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Tuesday, July 18th, TERA held a public meeting, at which Ken Bernstein,
the City’s newly appointed Historic Preservation Manager, discussed the
status of historic preservation in the City of Los Angeles, covering
wide-ranging topics from Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZ’s) to
the fate of the Ambassador Hotel. But throughout Ken’s discussion of
issues, a common theme emerged. Ken pointed out that while Los Angeles is
not exactly known for its preservation efforts, it has one of the earliest
historic preservation ordinances of any large metropolitan area. According
to Ken, that ordinance became effective in 1962. Yet, as with so many
things, implementation appears to be the more difficult task. From 1962
until now this ordinance has been on the books, but there is still no City
wide historic resources survey. Yet, there have been some areas where
progress has been made. The City has adopted an adaptive reuse ordinance
which, if I understood Mr. Bernstein correctly, has created over 6,000
housing units throughout the City, preserving and reusing older commercial
and manufacturing buildings.
Ken also talked about the expansion of the number of HPOZ’s throughout
Los Angeles, describing this as grass roots preservation. A few years ago,
the City had only 8 HPOZ’s and now there are 21 with 15 applications from
various parts of the City waiting inline. Unfortunately, due to the
limited City funds available, the 15 applications from the different areas
in the City are likely to languish in line for a while, unless those
neighborhoods are willing to tax themselves to pay for the necessary
studies. But Mr. Bernstein’s point was that the impetus for each HPOZ came
from the members of the community itself. Those community members took the
time to understand how the process works, get consensus among their
neighbors, and then go through the sometimes mind-numbing task of dealing
with the bureaucracy to set up an HPOZ. They did this because preserving
the historic character of their neighborhood was worth the work to them.
They were, as Ken pointed out, proactive rather than reactive. They didn’t
wait until over ˝ of the properties had been victimized by mansionization.
They took steps to preserve what they felt gave their neighborhoods unique
character before that character was destroyed. And they chose the
appropriate tool to accomplish their long term goal.
There are many tools to accomplish the various land use and planning
goals. HPOZ’s are only one such tool. When the discussion turned to
questions about mansionization in Eagle Rock, Ken tried to point out that
HPOZ’s were not necessarily the right tool to deal with this issue in all
cases. There are no quick fixes. But there are ways of accomplishing the
community’s goals of preserving its eclectic mix of homes and businesses.
There are Community Design Overlays (CDO’s), Specific Plans, Interim
Control Ordinances, Municipal Code changes and other tools to deal with
planning and land use issues. But the most important ingredient in this
mix of tools is the community itself. Community members have to want to
involve themselves in community issues in order to make effective changes.
Manning the barricades and hurling epithets at the ineffective bureaucracy
has some psychic satisfaction but seldom results in any meaningful change.
It takes knowing what you want to accomplish, educating yourself on what
needs to happen to accomplish it, finding others with similar interests to
help, and then working like mad to get it done! In other words, you
actually have to get involved and do the work yourself until it is done
and then you have to keep working to make sure someone else with different
ideas doesn’t work even harder to undo all that you have done. As Mr.
Bernstein so rightly pointed out, you have to be proactive, rather than
reactive, in order to have a chance of success. More specifically, it’s
very difficult to preserve a potentially historic building once someone
has purchased it with plans to tear it down and build a new building that
will provide jobs, sales tax, and a shiny new building. But it’s much
harder to demolish a building that already has landmark status, solid
community support, and a local business that is taking advantage of the
benefits that preservation, adaptive reuse and rehabilitation have to
offer.
Thanks to Ken Bernstein for an entertaining and educational evening.
Hopefully it will inspire some more Eagle Rockers to get off the couch and
be proactive in their community. And thanks to TERA Board member Keith
Louie for arranging for Mr. Bernstein's appearance as well as for
procuring great food from Camilo's Bistro, Auntie Em's, The Coffee Table,
and Columbo's.
