THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION

-- Invest in Your Community --


TERA

e.letter

May 19, 2005

Learn more about us
and how we are changing our community for the better.

Are you a TERA member yet?
If not, join the "in" crowd now!  Here's how:

Click on

http://www.TERA90041.org/teraform.htm

Now more than ever, please support your residents association --
well over 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 as well.

This week:


1.  TERA'S COMMUNITY GARDEN WORKDAY A HUGE SUCCESS!

2.  CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW MAYOR -- ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA!

3.  TERA WANTS YOU! -- TIME FOR BOARD ELECTIONS

4.  HOW YOU CAN HELP FIGHT CRIME IN EAGLE ROCK -- TONIGHT! -- MAY 19

5.  EAGLE ROCK HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS "LA LOTERIA" -- MAY 26

6.  A MESSAGE FROM SWORK

7.  ONGOING FIGURE DRAWING SESSIONS AT AVENUE 50 STUDIO IN HIGHLAND PARK

8.  THE BLISSFUL COMPANY OF JOHN AND ROSS -- MAY 20

9.  MUSEUMS OF THE ARROYO DAY -- MAY 22

10.  LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY ANNOUNCES 2005 "LAST REMAINING SEATS" FILM SERIES

11.  LETTERS AND E.MAILS

12.  QUOTE OF THE WEEK

1.  TERA'S COMMUNITY GARDEN WORKDAY A HUGE SUCCESS!

Our community garden workday was a resounding success!  About 26 volunteers contributed their time and energy to help turn the remaining Eagle Rock section of the old Red Car right-of-way into our fledgling Eagle Rockdale Community Garden and Art Park.  (In the early part of the 20th century, folks who lived in downtown Los Angeles would ride the Red Car to the base of the Eagle Rock to enjoy a picnic on the weekend.  It was a very popular destination!)  Even a couple from Alhambra saw our Web site notice about the workday and showed up to help!

The remaining Community Garden workday schedule is as follows, each day starting at 9:00 a.m.:
Saturday, June 18
Saturday, July 9
Saturday, August 13, and
Saturday, September 10

Please -- mark your calendars, and join us!

For further information, please call (323) 259-TERA or e.mail communitygarden@TERA90041.org.
2.  CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEW MAYOR -- ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA!

TERA wishes to congratulate 14th District Council member Antonio Villaraigosa on his election as Los Angeles's next Mayor! We also congratulate his tireless staff, particularly Eagle Rock field deputy Michael Cathey, on their great and hard-won success.  Mayor-elect Villaraigosa traveled Wednesday late afternoon to Eagle Rock's own Swork Coffee to greet his well-wishers and supporters (and to get his favorite coffee drink!).

WHAT HAPPENS NOW IN DISTRICT 14:  According to Mr. Cathey, the Mayor-elect will take office beginning July 1 and will ask for a special election to take place within 60 to 90 days to elect a Council member to replace him.  The Council member-elect will then immediately take office.  Between July 1 and the special election, the Mayor-elect's current staff will handle all affairs of the 14th District Council office.

Any questions can be directed to Council staff at (323) 254-5295.  Again, congratulations one and all!
3.  TERA WANTS YOU! -- TIME FOR BOARD ELECTIONS

WHAT IS TERA?
… TERA is a strong, broadly-based organization of concerned community members who have come together to safeguard and enhance the quality of life in Eagle Rock.

… TERA has developed a vision of the future of Eagle Rock that focuses on insuring responsible growth.  This vision enables the community to meet the opportunities as well as the challenges of growth.

… TERA seeks to secure a decisive voice as well as a definitive and ongoing role for the community in planning its future.  TERA works with city, state, and federal agencies to accomplish this goal.

… TERA reaches out and joins hands with other community organizations, institutions, and individuals who share the same dedication to the purpose of people working together for the quality of life in their own community.

DIRECTOR QUALIFICATIONS:

The TERA Board of Directors consists of at least five (5) but not more than 15 members, all of whom serve a renewable three-year term.  The TERA membership votes every year for one or more new Board members, depending on the number of positions open.  The annual addition of new Directors promotes a fresh exchange of ideas, and it encourages new and creative solutions to problems.  These conditions are vital to the health, welfare, and advancement of a well-run civic organization.

