THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION
The Best Investment You Can Make in Your Neighborhood

TERA

e.letter


September 3, 2004

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

What?  You're not yet a member of TERA?

Join now!  Here's how:

Go to
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!

And don’t forget to encourage interested friends and neighbors to join TERA so that they, too, may enjoy the many benefits of membership, including a complimentary subscription to the TERA e.letter.

 

This week: 

An obituary for the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan… and a request to Councilman Villaraigosa (Item#1)

The Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour is just around the corner (Item #3)

Don’t miss TERA’s State of the Town event September 21st (Item #4)

 
 Table of Contents:

 
1.          PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE -- THE CBSP IS DEAD!  LONG LIVE THE ERSP!!

2.          COME CELEBRATE LOS ANGELES’S 223rd BIRTHDAY!        

3.          ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM TERA’S HOME TOUR COMMITTEE

4.         DON’T MISS TERA’S ANNUAL STATE OF THE TOWN MEETING
 -- SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS! 

5.         PUT YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO WORK IN EAGLE ROCK!  ERNC BUDGET FORUM SEPTEMBER 14

6.         EAGLE ROCK’S TALENTS REACH THE BEACH!  

7.         EXPLORE THE JEWELS OF NORTHEAST LOS ANGELES – LOCAL JEWLERS OPEN PANDORA’S BOX

8.         OCCIDENTAL CHEMISRY PROFESSOR WINS AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY AWARD

9.         OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE CREATES ONLINE ARCHITECTURAL ARCHIVE
 

10.        CONGRATULATIONS TO 'WOMEN IN BUSINESS' WINNERS!

11.        REVISITING THE RED CAR WITH THE FRIENDS OF ATWATER VILLAGE — SEPTEMBER 10 

12.        CALL FOR TALENT: UPTOWN GAY AND LESBIAN ALLIANCE CABARET 2004 

13.        LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY MODERN COMMITTEE CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH COUNTYWIDE MODERNISM TOUR SEPTEMBER  18-19, 2004 

14.        WOMEN’S 20TH CENTURY CLUB SEEKS VENDORS FOR HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR 

15.        WE’VE GOT MAIL

16.        THE LAST WORD  JONATHAN SWIFT


1.      PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE  THE CBSP IS DEAD!  LONG LIVE THE ERSP!  

            The following statement is my opinion and mine alone.  Read on.  Hilary

When my husband, Gerard, and I moved here in 1993, we were told that the commercial district we were nearly adjacent to was governed by the newly adopted Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan (CBSP), which meant that we could be assured that new development along this boulevard would be vastly improved and harmonize with the residential community.  11 years later, the blocks on Colorado adjacent to my house look almost exactly the same, with changes of paint, lighting or planting.  Some would say this proves the CBSP “worked.”  Rather than the rampant mini-malling (mauling, really) of many of Eagle Rock’s commercial corners, the CBSP put the brakes on such sweeping development changes. Eagle Rock is beginning to see a thriving commercial sector, resonating our trolley car past with some clever and truly inspired adaptive reuse of historic commercial buildings.  To all of those who toiled for years to bring the CBSP to fruition, I thank you, for preventing the over-commercialization of the late 1980’s from ruining our town for good.  And this is why TERA continues our fight for proper enforcement of a plan that was intended to keep out the hucksters, and regain Eagle Rock’s previous luster.  

But now I am convinced that the CBSP, as written, must be immediately replaced with a new CBSP. Walgreens, Rantz, and other cases have shown that, while the CBSP as currently written is punishing those who want to open a small business (but cannot afford to get Specific Plan Exceptions for hours of operation or cannot provide sufficient parking on site to meet City and CBSP standards) those developers who couldn’t care less about Eagle Rock are given tremendous opportunity to manipulate the words of the CBSP to their gain and our loss.  Coupled with opportunities for overly broad interpretations by the Planning and Building and Safety Departments, the CBSP requires far too much effort on behalf of our community, only to be left with so little.