And while on the subject on activism, the TERA Board of Directors
elected its officers for the 2006 - 2007 year at its last meeting. Frank
Parrello, current co-chair of TERA’s Preservation, Planning and
Development Committee, was elected Vice President; Elizabeth Wagner was
elected Secretary, and Pauline Mauro, current Home Tour co-chair, was
elected Treasurer. It is my honor to have been elected President for the
coming year. Along with new Board Members Terri Wahl and Maria Nazario
joining continuing Board members Scott Bogue, Keith Louie, Kathleen Long,
Hilary Norton Orozco, Mary Tokita, and Michael Zamarripa, we look forward
to working with you for a better Eagle Rock.
Michael Tharp,
President
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TERA needs a
few good volunteers! |
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Our membership drive continues. We are looking for volunteers to stuff,
stamp, seal, and mail membership drive envelops. A few minutes of your
time will pay big benefits for resident involvement in Eagle Rock! Please
contact volunteer@tera90041.org for more information.
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Give Your
Business or Group an Eagle Rock Advantage: Eclectic Home Tour
Brochure Advertisements |
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Deliver your message to your Eagle Rock and Northeast neighbors with an
ad in the Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour brochure. The Home Tour will take
place on Sunday, October 15, 2006. To place an advertisement in the Home
Tour brochure, please contact Maedale Gongora at 323-255-
1267 and she will get back to you immediately with the
specifications for artwork on 1/8th, 1/4th/ or 1/2 page ads.
The prices are $75 for 1/8th page; $125 for 1/4 page and $250 for 1/2
page. Advertisements will be taken on a first come/first served basis. We
are getting an early start in order to avoid a last minute rush. If you
plan to run an ad this year, please make your arrangements early.
Thank you!
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California
Preservation Foundation Workshops |
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One of our state's most important environmental laws for protecting
resources (historic, cultural, environment, etc.) is the California
Environmental Quality Act -- or CEQA. Knowing this law and how it is part
of the planning and development process is critical for everybody involved
or interested in development from community leaders to city planners,
attorneys and commissioners to architects/design professionals.
Two upcoming educational workshops will be devoted to the topic of CEQA
and conveniently offered in Los Angeles on the campus of Occidental
College. These workshops are part of annual professional training series
hosted statewide by the California Preservation Foundation (CPF), a
historic preservation nonprofit organization. The teaching team includes
one of the state's top CEQA attorneys.
Please consider one of the CEQA workshops best suited for your learning
needs and schedule:
--Full-day workshop on Friday, August 18 to give in-depth training and
expertise (priced at $140 non- member or less if a CPF member and includes
lunch) OR
--2-hr "Primer" on Saturday, August 19 to give the highlights in a
concentrated amount of time (priced at $45 non-member)
For more information or to register online, please visit www.cal
iforniapreservation.org California Preservation Foundation's phone is
(415) 495-0349. CPF board member Nicole Possert invites you to pass this
announcement around to anyone else you think might be interested.
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Concerned about
Crime In Eagle Rock? Join Neighborhood Watch! |
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Helen Goodwill Gustavson responded to the letter last week about
daytime break-ins in E.R. with this helpful information:
Thanks for sharing the information on the arrest. Knowing that LAPD has
someone in custody is something of a relief as there was also a daytime
break-in on Caspar Avenue, north of Colorado on Wednesday, July12th.
You're entirely right, that it's the success that these criminals have in
breaking and entering homes that leads them to continue their pattern of
seeking out vulnerable homes. The news of the arrest is also testimony to
the power and effectiveness of neighbors watching out for unusual activity
on their streets. It's good to hear that LAPD has nabbed someone in the
act!
And now, a plug for our Eagle Rock Neighborhood Watch meetings:
--The meetings are open to everyone in the community.
--You have the opportunity to ask questions and hear accurate
information directly from our Senior Lead Officer (SLO). You can bring
your concerns about activity in our community directly to our SLO, and to
the attention of other concerned and active individuals in Eagle Rock.
--Meetings are held at the Eagle Rock City Hall building on the corner
of Colorado Blvd. and North Maywood Avenue, in the downstairs meeting room
( enter off the parking lot), from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
--The schedule for meetings is basically that meetings are held on the
third Thursday of each month, except in August, when we celebrate National
Night Out on the first Tuesday of August, and in December, when the
meeting conflicts with the demands of the Holiday Season. The meeting
dates for the remainder of 2006 is as follows:
September 21st,
October 19th, and
November 16th
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Community
Mourns Death of Southwest Museum with Funeral Procession,
Candlelight Vigil |
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A mock funeral was held, in which it was reported that Los Angeles
mourned the death Saturday of the Southwest Museum, the city’s oldest
museum, with a morning funeral procession from the MTA Gold Line Southwest
Museum station to the gates of the museum and an evening candlelight vigil
beginning at Sycamore Grove Park and proceeding to the corner of Marmion
Way and Museum Drive. Over 150 "mourners" participated in the two events.
