THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION
The Best Investment You Can Make in Your Neighborhood
TERA
e.letter
June 17, 2004
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This week:
School’s out (item #1)
Low marks for graffiti in Eagle Rock (item
#2)
Get your hands dirty (item
#3)
Table of Contents:
1. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
2. TAGGED! YOU’RE IT: GET THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO ERADICATE GRAFFITI — TONIGHT! JUNE 17
3. HOW DOES OUR GARDEN GROW? FIND OUT — JUNE 19
4. TRIANGULATE AT AVENUE 50 STUDIO — RECEPTION JUNE 19
5. OCCIDENTAL SUMMER INSTITUTE OF FUN TO TEACH THEATER TECHNIQUES TO
CHILDREN — THIS JULY AND AUGUST
6. VOLUNTEER AT AVENUE 50 STUDIO AND COME AWAY WITH A STORY WALKWAY
— JUNE 19
7. LEARNING ABOUT LOS ANGELES IS JUST A WALK IN THE PARK THIS
WEEKEND — JUNE 19
8. TOWN HALL MEETING ON LA’S INCLUSIONARY ZONE ORDINANCE — JUNE 23
9. OWL TALK ANNOUNCES A SALE EVENT FOR EAGLE ROCK’S WHO’S HOO-HOO --
JUNE 25
10. THE BEST YARD SALE OF THIS OR ANY OTHER CENTURY — JUNE 26
11. TERA APPRECIATES YOU — JUNE 29, 2004
12. YOU’LL HOWL AT OXY’S "THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLFMAN"
— OPENS JULY 8
13. BE IN THE HOME TOUR BROCHURE!
14. WE'VE GOT MAIL
15. THE LAST WORD — SIMON ORTIZ
1. PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
Though TERA is still diligently working on the numerous issues we've
been keeping you updated on, all work and no play is making me a dull
girl! I seem to be skidding into one meeting after the other lately
trying to keep pace with this lively community and my active family.
We can all take pride in the many accomplishments in Eagle Rock lately.
Let's have a lighthearted summer. School is out and we all need to
let our hair down. It's time for painting, planting and
praising.
PAINT OUT GRAFFITI with our Neighborhood Watch tonight. See Item #2.
DIG IN THE DIRT with us this Saturday, June 19th. See Item #3.
LET US CELEBRATE YOU on June 29th. See Item #11.
Let's have a great Summer!
-- Hilary Norton Orozco, President, TERA, The Eagle Rock Association
2. TAGGED! YOU’RE IT: GET THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO ERADICATE GRAFFITI
— TONIGHT! JUNE 17
Our friends at the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Watch sent us the following
notice about their upcoming June meeting, which sounds like a doozy:
The first part of the meeting,
our Senior Lead Officer, Joe Galindo will present the most recent crime
stats with information on crime trends and problem areas in our
community. For the remainder of the meeting, Officer Colenzo, also
of our NE, LAPD Division will give us information on graffiti, with complete
presentation of all kinds of tools that taggers use, the clothing accessories
of taggers, and what to look for if you suspect your kid of tagger crew or gang
involvement. Officer Colenzo will then present the program he heads-up
with at-risk youth, involving weekend graffiti eradication and the
rehabilitative behavior management program for the young people who are his
wards for weekend paint-outs. Officer Colenzo will also help identify the
tagger crews or gangs that are behind the newest wave of vandalism that has
cropped-up in Eagle Rock. If you have any photos of tags or can readily
identify the letters in the tag, please bring that information and your
questions to this important meeting.
-- Helen Goodwill Gustavson and Betty Tyndall, Eagle Rock
Neighborhood Watch
3. HOW DOES OUR GARDEN GROW? FIND OUT — JUNE 19
By now, you’re probably aware that TERA Board member Mary Tokita’s proposal
for the Eagle Rockdale Community Garden & Art Park has received a $10,000
Neighborhood Matching Fund grant from the City of Los Angeles Board of Public
Works If your green thumb has already started to twitch, you won’t want
to miss the upcoming first meeting and garden site workday this Saturday.
Here’s the scoop:
Introducing the Eagle Rockdale Community Garden & Art Park, a new
resource for the neighborhood!
Join us this Saturday as we transform a strip of abandoned property into our
new home!
Rockdale is accessible by parking near La Loma/Lanark gravel lot or the
Lanark-Shelby Park gravel lot and walking down Rockdale from Shelby, located
just 1 block south of La Loma and 1 block east of Figueroa.)
