)
will host a community meeting to update and inform the public on the Storefront
Improvement Program (Facade Program), and the recently finished Commercial
District Parking Study. Both of these programs were made possible by
a state grant of $300,000 to ERCPR through State Senator Jack Scott's
office. The Senator will be present for this meeting, as will Assemblymember
Carol Liu. Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa will also be in
attendance to address issues of the parking study. Be present at this important
occasion! Refreshments are kindly being funded by the Eagle Rock
Neighborhood Council.
For more information, please contact EPCPR President Linda Allen, (323)
257-6898.
10. COMING TO A POLLING PLACE NEAR YOU: NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
ELECTIONS — MARCH 27
It's election season again in Eagle Rock! The Eagle Rock Neighborhood
Council will be filling the seats of directors who were elected for a
one-year term last year. 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
Other important election-related events include:
March 11 Today!
Candidate Filing Deadline -- last day to submit candidate forms
to be on ballot.
(For candidate forms contact Bill Markis, election committee chair, at
(323) 257-6381 or district8@eaglerockcouncil.org.)
March 12
Second Candidate’s Forum -- candidates speak to stakeholders
Eagle Rock Farmers Market
Corner of Caspar Ave. and Merton Ave. (next to Eagle Rock Library)
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
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 Dahlila Soleto at President@EagleRockCouncil.org, or by phone at (323)
257-6381.
11. TAKING BACK YOUR BACK: A YOGA ESSENCE CLASS IN BACK CARE —
MARCH 27
From the folks at Yoga Essence comes word of an upcoming course for anyone
who suffers from a pain in the back:
If you or someone you know suffers from back pain, please check out the
Back Care Course coming up March 27th at Yoga Essence Studio. You will come out
of the class with a simple practice you can do at home to combat your back
issues. This class is great for anyone who doesn't want to go to an
ongoing class but needs some insight into dealing with their back issues.
Do you know someone like that?
Barbara Paulsen Fazio will be teaching this 4 week course for those with back
problems. This course is for those who want to learn to safely stretch
and strengthen the muscles that stabilize and support the spine with yoga
asanas, breath awareness and relaxation. Learn the 8 Steps to Wellness,
which include biomechanics/re-education and yoga breathing. Class will
meet over four Saturdays, from 2:00 -3:30 p.m. The cost is $80.00 and the
space is limited, so please sign up in advance. Call (323) 550-8182, or
email krista@yogaessence.net.
12. “LIFE THROUGH MY EYES”: THE POETRY OF EAGLE ROCK YOUTH —
MARCH 27
The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock proudly presents:
On March 27, the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, will present "Life
Through My Eyes," a tantalizing spoken word extravaganza, directed and
hosted by local poet and City of Los Angeles Artist in Residence Lisa Marie
Sandoval. "Life Through My Eyes" will feature readings by
Sandoval as well as readings by the youthful participants of the poet’s now
ongoing Thursday afternoon Youth Poetry Workshop. The Center for the Arts
is located at 2225 Colorado Boulevard, Los Angeles, one block west of
Eagle Rock Boulevard.
Admission to the show is free, and music and refreshments will be served.
For more information, please call (323) 226-1617 or e-mail poetryarts@truevine.net.
13. THE THEODORE PAYNE FOUNDATION’S 1st ANNUAL NATIVE PLANT GARDEN
TOUR — MARCH 28
The Theodore Payne Foundation, a non-profit nursery, seed and bookstore,
dedicated to the preservation and perpetuation of Californiaís native flora,
presents their first ever garden tour.
March 28, 2004
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
From a shady hillside in Studio City to sunny Spanish-style gardens in Sherman
Oaks and Eagle Rock; from a converted school parking lot in Long Beach to a
Beverly Hills habitat designed for native wildlife, the Theodore Payne
Foundation promises a one of kind day for participants in their first ever
citywide native garden tour.
The self-guided tour focuses on 21 native gardens in communities as diverse as
Altadena, Atwater Village, Beverly Hills, Eagle Rock, Echo Park, Glendale,
Granada Hills, Lawndale, Long Beach, Mid-Wilshire, Pasadena, Sherman Oaks,
Silver Lake, Studio City, Sun Valley, Tujunga and Woodland Hills. These
stunning individual spaces are the true legacy of Theodore Payne, the 19th
century naturalist who dreamed of sowing vacant lots throughout the city with
successions of local wildflowers. Come be a part of the landscape revolution!