The Day of Mourning was organized by an ad hoc group of Northeast Los
Angeles community residents with the support of the Friends of the
Southwest Museum Coalition and other community organizations. The events
were held in recognition of the museum’s closure by its owner, the Autry
National Center, without an effective plan for reopening as a public
destination with a museum use.
Community residents expressed outrage at claims of the Autry National
Center --which acquired the historic Southwest Museum three years ago--
that the museum remains open, when all but a store and two small galleries
are available to the public two days per week. Participants at the events
demanded that any expansion of the Autry National Center’s operations at
Griffith Park be tied to the Autry's assumption of responsibility for
maintaining and operating the Mount Washington facilities in a museum
capacity.
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ER Eclectic
Home Tour Volunteers Needed |
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TERA's Home Tour Committee Needs a Few Good Volunteers ASAP!
Please consider volunteering to help with this year's Eclectic Eagle
Rock Home Tour on October 15. Our Home Tour Committee also needs a few
more volunteers. If you'd like to work with a talented, dedicated, and fun
group of Eagle Rockers and meet your neighbors during our signature
community event, please contact Pauline.Mauro@gmail.com, or call (323)
550-1130 for details.
Docents Guide Home Tour goers through Eagle Rock's architecturally
unique homes. Morning or afternoon shifts on October 15 available. One
docent training session required prior to the Home Tour.
Other Volunteer Opportunities: We need volunteers to help set up, take
down, sell tickets, survey tour goers. Teenagers to retirees welcome!
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Summer Concerts
in the Park |
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Mark your calendar with the dates for THE EAGLE ROCK CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE SUMMER CONCERTS IN THE PARK, Sundays at 6 p.m.:
July 23: "Soto"
August 6: "Hard Day’s Night"
August 13: Summer Swingfest with "Swing Inc." (see next article below)
August 20: Country & Western
August 27: "Jack Lantz Big Band"
The Park is located at 1100 Eagle Vista Drive. All concerts run from 6
to 8 p.m., and there are pre- show activities planned at most of them as
early as 5 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs, and a picnic dinner or
purchase food from vendors. Thanks, Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce!
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ER Summer Swingfest Sunday, August 13
Don’t miss the summer’s biggest, best party in Eagle Rock Park, back by
popular demand, the Eagle Rock Summer SwingFest 2006. Swing to the hep
cats from the popular SWING, INC. band. Join the fun, music, dancing and
enjoy FREE ice cream on Sunday, August 13. There will be lots of freebies
and surprises in store so don’t miss it! Festivities start at 5 p.m. and
the band goes on at 6 p.m. Enter the ERNC 2006 Swing Dance Championship
Competition for trophies and prizes! The event is brought to you by the
Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council in cooperation with the Eagle Rock Chamber
of Commerce Summer Concerts in the Park.
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August 12
Women’s Twentieth Century Club Fundraiser |
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SAVE THE DATE!
The Women's Twentieth Century Club's Designer Apparel Fundraiser will
be held on Saturday, August 12th from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. This event
promises to be lots of fun as well as a fantastic fundraiser for our club.
Don't forget to tell friends and family to be there on August 12th.
For additional information, contact Lois Shilts or Helga Thomsen.