We will adopt our Garden Rules and elect officers, and then we’ll start work on
the Garden itself.
For more information, call (323) 257-5886. Or email
mtokita@earthlink.net.
-- Mary Tokita, TERA Board member, Director, Eagle Rockdale Community
Gardens & Art Park
4. TRIANGULATE AT AVENUE 50 STUDIO — RECEPTION JUNE 19
The Avenue 50 Studio is pleased to announce an exhibition featuring
works of three Latino artists from three separate continents. Gomez
Bueno from Santander, Spain, Arturo Mallmann from Uruguay and Eloy
Torrez from the U.S. Stylistically different, these artists
invest their paintings with tenacity and proficient skill.
These world-class painters epitomize all that is distinctive and exemplary in
art.
-- Avenue 50 Studio
5. OCCIDENTAL SUMMER INSTITUTE OF FUN TO TEACH THEATER TECHNIQUES
TO CHILDREN — THIS JULY AND AUGUST
The Occidental College Children's Theater is inviting applications for
its Summer Institute of Fun, weeklong workshops in July and August that
will teach children techniques in physical theater, group improvisation,
tumbling and movement. Participants must be between 7 and 12 years old.
Enrollment is extremely limited, so sign up as soon as possible.
Children's Theater actors will offer individual attention in a positive and fun
learning environment. All children will receive a T-shirt, and each week
concludes with an informal folktale performance.
Sessions, which will cover different material each
week, are scheduled for 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The schedule is
as follows:
Session 1: July 19-23
Session 2: July 26-30
Session 3: Aug. 2-6
Session 4: Aug. 9-13
Fees are as follows:
$150 for one session
$280 for two sessions
$410 for three sessions
$520 for four sessions
(There is a 10 percent discount for each additional
sibling.)
For more information, or to have an enrollment form
sent to you, call (323) 259-2771.
6. VOLUNTEER AT AVENUE 50 STUDIO AND COME AWAY WITH A STORY WALKWAY
— JUNE 19
The Arroyo Arts Collective and Avenue 50 Studio have been granted
two Neighborhood Matching Fund grants to build a story walkway and install
landscaping at our proposed Cultural Gateway Garden. Already, the
students of Franklin Transportation Academy are working on ideas for
beautifying the existing fence. But before any creative work can be
started the weeds and debris must be cleared out. Please join us for a
clean-up party. We supply the rakes -- you supply some much-needed
muscle.
For more information, call Heather Hoggan at (323) 258-1240.
7. LEARNING ABOUT LOS ANGELES IS JUST A WALK IN THE PARK THIS
WEEKEND — JUNE 19
The Echo Park Historical Society and the Citizens Committee to Save
Elysian Park just sent us word that they’re co-sponsoring a great two hour
tour this Saturday that offers a fascinating look at an often overlooked corner
of NE Los Angeles, the eastern edge of Elysian Park. Here are the
details:
This two-hour morning walking tour will highlight the lesser-known but
historically rich eastern edge of Elysian Park. The tour, which is
co-sponsored by the Echo Park Historical Society and the Citizens
Committee to Save Elysian Park, focuses on the portion of the park located
between the Pasadena Freeway on the west, and Chinatown and the Cornfields on
the east. Starting at the park’s Fremont Gate entrance on Broadway, the
tour will include sites and information related to the history of Los
Angeles River, the city’s early water system, Chavez Ravine, the Pasadena
Freeway and other topics.
The tour begins at 10:00 a.m. at the northwest corner of North Broadway and
Elysian Park Drive. The tour group is limited to 20 people. A $3.00
donation is requested for adults. There is no charge for children under
12 or historical society members. For tour information and reservations
please call (323) 860-8874. Or visit the Walking Tour section of our website:
http://www.HistoricEchoPark.org.
8. TOWN HALL MEETING ON LA’S INCLUSIONARY ZONE ORDINANCE — JUNE 23
Northeast
Los Angeles Forum on Inclusionary Zoning
A moderated panel forum and “town hall” meeting on a proposed City of Los
Angeles Inclusionary Zoning ordinance will be held for residents of
Northeast Los Angeles on Wednesday June 23, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. at the L.A.
River Center, 570 W. Avenue 26, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Seating
will begin at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. program. Sponsors include neighborhood
councils and associations of the Northeast Los Angeles area.