I applaud Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa for furiously working to enforce the provision pertaining to Rich Development, adopted in January of 2003 by the full City Council, that Walgreens should not receive a Certificate of Occupancy until the buildings along Colorado and Eagle Rock Boulevards were completed to the satisfaction of Building and Safety.  Councilman Villaraigosa had put Building and Safety on alert that he expected the other buildings to be fully completed before Walgreen’s opened.  And yet, without notifying the Council office, Walgreens held a soft grand opening on Monday.  Building and Safety issued the Certificate of Occupancy without ever checking with the Council office. 

And so, if the CBSP and related provisions can be undone this easily, I am done with the CBSP. 

Instead, I request that Councilman Villaraigosa initiate two important efforts by Council motion:

1.                    Completely revise the current CBSP and metamorphosize it into an Eagle Rock Specific Plan (ERSP) which would::

a.       Remove the prohibition of operating hours past 9 pm, and instead put more police patrols on the Boulevards.  This would help businesses thrive in the college-town, night-owl world we live in.  And more police patrols might actually prevent the graffiti and burglaries that are poisoning our business district;

b.      Offer parking alternatives that allow buildings to be built “to the street” to encourage more pedestrian activity, while supporting off-site parking lots and safer crosswalks, so that we can walk more at night and park a reasonable distance away;

c.       Encourage and reward businesses of all types that revitalize their properties.  I like the auto uses on the Boulevards.  But we need to streamline permits to encourage better signage and screening.  California Z Cars is a perfect example of auto uses we can all be proud of;

d.      Strengthen the character of Eagle Rock as a historic, college town.  Recapture Route 66 though good design of shops, diners, auto uses, gas stations and the like, so that we can continue the small town feel of our wonderful community;

e.       Supports beautification of the Boulevards;  

f.        Encourage more residential uses along the Boulevards.  Colorado Terrace and other projects could provide necessary housing while subsidizing truly local retail efforts; and

g.       Extend the boundaries of the Specific Plan to include all of Colorado, Eagle Rock, York and Figueroa Boulevards in Eagle Rock, so that our plan can be a unifying vision for all of Eagle Rock. 

2.                    Initiate the study to create Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZ’s) in Eagle Rock     

TERA’s Land Use Committee is mapping the commercial buildings that are suitable for historic designation.  Please streamline these efforts, so that more adaptive reuse of historic structures can take place.   And lets work together to apply for grants that will fund more façade improvements, plantings, and preservation efforts that will invest in the Northeast Los Angeles we all deserve.

I believe that these two major initiatives can be both good for the business and the residential communities of Eagle Rock.  I look forward to working long hours on these new CBSP and HPOZ efforts.  But I won’t work another minute on the folly of our current CBSP.  Thank you for fighting for us, Councilman Villaraigosa, and for the numerous ways in which the CBSP helped Eagle Rock retain its character.  But its time for a new, more inclusive, more visionary and definitely more enforceable Eagle Rock character to emerge from the rubble of the Old Shopping Bag Building. 

As President of TERA I am going to urge my fellow Board members to join with me in calling for a new and enforceable Eagle Rock Specific Plan that will have the power to set the standards we all wanted the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan to enforce.

 

Long live the EAGLE ROCK SPECIFIC PLAN!    

 

                        A RECAP OF THE WALGREENS SIGN APPEAL BY TERA LAND USE COMMITTEE CHAIR MICHAEL THARP

 

It was Michael Tharp’s report on TERA’s appeal to the East Area Planning Commission that has made me feel the existing Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan must be replaced.   Here is his very informative report.

 

On Wednesday, August 25 the East Area Planning Commission heard appeals from the Director of the Department of City Planning Department’s determination that a Walgreen’s sign on the arcade managed and operated by Starbuck’s was an on-site sign.  The appeals, contending the sign was an off-site sign expressly prohibited by the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan, were filed by TERA and Frank Parrello, an Eagle Rock resident and TERA member.
 