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ER Valley
Historical Society Ice Cream Social, July 23 |
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Eric Warren writes:
Summer is quickly approaching! Let’s beat the heat together at the
Historical Society’s 6th Annual Ice Cream Social Fundraiser on Sunday,
July 23rd from 2 - 5pm at the Center for The Arts Building, 2225 Colorado
Blvd. FREE admission, dollar a scoop ice cream, and endless toppings are
back and sure to be a hit again! Fabulous prizes donated by our generous
community businesses will be given away to raffle ticket buyers. While
spooning down your ice cream, enjoy the entertainment of Peter Breede and
his street organ music (back by popular demand!), Latin sounds by the
Eagle Rock High Latin Jazz Band, Hip piano by emerging pianist Ian Turner,
and delightful piano playing provided by Musikers. And don’t forget to
stop by the Historical Society’s membership, volunteer, and merchandise
tables! It’s going to be a full afternoon of sweet treats, raffles, and
entertainment so be sure to bring all the kids, family, and friends! By
attending you are helping support the Historical Society’s goal to
continue building and sustaining a rich archive the community can access
and be darn proud of! We hope to see you!
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Proposals Due
October 9 for Southern California Conference on Undergraduate
Research at Oxy |
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Occidental College will host the 2006 Southern California Conference
for Undergraduate Research (SCCUR), the region’s largest forum for the
presentation and discussion of undergraduate scholarship. The Nov. 18
event is expected to draw 700 participants from as many as 80 colleges and
universities, mostly in California. The 14th annual event, last held at
Occidental in 1996, will showcase research and creative work in the
sciences, humanities and the arts.
Students interested in taking part in the conference are invited to
submit an online abstract by Oct. 9. For more information on SCCUR, please
visit http://sc
cur06.oxy.edu/index.shtml.
Students learn something about professionalism and presenting
themselves as professionals in an academic discipline, said SCCUR
co-director John Swift, professor of English and comparative literary
studies at Occidental. They learn about confidence and mastery in their
own work. They also get to see what’s going on in disciplines far removed
from their own. Student presenters in a wide range of fields work closely
with faculty mentors, but their questions and research are of their own
design. As a result, they have gained enormous confidence in their ability
to undertake serious intellectual projects, Swift added.
Students will present their work in 15-minute panel presentations
chaired by faculty members, in poster form, or in exhibition or
performance. The conference seeks to replicate professional and scholarly
meetings, and many undergraduate scholars participate in SCCUR as a first
conference experience, going on to present their work at national
professional meetings.
At Occidental, undergraduate research is a cornerstone of the liberal
arts experience. The college’s Undergraduate Research Program, cited as
one of the country’s best in a 2001 study sponsored by a consortium of
private foundations, supported more than 340 student research projects
during the 2005-06 academic year. Over the past two years, 30 Occidental
students presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.
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Nationally
Ranked Occidental Football Readies for 2006 |
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Occidental kicks off the 2006 season with a Sept. 9 home game against
Lewis & Clark College. The two-time defending conference champion
Occidental College football team has been ranked in the Top 20 by three
national preseason polls for Division III. The Tigers are ranked No. 17 by
Lindy’s Football and Street & Smith’s College Football, and No. 11 by
Sports Weekly.
When you’ve won back-to-back championships, it’s going to take another
championship to make the players feel good about their accomplishments,
head coach Dale Widolff said. The expectations are higher and the work
ethic gets better every year. The Tigers will be led by quarterback Andy
Collins ‘07, the two-time SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year who guided
Occidental to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
titles in 2004 and 2005, when the squad went a combined 19- 3. Collins has
been named a 2006 Preseason All- American by D3football.com.
Linebackers Joe Zackary and Tim Tanous, as well as defensive linemen
Scott Ferguson, Robert Theofanis, Jeremy Gruber and Kyle Stowers are
expected to contribute heavily to Occidental’s game plan. Widolff said he
is pleased with his recruiting class. At 46 members, it is the largest
class in his 26- year tenure. Each year you’ve got different people who
need to step up, Widolff said. That’s part of the attraction of the job.
Each year the team chemistry is different, and there are questions about
which seniors are going to step into the void in terms of leadership.
That’s part of the challenge. We’re very excited.
For a complete schedule and team information, visit http://departments.oxy.edu/athletics/footb
all/index.html.
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This Week at
the Highland Park Farmers Market |
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Sorry to those of you who were disappointed that Robin's Wood Fire BBQ
was not at the market last week. Hopefully we'll see Robin's this week,
but in their absence, we did welcome Korean BBQ and "honey pineapple
chicken" vendors to the market so there was no shortage of tasty dinner
options to go along with the rotisserie chicken, baked potatoes and yams,
roasted corn and tamales that are available every week.