Los Angeles Council Members Eric Garcetti (CD 13) and Ed Reyes
(CD 1), who put forth the motion to adopt inclusionary zoning, will present the
proposed ordinance. A moderated panel discussion will follow, featuring experts
in the field of housing policy, urban development and inclusionary zoning, to
advocate for and against the ordinance. Non-partisan academic policy experts
will provide context and perspective on the effect and results of inclusionary
zoning ordinances in place in other California and U.S. communities.
Questions will be taken from written audience submissions.
The proposed ordinance, being considered by Los Angeles City Council,
would require that 12% of all new for-rent development and 20% of all new
for-sale development be made available in perpetuity for low income families.
In return, developers would be provided with incentives such as reduced
parking requirements and density bonuses which, among other things, would allow
town-homes to be built in current R-1 single family zones.
This element of the proposal has drawn the most fire from community groups and
activist citizens dedicated to protecting single family neighborhoods and
infrastructure from increased density.
Proponents of the proposal say the ordinance is a critical step as the City of
Los Angeles attempts to address its affordable housing shortage. They say
inclusionary zoning prevents ghettoization of low income families, creating
mixed income neighborhoods throughout the city and providing equal access to
the best schools and services to all families.
The ordinance would be effective citywide, but developers would be allowed to
buy their way out of the low-income requirements by paying pre-set fees.
Opponents say this is more likely to occur in West Los Angeles, making
East and Northeast Los Angeles more likely to experience possible negative
effects of increased density such as an over-taxed infrastructure, overcrowded
schools, insufficient police coverage for the population, etc.
Others say inclusionary zoning shifts the cost of providing low income housing
onto developers, which they feel should be the responsibility of local
municipalities, not private industry.
Some type of inclusionary zoning policy is in place in several major cities across
the country. More than 110 jurisdictions in California, including Long
Beach, Pasadena and Fremont near San Francisco have adopted inclusionary zoning
ordinances, though policies vary widely in scope and mandate.
Los Angeles City Council took the matter under advisement to allow neighborhood
councils and community groups time to conduct meetings, generate stakeholder
input, and submit recommendations and impact statements on the matter before
action is taken.
Stakeholders throughout the Northeast Los Angeles area are urged to attend,
hear from both sides and ask questions. Exit surveys will be taken to
provide essential stakeholder feedback to city policymakers. Spanish
translation will be provided.
For advance reference, the City of L.A. has compiled resources at
www.lacity.org/lahd/incllinks.htm
9. OWL TALK ANNOUNCES A SALE EVENT FOR EAGLE ROCK’S WHO’S HOO-HOO
-- JUNE 25
Our friends at Owl Talk on Eagle Rock Boulevard (right next to swork,) tell
us that they’re going to be marking an important anniversary at the end of this
month and have decided to celebrate with a big sale. As regular e.letter
readers are no doubt aware, Owl Talk and their neighbors at Eagle Rock and
Colorado have recently suffered a string of very expensive acts of vandalism.
This sale offers our community the perfect opportunity to drop by
the store and show our support for ten years of watchful service from our local
Owl. (And while you’re in the neighborhood, don’t forget to drop in for a
cup of joe at swork, pick up something for the kids at twerps, and pay a call
on Beauty Doll, Best Flowers and all the other fine shops that call the
proud intersection of Eagle Rock and Colorado home?)
The Owl Talk Clothing Store is pleased to announce that we’re turning 10
at the end of this month. We are very excited, and appreciative of
all the support that this community has given us. We want to say thank
you by staging a special sale/event/party on Friday, June 25th from 5:00
pm- 9:00pm.
We’ll have refreshments, goody bags, and 25% off all clothing in stock!
And 20% off on selected jewelry. For more information, call us at
(323) 258-2465.
See you at the party!
-- Kathleen and Sharon Kroner, Owners, Owl Talk
10. THE BEST YARD SALE OF THIS OR ANY OTHER CENTURY — JUNE 26
Drawing on the amassed detritus of two centuries worth of overpacked garages
— imagine the stuff! Questions? Dial (323) 478-1883.
11. TERA APPRECIATES YOU — JUNE 29, 2004
Meet your neighbors and find out what great projects TERA's working on. Tuesday,
June 29th, 7:00 PM at the Cultural Center. Great refreshments.
Great company. Great projects. Sign up!
12. YOU’LL HOWL AT OXY’S "THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLFMAN"
— OPENS JULY 8
Occidental
Children’s Theater to Launch Eighth Summer Season
The critically acclaimed Occidental
College Children's Theater will present "The Boy Who Cried
Wolfman," conceived and directed by Jamie Angell, for an
extended run starting July 8 and closing on August 21st. Performances
will be in the Remsen Bird Hillside Amphitheater outdoors on the
Occidental campus.