Directors must pledge to uphold TERA's mission and purposes (stated below), and they must have been TERA members for at least one (1) year prior to election.  Directors shall be residents and/or property owners in the Eagle Rock community.  No member may be elected Director who holds a federal, state, county, city, or other public office representing Eagle Rock or be a salaried appointee of an elected official representing Eagle Rock.  No member may be elected Director whose business consists primarily of land development, representation of land developers, or activity in zoning or planning or land-use matters, which would conflict with TERA's mission and purposes.

MISSION:

The broad mission of this organization is to work for improvement of the quality of life in the Eagle Rock Community in Los Angeles, California, by providing research and education about Eagle Rock, participating in land-use planning activities, and promoting positive community growth and beautification.

PURPOSES:

The specific purposes of TERA are as follows:
1.  CHARACTER.  To work to retain the community character of the Eagle Rock area, the Association's geographical focus, by participating in and initiating activities suited to that end.

2.  PRESERVATION.  To encourage preservation of single-family low-density residential land use, open space, ecologically important areas, cultural resources, historical sites and landmarks, aesthetic integrity, safety, and the high quality of life in the Community.

3.  PROTECTION.  To protect the entire Eagle Rock area from incompatible land uses and encroachment upon its basic residential character and its best qualities as a place to live.

4.  DEVELOPMENT.  To seek and abet harmonious development of land and buildings within the Community that is consistent with the character and history of the neighborhoods, and to foster harmonious relationships between Community residents and developers pursuing those same ends.

5.  COOPERATION.  To promote cooperation among Community residents and Community organizations concerning land use, planning and zoning matters and other matters affecting the quality of life in the Community, to disseminate data and information on pertinent problems and issues, and to cultivate good relationships with other communities in the Northeast Los Angeles District, the surrounding cities of Glendale, Pasadena and La Canada Flintridge, as well as all communities citywide.

6.  KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING.  To promote comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Community and its heritage, and of the need to protect the area's "small town" atmosphere and character.

7.  GOVERNMENT.  To work with the City and County of Los Angeles and the State of California toward the implementation and enforcement of legislation pertinent to the Association's objectives and welfare.

8.  LOCAL SCHOOLS.  To work with all parts of the community to improve local schools within Eagle Rock.

9.  EDUCATION.  To promote public awareness and education of issues affecting Eagle Rock.

The TERA Board meets the second Tuesday of every month.  Each elected Board member is expected to head a TERA committee and/or have an ongoing specific responsibility.  TERA holds public meetings quarterly at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, and Board member attendance at public meetings is expected.  All nominees are asked to submit a biographical statement of 150 words or less explaining their qualifications, experience, skills, and what they can offer to help TERA reach the goal of high quality of life for all who live in Eagle Rock.

If you know a TERA member who meets the foregoing qualifications and who would be willing to devote a certain amount of time and energy furthering TERA's goals, any TERA member may submit that individual's name for nomination.  The Nominating Committee determines a final slate of nominees.

Please call (323) 259-TERA or e.mail boardelection@TERA90041.org with your submissions.  The deadline for the submission of nominees and their bios is June 15, 2005.
4.  HOW YOU CAN HELP FIGHT CRIME IN EAGLE ROCK -- TONIGHT! -- MAY 19

As you know, Eagle Rock has been experiencing more criminal activity lately.  The best way residents can help fight crime in our community is by forming a Neighborhood Watch group in your area.  The Neighborhood Watch method has been one of the most successful ways to help keep a community safe and secure.

Meet Senior Lead Officer Joe Galindo of LAPD Northeast Division as he gives his monthly crime report for the Eagle Rock area:
Thursday, May 19
6:00 p.m.
Eagle Rock City Hall

Officer Joe Galindo (Eagle Rock native and current resident -- he really cares!) conducts these meetings and would be happy to help you organize your own Neighborhood Watch.  Meetings are held for only one hour each month -- it's not a lot of time to spend on something so important.  At these meetings group members are given the crime report for that month and know what to look out for.  A block captain is chosen to oversee the group's activities, and that person stays in touch with Officer Galindo for updates.  Easy!