Perhaps the most exciting new fruits to make an appearance at the
market this week were fresh green figs from Walker Farms in Exeter, CA.
Figs need to ripen on the tree as fruit picked too early will never ripen.
Ripe figs are extremely delicate though, explaining why you'll rarely see
this delicious fruit in the supermarket (and even then they're usually
only mediocre). After gorging this week on a basket or two of fresh figs,
I've been eating them together with goat cheese, which makes a wonderful
combination. If you mix together two thirds of cup of goat cheese with a
quarter cup of heavy cream and 1 tbsp honey, you'll have a wonderful
spread to serve with halved figs. If you like rosemary, adding 1 tsp of
the chopped herb to the cheese is also a great compliment to the cheese
and figs.
Delicious stone fruits continue to be available at the market and those
should only be improving as the summer heat sweetens the fruit on the
tree. Melons, including watermelons, are starting to make their appearance
at the market and those too should be getting sweeter along with the
rising temperatures. The first peppers of the season, both bell peppers
and chili peppers, including jalapeno, serrano, anaheim, fresno, and
habanero have all been spotted at the market, allowing you to choose your
level of spiciness. Corn, avocados and strawberries are all available at
the market as well as a wide selection of vegetables. For a complete list
of the produce that will be available at the market each week, bookmark http://w
ww.its.caltech.edu/~sbudick for help in planning the week's meals. In
addition to fruit and vegetables, you can always pick up fresh honey,
eggs, bread, olive oil and cheese at the market.
Please stop by the market for fresh, field- ripened, high quality
produce from local farmers and spend time with your friends, neighbors and
other community members.
The Highland Park Certified Farmers Market is located adjacent to the
Highland Park Gold Line station at Marmion Way between Ave. 57 & 58.
It operates Tuesdays from 3-8 p.m.
Visit the market website at http://www.oldla.org.
Also visit http://w
ww.its.caltech.edu/~sbudick to see where your produce is coming from!
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Ave. 50 Studio - Wedding Art |
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HOLY NUPTIALS, A SURVEY OF ARTWORK BASED ON THE THEME OF MARRIAGE IS
OPEN NOW at AVENUE 50 STUDIO.
Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park presents its new exhibit, “Holy
Nuptials” featuring art that speaks to the institution of marriage and
spectacle of weddings. A loaded and contradictory subject, “Holy Nuptials”
promises to be an irreverent, romantic, heartfelt, scary, unsettling
and/or strange exhibit. The artists invited to participate bring to the
subject of marriage and weddings their personal beliefs be they married
artists, thrice married, divorced, or single. This show runs through
August 6, 2006.
Please join us as we wed fine art with the question of marriage at
Avenue 50 Studio, 131 No. Avenue 50, Los Angeles, CA 90042 (323) 258- 1435
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Eagle Rock
Underground Art Show July 22 |
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EAGLE ROCK UNDERGROUND IS PLANNING OUR 3RD ANNUAL ART SHOW SATURDAY,
JULY 22, 2006.
Please email us if you are interested in showing some of your work.
Space is limited so first come, first served. You can also come by the
shop and show some samples, which is better. If we’ve talked already about
your being in the show, email us for confirmation. Peace and see you soon.
Eagle Rock Underground, 4690 Eagle Rock Blvd. (323) 551-6983. www.eaglerockunderground@yahoo.com
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Occidental
Children's Theater 11th Summer Season |
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The critically acclaimed Occidental Children’s Theater will present
“Dracula and the Beanstalk,” an original story, plus three adaptations of
traditional folktales at 10 a.m. every Thursday, Friday and Saturday
through Aug. 19 in the Remsen Bird Hillside Theater on the Occidental
College campus. Tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for children. Group rates
are available.
In about an hour, a cast of six recent Occidental alumni will perform
four energetic and funny stories without props, sets or special costumes,
relying only on their acting and acrobatic skills. The cast carries it off
with the unflagging charm that has made this reliable company one of the
Southland’s --and the summer’s-- most entertaining children’s theater
offerings, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The scripts and the action for the tales are company-created and the
result of weeks of improvisation and revision. The three traditional
stories are the troupe’s versions of existing folk tales from around the
world. The title story was developed by actors and Jamie Angell, the
theater’s founding artistic director.