In about an hour, a cast of Occidental students, alumni and professional actors
will perform without props, sets, or costumes, relying only on their acting and
physical skills. "This dynamic company of talented actors ... is as fresh
and entertaining as ever," the Los Angeles Times says.
Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for children 12 and under. Group
rates are available.
For ticket information, call the Occidental Box Office at (323) 259-2771.
As is the case every year, the script for "The Boy Who Cried Wolfman"
will be the result of cast improvisation, said Jamie Angell, the theater's
artistic director since its inception. "We work in the round,”
notes Angell, “so the audience is right on top of the action. The
unconventional material and the absence of props or costumes force both the
actors and the audience to rely on their imaginations. It's remarkably
different from most anything else you see in children's theater today."
Occidental College is located at 1600 Campus Road, in the Eagle Rock section of
Los Angeles. For a campus map and directions to the college, please visit
http://www.oxy.edu/oxy/welcome/directions.
13. BE IN THE HOME TOUR BROCHURE!
Plans for TERA's fifth annual Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour are
in full swing, and we are currently accepting ads for our Home Tour brochure.
Our tour will take place Sunday, October 24, 2004, in the
south-of-Colorado neighborhood of College View Avenue and adjoining streets.
We expect about 1,000 people or more to attend our tour and view our
brochure, and we'd like you to be a part of it and benefit from it.
If you are interested in placing an ad, please contact our ad coordinator, Maedale
Gongora, at maegongora@aol.com.
14. WE'VE GOT MAIL
“First off, let me commend TERA on your continued, tireless work and
advocacy on behalf of our community and its residents -- you guys are
great!
“I'm writing because I've noticed that the parking lot for Super-A and
Sav-On on Eagle Rock Boulevard has become a magnet for people whose actions and
behavior, at the very least, discourages patronage of the businesses located
there, and, at worst, could pose possible safety risks to patrons and
residents. I was happy to see that Washington Mutual finally
realized that they have customers in Eagle Rock, and opened a branch in that
lot. And I was also happy to see Jerry's open for business (their tacos
are great!). However, when I went to the Washington Mutual recently, a
couple of things made me realize that something was wrong. One man was
walking around the front of the bank acting incoherently, his open beer bottle
on the ground near him. Another fellow was enjoying a Bud Tall Boy while
sitting back, leaning against the Sav-On building. Both of these guys
were shabbily dressed, and appeared pretty drunk.
“I've lived in Eagle Rock for more than 20 years, and this parking lot has always
seemed to attract an inordinate number of panhandlers and street people.
I've even given the 'window guy' a buck once in a while, and in a way accepted
him as a ‘fixture’ in our community, if you will. But this was too
much. I'm surprised that none of the business owners seemed terribly
interested in doing anything about this, either. Not even bars tolerate
drunks -- they’re bad for business!
“Perhaps you can encourage the LAPD to make more frequent passes through the
Super-A/Sav-On lot to discourage that sort of thing. I know that now I
think twice before I go to this area, or take my kids with me if I need to go
there. Public drunkenness and such definitely go against the sense of
community and environment we all work so hard to create and maintain here in
Eagle Rock.
-- Juan Vega, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
Thanks, Juan, for your report of your recent unfortunate experience at the
Sav-On lot. We showed your letter to the members of the TERA Board, one
of whom -- Pamela Lansden -- had an interesting take on your observations,
which we thought worth sharing:
“Thanks for writing us, Juan. For those who
question TERA's endless concern about the design of Walgreens project, your
experience at that neighboring shopping center offers a perfect example of why
we continue fighting for good design and a truly pedestrian-friendly scale in
such retail developments. We have seen the future of the
Walgreens strip mall, and it looks much like Sav-On's past ... and
present.”
-- Pamela Lansden, TERA Board Member
* * *
“I would like to thank e.letter reader
Tamara Lobaco for putting my own feelings into words (We’ve Got Mail,
June 10, 2004.) I was offended by the e.letter reader who wrote
you a month or so ago and said ‘shame on Eagle Rock’ for letting small
businesses like Gallery Ophelia close. The truth of the matter is, with
the economy the way it is, people only purchase what they use. Not all of
Eagle Rock has the need to buy coffee out on a regular basis, or purchase artwork
just because. There’s no intentional boycott or anything like that, so I
say there's no shame on anybody. It really is tragic when small
businesses close. But it’s only because of a lack of need on the part of
the people. They are not going elsewhere to buy. Eagle Rock is full
of wonderful people. That’s why my family has chosen to stay here for
four generations now. I have always been very proud of our
community’s diversity. We just need to remember there are ‘different
strokes for different folks.’”