Tour prices are $25.00 for Theodore Payne Foundation members, $30.00 for
non-members, or $40.00 per member couple and $50.00 per couple for non-member
couples.
Please call (818) 768-1802 for reservations. The Theodore Payne
Foundation is located at 10459 Tuxford Street, Sun Valley, California 91352..
http://www.theodorepayne.org
14. VAN DE KAMP’S BAKERY REVIVAL IN DANGER OF DOWNSIZING — ACT NOW!
Activist Andrew Garsten at the Coalition to Save Van de Kamp's Bakery sent
us the following alert about some major complications that have arisen in the
coalition’s ongoing efforts to see that the transformation of the historic
Atwater Village structure into a state of the art community college center
continues apace.
“We unfortunately have some alarming news to report regarding the construction
of the new satellite campus at the historic Van de Kamp’s Bakery, and we need
to ask that everyone reading this take a few minutes to write an e-mail of
protest and concern to the appropriate parties listed at the end of this
update. We also ask that you spread the word about what sure looks like a
‘bait and switch’ ploy by the Los Angeles Community College District regarding
voter approved bond moneys.
No,
they are not demolishing the historic building. But what they are doing
is trying to withhold the Prop AA funds that we all supported en masse
last May. Last year, the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD)
voted to support a bond initiative, Prop AA.The amount of money raised by the
bond was obtained through many requests by the LACCD campuses. Los
Angeles City College requested specific funding for the entire Van de Kamp’s
Bakery Satellite Campus, so it could be constructed with high quality materials
in one fell swoop, instead of requiring the arduous work of fund raising over
many years, as was originally expected to complete this project.
Before
the election, The Coalition to Save Van de Kamp’s was asked by LACCD, and we
agreed, to go out and campaign for Prop AA with the above understanding.
And lo and behold, we as a community came out in overwhelming numbers to
support Prop AA, and we all congratulated ourselves in successfully delivering
to Northeast Los Angeles a first class learning center that would be a
community Mecca, attracting many of the cities neediest people into the
community college system for the first time with the opportunity for
educational advancement and cultural enrichment right in their backyard.
Progress
on the satellite campus was moving full steam ahead both at the site and behind
the scenes until November, when for purely political reasons, ivory tower
insiders began a campaign to scale back and effectively gut the project through
“phased construction.” This despite that fact that what we voted for was to
build it all at once. The reasons given were “to reduce risk,” the theory
being that because the campus would have to “ramp up” to it’s capacity of
3,000, it would drain operational money from the Vermont campus.This despite
the fully vetted and highly detailed planning that brought rent paying tenants
such as UCLA and Glendale Community College onto the satellite, to utilize
extra space as LACC slowly built up it’s enrollment, with LACC operational
overhead programmatically scaled to the number of students it could attract.
Heck, in the ramp up phase, City College was projected to make a profit.
So where exactly is the risk?
Risk:
We know for a fact that right now:
The project is on hold.
It is effectively being downsized.
We need to stop what amounts to behind the scenes bond fraud NOW.
Please
take a moment to write an e-mail (or letter) or use the sample letter below and
address it to the Los Angeles Community College District Board Members and cc
the other parties.
Sample letter:
Dear Board Member: (in Northeast LA it's Mona Field, fieldm@laccd.edu and
Sylvia Scott-Hayes, sscotth@laccd.edu
It has come to my attention that the Van de Kamp's project in northeast Los
Angeles is being scaled back.The new satellite campus will have a significant
impact on so many aspects of our community.To take any of this away after we
successfully got all of the funding needed through Proposition AA will be a
travesty, as well as an egregious violation of the community’s trust.
The leadership of Los Angeles Community College including Mary Spangler, Art
Tyler, and Dan Seymour--have gone out of their way to involve our community in
their plans.And the plans show our input directly.So when you try to take away
aspects of this project, you are trying to take away from us. I have been told
that the architect's drawings have been pulled from the Division of State
Architects (and that the architects have been reassigned), that additional
feasibility studies have been ordered, a phasing approach is under serious
consideration, and that now Dan Seymour, the site administrator, is being
relieved of his responsibilities.
These actions are jeopardizing a project me and my community have been fighting
for.
Please do what you must to ensure that the project is back on track for single
phase completion, and keep intact for the duration of construction, the
LACC Satellite Campus team that has passionately put this project together with
the community.