The theater company works in the round, 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.
For more information, please call (323) 259- 2771.
Occidental College is located at 1600 Campus Road in Eagle Rock. For a
campus map and directions to the college, visit http:/
/www.oxy.edu/MapsDirections.xml.
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Mayor’s Town
Hall Meeting on Education Reform August 8 |
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You are invited to a Town Hall Meeting with Mayor Antonio R.
Villaraigosa on his Education Reform Plans Tuesday, August 8, 6:30 p.m. to
8:30 p.m. at Sacred Heart Auditorium, 2201 Griffin Avenue (corner of
Baldwin), Los Angeles 90031.
The Mayor's office encourages you to be part of this historic
partnership between parents, teachers, and education stakeholders united
to dramatically improve the quality of education in Los Angeles. Join
Mayor Villaraigosa and learn about his reform plans to cut the
bureaucracy, move resources into the classroom, and provide real
accountability.
Please RSVP with the Mayor’s Eastside Office at (213) 978-0839 or via
e-mail to carlos.alvarado@lacity.org. Please contact us in advance if you
require childcare.
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“The Bird Show,
a Group Show Inspired by Our Fine-Feathered Friends” continues thru
Aug 6 |
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Members of the Arroyo Arts Collective acknowledge our flying, chirping
friends with art, art, and more art about birds, birds and more birds. As
a salute to our local flocks of parakeets (they actually are not parrots),
we will present an interactive installation of sound activated, sound
recording, squawky toy parrots. Like our big green flying friends, this
work promises to be funny, loud and a bit obnoxious. And did we mention
the flying pig?
Participating artists are: Illona Aguayo; Natalie Kahn Aguilar; Mary
Allan; Victoria Taylor Alvarez; Marcela Ciszewski; Gloria Cooper; Matt
DeHaven; Ruth De Nicola; Renee Dominique; Sharon Eaton; Richard Espinoza;
Nicholas Fedak II; Maggie Gerard; Cicely Gilman; Tom Gugler; Tina
Gulotta-Miller; Radhika Hersey; Linda Ann Hoag; Heather Hoggan; Karen
Hovanitz; Amy Inouye; Patty Sue Jones; Jay Kavoian; Patricia Lee; may Jean
Mallman; Denise Monaghan; Julie Nagesh; Karen Nuebert; Benjamin Page;
Ester Petschar; Connie Rohman; Dorothy Shepherd: Julie Soto; Susan Stroll;
RuthAnne Tarletz; Kacy Treadway; and David Wyninger.
Another feature will be the Big Hen vending machine, a vintage toy-egg
dispenser. Pop in a quarter to receive an egg filled with original art,
charms, and/or messages created by our members. This may be the best deal
in town and all proceeds benefit the Collective.
The Acorn Gallery is located at 135 N. Avenue 50 Highland Park, CA
90042.
Phone: (323) 850-8566
www.arroyoart
scollective.org
Gallery Hours: Saturdays & Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.
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LETTERS |
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I live north of Hill Drive on Hartwick St. I am writing about the
Islander Motel located at 1460 Colorado Blvd. and illegal use of the
facility. I had contacted the police over the last 18 years about the
problems regarding this motel.
I was told there have not been other complaints reported and I never
seem to get anyone to follow- up with the complaint. Lately, it has been
just unbelievable the large number of cars pulling into the facility at
6:30 a.m. This morning I sat at the stop sign for a couple of minutes and
the cars that were pulling in were pulling out within minutes of arriving.
This evening I was going to the Eagle Rock Plaza and decided to drive
down Colorado Blvd. At the Islander Motel there were three prostitutes
standing outside the motel and one at the payphone. A car pulled up and
all the girls ran to a car that slowed down. One of the girls got in the
car and started screaming something to the other girls and the remaining
girls were laughing.
This is so disturbing since the motel is located across from two
private schools, the Baptist Christian School and Montessori Elementary
School.
On any given day one can find big rig trucks parked in front of the
motel. On two separate occasions a private school bus pulled into the
parking area and later pulled out. This action of the bus driver is most
likely putting children into harms way.