If you can't attend the meeting this month and you wish to start your own Neighborhood Watch, please contact Senior Lead Officer Joe Galindo at (213) 793-0759.  Thank you!
5.  EAGLE ROCK HIGH SCHOOL PRESENTS "LA LOTERIA" -- MAY 26

Come enjoy the play "La Loteria" (the lottery, or game) at the ERHS auditorium on Thursday, May 26, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Tickets are $7.00 at the door.
6.  A MESSAGE FROM SWORK

Dear Swork Customers -- We need your help!  During the next few days the city will be doing some construction on Eagle Rock Boulevard, blocking access to the metered parking there.  Though the city is parked in your usual spot, we are still making your favorite drinks inside.

Where can you park instead?  Behind Swork, where we have ample metered parking with easy access to Swork through our outdoor patio.  Please keep coming in for your daily Swork dose.

We appreciate that you choose Swork over the alternatives.  We thrive because of your patronage and depend on your loyalty to stay in business.  Thank you so much for continuing to support Swork throughout the construction period.
7.  ONGOING FIGURE DRAWING SESSIONS AT AVENUE 50 STUDIO IN HIGHLAND PARK

What:  Figure Drawing sessions every week at the Avenue 50 Studio.  Model begins with two-minute poses and works up to 25 minutes.  You bring a drawing board and your supplies, and we provide the art benches and music to inspire us.

When:  Every Tuesday night starting at 7:00 p.m. and ending at 10:00 p.m..

Cost:  $10 per session.

Where:  Avenue 50 Studio, 131 North Avenue 50, Highland Park, CA  90042; 323/258-1435.

-- Kathy Gallegos, director, Avenue 50 Studio
8.  THE BLISSFUL COMPANY OF JOHN AND ROSS -- MAY 20

The Blissful Soul has just confirmed that John and Ross, the creators of Smellzgood Boutique and the "Famous for Fragrance" Taronga candles, will be here at the store on Friday, May 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. They will be in town for just one day, and they would love to catch up with their old friends.  Please join us for a casual reception and tell them how much they've been missed!
9.  MUSEUMS OF THE ARROYO DAY -- MAY 22

Local museums will celebrate arroyo culture on May 22, 2005.  This one-day event will feature exhibits, special events, crafts and family fun -- free shuttle, free admission to five area museums.

Like great art, architecture, music and family fun with some historical discoveries thrown in for good measure? How about it all for free?

Mark your calendars for the 17th annual Museums of the Arroyo (MOTA) Day where five museums located along the celebrated Arroyo Seco in Los Angeles and Pasadena open their doors for a free day of dance, storytelling, art, crafts and entertainment:
On MOTA Day, folks can visit one or all of the museums during the day at no charge, with free and continuous shuttle service running between museums. Visitors can park their cars once and then shuttle to the museums of their choice.

Performers scheduled to appear at this year's MOTA Day include Grammy-award winning Tin-Pan Alley pianist and ukulele virtuoso Ian Whitcomb at the Gamble House and Arigon Starr and Debora Iyall presenting contemporary Native American music at the Southwest Museum.

For more information on the 16th annual MOTA Day, please call the MOTA hotline number at (213) 740-TOUR (8687) or visit http://www.museumsofthearroyo.com.
10.  LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY ANNOUNCES 2005 "LAST REMAINING SEATS" FILM SERIES

Nineteenth Season Presents Classic Films and Live Entertainment in the Historic Movie Palaces of Los Angeles

Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m., June 1 - July 6, 2005

The Los Angeles Conservancy proudly presents the nineteenth season of Last Remaining Seats, the Conservancy's annual series of classic films in historic movie theaters. This signature Conservancy event shows classic films as they were meant to be seen: in beautiful historic movie palaces, accompanied by vintage newsreels, cartoon and film shorts, live performances, and onstage interviews. This year's series, which runs on six consecutive Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m., opens June 1 with the legendary Greta Garbo in Ninotchka.