-- Terry Munday, Eagle Rock Neighborhood Watch, BLEND, Rockin’ Rodders
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Terry. You bring up some valid
points. But in all this discussion of struggling businesses, let’s not
forget our town’s many small business success stories, such as Owl Talk and
most of the other establishments that have grown up around Eagle Rock’s main
intersection at Eagle Rock Boulevard and Colorado. As detailed in
item #9 above, Owl Talk is about to commemorate 10 years in Eagle Rock, which
is certainly cause for celebration for all small businesses in the area.
What say we all drop by Owl Talk during their party and sale event on the
evening of June 25 to mark the occasion?
* * *
“Regarding Graffiti...
“It will take an area wide movement to track and motivate progress for
the Northeast Area Graffiti problem. It only seems to continue to
grow out of control. What we have done in the past is to apply a super Band-Aid
on the problem when what we need is a full scale operation that allows us to
hold various agencies and local representatives accountable for reporting on
progress toward dealing with this plague. And it is a plague that is
hurting our local businesses and keeping others from taking root. Worse,
it has lately taken on a new face, with not just gang graffiti that we’re used
to seeing, but a new movement of tagger teams, not to mention the use of acid
on business windows.
“In his early days in office, Chief of Police Bratton stated that graffiti and
gangs were going to be a priority. Our Councilmember in the 14th
District, who I support, also assured us that he was going to do something
about graffiti in the 14th District as well.
“We can meet separately in our various communities and complain. We can
hear the same statements about what has been done. But a unified
approach would be a more productive way of managing this problem that visibly
and emotionally effects our community and those who may contemplate moving in
as residents or businesses. How many meetings have we gone to over the
years and heard of the same acronyms mentioned? It only makes sense that
the neighborhood councils and service organizations, along with community
institutions, work together to insure that there is an area wide plan for
dealing with this problem.
“We live in a unique area. The City of Glendale to the West, South
Pasadena to the East, the 134 Freeway and the mountains to the north, and the
Los Angeles River and Elysian Hills to the south all serve as distinct
boundaries that set us apart from the rest of the City. We should have a
demonstration project where real results can be measured what’s being done to
deal with this age old problem.”
-- Richard Ledesma, 30 year NE LA resident, Retired LAPD Officer and
Past President of Kiwanis Club of Greater Highland Park
Great points, Richard, on a topic that seems to strike close to home for
many of us, including TERA’s President, Hilary Norton Orozco, who wanted to
respond personally to your letter. Here’s Hilary...
“Clearly, Mr. Ledesma, you've given your time and
thought to our community and to this issue -- as have our Neighborhood Watch
co-ordinators, Betty Tyndall and Helen Goodwill Gustavson and Officer Colenzo
of our Northeast LAPD. We suggest you work with them. These are
committed people who are trying to solve the graffiti problem and their
Neighborhood Watch meeting tonight (see item #2,) may be just the place to
address the situation you speak of. Graffiti is a big problem, as are all
acts of vandalism. Many businesses are unaware that financial assistance
is available through the ERCPR for replacing acid etched windows. We do
need an area wide approach. We commend BLEND and the Neighborhood Watch
for continuing to fight the good fight.”
-- Hilary Norton Orozco, TERA President
If you’re no fan of graffiti,
you’ll want to be sure to attend the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Watch meeting that
Hilary mentions above, tonight, Thursday, June 17, from 6:00 to 7:30
p.m., at Eagle Rock City Hall on Colorado Boulevard (see item #2 above for all
the details.)
That’s it for this week’s e.letter. See ya’ in seven!
* * *
We
welcome your comments, complaints and/or compliments on the e.letter or any
other 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.
15. THE LAST WORD —
SIMON ORTIZ
”I take my son outside
And show him a tree,
have him touch leaves,
this is a leaf, see,
it is green, it’s got lines,
and it is shaped this way,
touch.
He touches the leaf
and branch trembles with his touch,
fat little hands roughly
and gently grasping what I show him.
Make him stand, bare feet,
on the ground, feel
that dirt, brown dirt and gravel,
solid clay, it won’t grow seed
too well, have to have sand,
and leaves, sticks, manure,
and then it will grow things.
That’s what I tell him.
-- Simon Ortiz (born 1941)
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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
A publication of
The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)
Vince Waldron, editor
e.letter@TERA90041.org