I feel I must bring this problem to TERA in hopes someone can give me
direction in ridding our wonderful neighborhood of this ever increasing
problem.
Thank you so much for your time.
Gloria & Mike Buccat
35 year residents of Eagle Rock
I've published your letter so that others in the community can be
aware of the problem and respond and I will make some inquiries and see if
we can't get the problem resolved. Thanks for calling it to our
attention.
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TERA,
Are there any updates on Michelangelo opening in Eagle Rock? I really
hope this hasn't fizzled. Why does it take so long for restaurants to open
here? I am new to the area and it seems as though places have a hard time
opening here.
Thanks,
Amy
It's my understanding that, at long last, Michaelangelo's will be
opening soon. The parking issue which has been part of the problem, is
well on the way to being solved, thanks to the efforts of the ERCPR
Board's efforts in pushing the implementation of the parking ordinance,
about which I've written in several past e-letters.
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Dear Michael,
Regarding your comments on vandalism in our parks (Eagle Rock and
Yosemite) there are some things citizens can do besides just wish the
friendly park maintenance crews well. For those with the proclivity and
the build as well as the appropriate breed of dog a late evening walk
through the parks will help show our neighborhood ne'er-do-wells that they
can't continue to expect the privacy they currently enjoy while making
their little messes. If the public were to generate significant traffic
through these areas (especially behind the pool and in the amphitheater
areas at Yosemite Park) some of this problem would certainly be reduced.
At present, even traffic during daylight hours would be helpful. The same
concept applies to our schools and business areas. People can also call
the Los Angeles General Services Police/Office of Public Safety dispatch
at 213-978-4670. These are the officers you have probably seen in the
parks already, and this number lets you alert them directly without
clogging 911 lines. I too find the tagging especially offensive and
disrespectful of our public spaces. As such I would like to point out that
there is little preventing the enterprising citizen from obtaining a small
quantity of the neutral beige paint most commonly used to cover this
blight, or even some paint remover, and taking some early morning direct
action. Seems like the perfect excuse to patronize one of our local
hardware stores!
Sincerely yours,
Nathan Dalleska
-----------------------------------
It's not just our parks in Eagle Rock that are seeing a huge spike in
graffiti vandalism. The wall in front of my house near Occidental College
has been vandalized every two weeks for the last two months. Prior to
that, the wall had only been vandalized with graffiti once in the ten
years I have lived here. Unfortunately, all we can do is paint over it.
Councilmember Huizar's office's only response is to send some city workers
over to paint over the graffiti in a paint color that doesn't match the
wall. The LAPD is useless. It's ironic that LAPD Chief William Bratton
declared war on graffiti in 2002. Clearly this is a war we are losing.
Eric Vincent
Don't get discouraged, Eric. Keep painting it over and they'll get
tired (or grow up or go to jail) before you do. And then you will have
won! See Nathan's letter above.
----------------------------
To TERA
Violence seems on the upswing in Eagle Rock. There have been two
shootings at parties on and near Loleta in the last couple of months. Is
anyone tracking Eagle Rock crime stats for TERA? Also, graffiti seems on
the rise. Is there more gang activity these days? Perhaps we need an LAPD
update at one of our meetings.
Thanks,
Ron Hansen
That's a great idea. We'll see what we can do for one of our
up-coming public meetings.
----------------------------
hi,
i'm a mount washington resident on the eagle rock side off of cleland
(so almost an eagle rock res!) worried about the albertson's closing on
eagle rock. we were hoping the place would be upgraded since it was a bit
of a dump but now i've heard it is going to be a super saver.
1. what's the real story?
2. what can we do about it if it is a step down?
cheers,
iris
Any information from the Community?
---------------------------
Ivette's Garden Blog
I've been busy writing a garden blog for Domino magazine's website. I
would be so happy if you and the rest of my neighbors who are interested
in gardening would check out my writings and maybe even post a comment or
ask a question. The web address is www.dominomag.com - just click on the
'brand new bloggers' and you'll reach a page that has me - The Germinatrix
- as one of your choices. I will answer all gardening questions speedily
and with style! Thanks ever so!
Ivette Soler
Thanks, Ivette. We are also awaiting your next promised article
about life in Eagle Rock for the e-letter!
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