Last Remaining Seats brings the glamour and excitement of Hollywood's Golden Age to thousands of longtime fans and newcomers each year. What started in 1987 as a way to raise awareness of Los Angeles' neglected historic theaters has grown into a summer tradition.

LAST REMAINING SEATS 2005 LINEUP

Wednesday, June 1
Orpheum Theatre, 842 South Broadway
Ninotchka (1939) -- Charming comedy featuring Greta Garbo in her first comedic role, which earned her an Academy Award nomination. The evening will be hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, daytime weekend host of Turner Classic Movies, and will include the short film News of the Day "History-Making Year in Review" from 1939. At downtown's Orpheum Theatre (1926), a beautifully restored movie palace reminiscent of the Paris Opera House.

Wednesday, June 8
Alex Theatre, 216 North Brand Boulevard, Glendale
To Have and Have Not (1945) -- Wartime adventure/drama, loosely based on the Ernest Hemingway novel, that launched the team of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall both on screen and off. The evening includes excerpts from 1940s Fox Movietone Newsreels and the U.S. Army recruitment short, Give Us a Hand. At the Alex Theatre (1925), an Art Deco jewel and beloved Glendale landmark.

Wednesday, June 15  SOLD OUT
Hollywood Pacific Theatre, 6433 Hollywood Boulevard
Cover Girl (1944) -- Technicolor musical with Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly, with songs by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin. The program includes the cartoon A Car-Tune Portrait from 1937 and the short film Hollywood Extra Girl from 1935, featuring a starlet who gets career advice from the great director Cecil B. DeMille. At the Hollywood Pacific Theatre (1928), designed in the 16th century Spanish style and closed to the public for the past decade.

Wednesday, June 22
Orpheum Theatre, 842 South Broadway
The Son of the Sheik (1926) -- Classic silent adventure film with Rudolph Valentino in a dual role, playing both the Sheik and his son. Accompanied live by Robert Israel on the Orpheum Theatre's original Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, and preceded by a roaring twenties dance performance featuring the Hollywood Hornets dance team and Dean Mora's Modern Rhythmists.

Wednesday, June 29
Orpheum Theatre, 842 South Broadway
Rio, 40 graus (1955) -- Brazilian; in Portuguese with English subtitlesEvening co-presented with the Latin American Cinemateca of Los AngelesArtfully depicts a cross-section of Rio de Janiero's distinct social classes, neighborhoods, and daily rhythms. The evening includes a performance by Brazilian vocalist Katia Moraes, as well as the Brazilian Samba Fever dance group and evening DJ/host Sergio Mielniczenco.

Wednesday, July 6
Orpheum Theatre, 842 South Broadway
The Quiet Man -- The eighth film pairing John Wayne with director John Ford, this time with Maureen O'Hara in the Technicolor Irish countryside. Before the film, legendary theater organist Bob Mitchell performs on the Orpheum's Mighty Wurlitzer organ.

2005 SPONSORS: Series Star Sponsors: John and Donna Crean; Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Series Supporting Sponsors: Steven Bing; Steve and Cathy Needleman. Series Sponsors: NBC Universal; Ascent Media/Cinetech. Media Sponsors: LA.com; Los Angeles Magazine; 89.3 KPCC; Variety; Entertainment Today. Evening Sponsors: Turner Classic Movies; Warner Bros. Studios; Hugh Hefner. Evening Co-Sponsors, The Quiet Man: Booth Heritage Foundation; Peter Norton Family Foundation. Evening Co-Sponsors, Rio, 40 graus: Consulate General of Brazil, Los Angeles; Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department; Union Bank of California; The Walt Disney Company. Opening Night Party Sponsors: Bank of America; Ciudad; Sprint Corporation; Classic Party Rentals.

TICKETS: Advance tickets for Last Remaining Seats are $16 for the general public ($19 for The Son of the Sheik). Conservancy members and groups of ten or more receive a discount. Though the series typically sells out, any tickets remaining on the night of the event will be sold at the door for $18 ($20 for The Son of the Sheik). For more information, visit http://www.laconservancy.org or call the Conservancy's ticket hotline at (213) 430-4219.