Sincerely:
cc:Peter Landsberger, Chancellor, ph: 213 891 2201, fax 213 891 2304,
landsberger@laccd.edu
Rocky Young, Vice Chancellor, ph: 213 891 2081, fax: 213 891 2145,
YoungDF@email.laccd.edu
Larry Eisenberg, Director of Facilities, ph: 213 891 2291, fax: 213 891
2490, eisnenbLH@laccd.edu
Doris Givens, President LACC, ph: 323 953 4010, fax: 323 953 4013, givensdp@lacitycollege.edu
For more information, call (323) 661-0150, or go to
http://www.savevandekamps@ixpres.com
-- Andrew Garsten, Spokesperson for The Coalition to Save Van
de Kamp's
15. WE'VE GOT MAIL
“An Open Letter to Councilmember Villaraigosa:
“I need your help. Since corporations and councilmen are difficult
for me to figure out these day, who better to go to for some first
hand insight than one of the two. You got my vote.
“I've given up on the Vons Corporation as a source for straight
answers. For months now their real estate department has
been officially dumbstruck when asked what Vons planned to do
with the mostly boarded-up bungalows and that once
beautiful Helms Bakery distribution building it owns on La Loma and
Figueroa in Eagle Rock. However, just today one of the tenants
who has been evicted by the company told me that a Vons real
estate rep has given the remaining tenants six months to get out. So
what's the hurry? Apparently, with all that down
time during the strike, Von's came up with a plan for their Eagle
Rock property.
“And here's their dream: reportedly, the corporation hopes to
tear down all the old growth trees (and any other nasty greenery) in
the way of "progress," demolish the human nests and level the
old Helms building. Of
course the remains will be buried in one of our
overflowing landfills which, by the way, are good places to
visit if you want to pay your final respects to LA's dead
character. As we all see daily, most of what made Los
Angeles distinctive has been replaced with Kentucky Fried Chickens
and Sun-Fried Parking Lots, (hold the trees!) Well, it seems
that is exactly what Vons now has on its development drawing
board coming soon to our town's east end - a big KFC
with an even larger parking lot than the huge empty one the
store now has.
“But there's more rumored gore. I understand
that Vons plans to seal off the ingress and egress off
Figueroa Street onto La Loma,and turn that western La Loma
access into their own private "pedestrian-friendly" triangle.
Great. This way we can all load up on KFC, chase it down with a
McDonald's (a couple steps north) and waddle over to Sav On (McD
adjacent) for our heart meds. Is this a franchise conspiracy or what?
But more to the point, is La Loma a city street or not? Can
corporations really co-opt the very ground under our feet -
or tires? If so, are we tax
payers refunded the monies we've paid to build and maintain public
property once it is sold to the highest private bidder? I
guess corporations can do anything they want if city councils
let them, right? This brings me to another one of my
confusions.
“Call me naive, but I believed you when you said that Walgreens would have a
hard time getting into Eagle Rock if you were elected. Gee, they're not having
any trouble at all, are they Councilman? I worked for your campaign,
walking the streets - so to speak - signing up people, promising them you were
strong on preservation and no sell out like that guy who okayed the certain
demolition of the Shopping Bag Building and paved the way for more traffic hell
and big box bunkers. I know the excuses: Pacheco did it. You were newly
sworn in. It was the fourth of July. It's not your fault the "focus
group" you chose just happened to be genetically and politically
polarized. Discussion is stalled until the developers submit
their latest plans. Meanwhile, down there in that black crater on Colorado
there's something that looks suspiciously like a foundation going
in. Why should the developers submit new plans? They're too busy
implementing the ones they've had since Pacheco reigned.
“You might help me figure out corporations and city government if you'll
just answer this one question: Do you know where my councilman is? I
don't.”
-- Pamela Lansden, Eagle Rock resident and TERA Board Member
* * *
“It's unfortunate that we have a tendency to look at things only in
black and white. I am still concerned over the building of sound walls
[along the 134 freeway above Eagle Rock] that resemble the standard state-issued
barriers that are being built in Glendale or that went up on the Pasadena
Freeway in Highland Park. I've seen other, much more attractively
designed, walls along the 210 Freeway and in other parts of the state. I
would have no objection to a wall that is high enough to deflect the noise away
from those people who live below the freeway, is well designed (i.e. simulated
river rock,) and does not block the view of the valley. I recommend that
through TERA we all work toward that approach.