The Los Angeles Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization that works through education and advocacy to recognize, preserve, and revitalize the historic architectural and cultural resources of Los Angeles County. What began as a volunteer group in 1978 has grown to more than 8,000 members, making the Conservancy the largest organization of its kind in the U.S.

CONTACT: Cindy Olnick, Los Angeles Conservancy  (213) 430-4214 / colnick@laconservancy.org
11.  LETTERS AND E.MAILS

"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."

-- Ed Henning, noted economic development advisor to the Eagle Rock Community Preservation and Revitalization coalition

"How nice to read the short tribute to Harold Arlen in last week's final quote.  But, while I can't argue with the sentiment, the phrase was in all likelihood coined by Arlen's frequent collaborator, Johnny Mercer, the wildly productive lyricist who provided words for many of Arlen's greatest tunes, including 'Blues in the Night,' 'That Old Black Magic,' and 'One for My Baby (And One More for the Road),' among many others.   As Arlen biographer Edward Jablonski tells it, 'Accentuate the Positive' was actually inspired by a downbeat hymn that Arlen was fond of humming while he and Mercer labored on the score for a Bing Crosby wartime flick called 'Here Come the Waves.'  Ordered by the studio to create one last number for the film, Mercer wondered if Arlen's somber little hymn might not make a good springboard for a popular song, so long as they could recast it in a more upbeat setting.  'Accentuate the positive,' the lyricist chided his partner.  And, fortunately for Der Bingle, the phrase stuck.  What any of this has to do with Eagle Rock, I'm not sure, other than this Eagle Rocker's inability to let slip past a chance to honor the memory of the late, great Mr. Mercer."

-- Vince Waldron, Eagle Rock resident, TERA member and former TERA e.letter editor

[Editor's note:  Thanks, Vince.  It's always helpful and fun to learn stuff you don't know, or quite know.  I'm a big Mercer fan myself.  Feel free to weigh in anytime!]

"Good afternoon Joanne -- I have lived in Eagle Rock for many years and I, as do some other TERA members have expressed, see an absolute lack of police coverage in our community.  Growing up in Eagle Rock as a kid and seeing the demographics change for the better, I recognize a total sense of new community activism.  My wife and I go for weeks without seeing a patrol car on Colorado Boulevard and was once told by Northeast Division that there were no cars patrolling the Eagle Rock area on a call for service that we had.

I work for city government and see how attentive other agencies are to the public, agencies as large as the sheriff's down to small departments like South Pasadena.  Please do not take this as a letter of complaint to the hardworking men and women of law enforcement, but there has to be some restructuring of our local policy agency.  With new business and family foot traffic comes criminal opportunity, and coupled with lack of patrol services I see potential problems.  I am hoping that TERA can express this to our local agency and get more patrol cars in our area.  Sincerely --"

-- Chris Deacon, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member since 2000

"Thanks [for removing our names from your list].  We are in Glassell Park and they are now doing e.letters for GPIA and Neighborhood Council, so your services are often duplications.  We enjoyed it while you were the first and only ones to keep the NE posted on events.  (I still have not stepped into ER's Walgreens, and really don't do others much either!)"

-- M.W., Glassell Park resident
12.  QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

-- Charles Darwin
Got graffiti? Contact the City of LA¹s Operation Clean Sweep Graffiti Removal Hotline: (800) 611-2489.
Distributed weekly via e.mail and as a regular feature on various Internet discussion groups, the TERA e.letter is read by well over 2,000 readers (and probably more) with an interest in Eagle Rock and Northeast Los Angeles.  Please encourage interested friends to send their full name and e.mail address to us at e.letter@TERA90041.org so we can keep them informed, too.

If you have changed your e.mail address or would like to be removed from this list, send us an e.mail 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 e.mail text message, (no attachments, please) -- must be in our hands by noon on Tuesday of each week to be considered for inclusion in that week's issue.  Thanks!

©2005 The Eagle Rock Association

TERA -- The Eagle Rock Association -- INVEST IN YOUR COMMUNITY  -- 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)
Joanne Turner, Editor
e.letter@TERA90041.org