“On another issue, what's going on with at the Walgreens site? In the
last news letter we were told to contact the Council office concerning the fact
that the Walgreen is under construction and that the meetings with the
community representatives and the developer had stopped. Again, I believe
that this is another situation where no one really had to lose. I
personally do not object to a Walgreens locating in here, but I believe if our
previous council member had been more diligent, we could have at least saved
the facade of the Shopping Bag building, which, as a professional historic
preservation consultant, I know was a wonderful example of a post World War II
super market. I've sent two e-mails to Council District 14 and have not
gotten a response. I thought that members of TERA were participating in
design discussions for the front of the site. Since I have not seen any
follow up in the e.letter, I assume that the Council office has drawn the same
conclusion that I have, which is that the community no longer cares how the
remainder of the site will be developed.
-- Frank Parrello, Oak Grove Drive
Thanks for chiming in on the sound walls discussion, Frank.
Thanks also for taking the time to write the council office with
your concerns about the past, present and future of the Walgreens site. I
wouldn’t worry about TERA losing interest in that topic, either. On the
contrary, TERA remains keenly involved in the ongoing effort to ensure that the
final design of the Walgreens development is something of which we can all be
proud. (See the President’s Message, item #1 above.)
* * *
“Does anyone know what project is going on at all of the street corners along
Colorado Boulevard? It looks like it may be some type of electrical
project involving new lighting along the boulevard.”
-- Bruce Froehlich, Eagle Rock
We turned your query over to Michael Cathey, Eagle Rock’s city council field
deputy and all around knowledgable fellow, who had this to say:
“The project has been held up because the new
‘historic style’ lightposts are on back order. The manufacturer expects
to have them to the city and ready for installation by the middle of March.
When the lightposts are installed, the concrete blocks will be removed.
Note: the project has been delayed, not because of the city, but because
the manufacturer is behind on their order.
“Presently, the contractor is installing the new street signals. That
means temporary signals will be set on the sidewalk for approximately 2 weeks
while the new signals are set and the concrete is allowed to dry. The new
signal lights will replace the existing signal lights. These new signals will
have up to date wiring and will be directly connected to the downtown central
traffic system. Therefore any malfunctions can be corrected immediately
downtown as opposed to someone having to come on site and fix the signal.
“The project is expected to be completely finished by April.”
-- Michael Cathey, District 14 Council Office Field Deputy for Eagle
Rock
* * *
“I was reading the real estate section of
Sunday’s Los Angeles Times, and the very first thing that hit my eye was a 3 x
5 picture under the heading, "3 New Custom Homes with Million Dollar
Views! Eagle Rock private estates on 1/3 acre. Building begins in
July on these approx. 3,000 sq. ft. luxury homes." In the
upper left hand corner was a red banner that read “Only two left!” I have
not heard of any new building above Eagle Rock. How does this development
impact our community?”
-- Martha A. Moren, TERA member and Eagle Rock resident
Thanks for the tip. We called the realtor listed in the ad, who
informed us that the development is at 1572 Silverwood, which is on the Oxy
side of Yosemite, near the top of the hill that lies east of Townshend as that
street winds up toward the college and Avenue 52 (see page 565 of the Thomas
Bros. Guide, grid B7.) According to the official listing for
the property, the lot size for each of the homes measures about 13,000 square
feet, with the houses measuring around 3,000 square feet apiece. We’re as
curious as you are to find out more about the development, and have arranged to
send a contingent of TERA board members out to see the property this weekend.
* * *
“Last Friday and Saturday we
interviewed about 60 people for various positions at the new Coffee Table,
Eagle Rock, and for the most part, I have not met a more wonderful group of
kids. We spoke with applicants from all walks of life, and found all of
them to be very courteous and pleasant. Most were Eagle Rock residents or
Oxy students. What really surprised us was that between going to school
and doing other jobs, most of them still found time to do community service for
various community agencies and non profits. It gave me hope for our
future.
“Our final interviews take place this Saturday, March 13th. I think we
will have a great team. The hard part will be choosing from among such a
talented pool of applicants.”
-- Mike Zamarripa, Eagle Rock resident, TERA Board member, co-owner,
Coffee Table Eagle Rock
* * *
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16. THE LAST WORD --
EMMELINE PANKHURST
“You have to make more noise than anybody
else, you have to make yourself more obtrusive than anybody else, you have to
fill all the papers more than anybody else, in fact you have to be there all
the time and see that they do not snow you under, if you are really going to
get your reform realized.”
-- Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928)
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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
The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)
Vince Waldron, editor
e.letter@TERA90041.org