At the East Area Planning Commission meeting, the Planning Department Staff took the same position attributed to the City’s Department of Building and Safety, that the site was under one ownership, with one development plan and was therefore one site, and that the Walgreens sign was therefore on the premises and an “on-site sign”.  The Appellants contended that the sign was an off-site sign, expressly prohibited by the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan.  The Specific Plan defines “premises” as a building or portion thereof used as a single business.  The City’s municipal code states that a sign which displays any message directing attention to a business, product, service, profession, commodity, activity, event, person, institution or any other commercial message, which is generally conducted, sold, manufactured, produced, offered or occurs elsewhere than on the premises where the sign is located is an off-site sign.  Simply put, the appellants argued that since the Walgreens sign was proposed to be located on a building in which Walgreens did not conduct business and had been presented to the community by the developer as being under the management and control of Starbucks, it was by definition an off-site sign.
 
Council Deputy Krista Kline, from Council Member Villaraigosa’s office, appeared before the Commission and spoke in support of the appeals, which TERA greatly appreciates.  In spite of the clarity of the language involved and the Councilmember’s support of the appellants, the Commissioners voted 2 to 1 to deny the appeals.  Since there were only 3 members of the 5 member commission present, any vote would have to be unanimous in order for an action to carry.  Since the action did not pass by a majority of the commissioners, the Director’s Determination stands and the Walgreens sign will be allowed as an on-site sign on the arcade portion of the building fronting Colorado Boulevard.
 
TERA filed its appeal to the Director’s determination allowing the sign because TERA believes that sign violates the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan.  TERA has, and will continue to take action to ensure enforcement of the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan.  There is no further appeal from the Area Planning Commission’s determination that the sign is an “on-site sign” in spite of clear language to the contrary in the Specific Plan.  The TERA Board is disappointed in the failure of the Area Planning Commission to grant its appeal, but is even more disappointed in the commissioner who asked the question, “What’s the harm (in allowing the sign)?”
 
The harm lies in not giving careful consideration to whether or not to support the Specific Plan.  The harm lies in making a decision that continues the erosion of the Specific Plan.  The harm lies in not supporting a community that is supporting good planning principles and practices, as set forth in that Specific Plan.  TERA hopes that as this Area Planning Commission becomes more experienced and in tune with the needs and sensitivities of Northeast Los Angeles, it will more clearly see what the harm is in ignoring the clear language and mandates of a Specific Plan with strong community support.
 
TERA will continue to support the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan and will continue to support the preservation of that which is worth saving in our community. TERA will continue to support those community leaders, public and private, who support that which is best for our community.  TERA thanks Council Member Villaraigosa and Krista Kline for their support on this issue.

                        MEMBERSHIP CARDS ARE IN THE MAIL!

                        Seriously.  Thank you for your patience.  And thank all of the businesses who now and who will soon recognize these cards! 

            -- Hilary Norton Orozco, TERA President


 

2.         COME CELEBRATE LOS ANGELES’ 223rd BIRTHDAY!

 

                Dear Eagle Rock Stakeholders,

 

I am writing to personally invite you to what I expect will be the best birthday celebration of the year!  The City of Los Angeles is turning 223 years old on Saturday, September 4th.

 

Mayor James Hahn and Councilman Villaraigosa join with the El Pueblo Historic Monument Authority Commission and the Olvera Street Community to celebrate the City's birthday.  The Civic Ceremony will commence on Saturday, Sept. 4th at 9:30 am, followed by a celebration with birthday cake, free food and talented live performances.

 

Please join us for this historic event and bring your family and your neighbors.  We are asking everyone to come along and join in a special ceremony to help blow out the birthday candles.

 

If you have any questions on the event or the Historic Walk from San Gabriel, please call us at (213) 625-5045 or (213) 485-9769.  I look forward to seeing you there!

 

Thank you,

Dalila Sotelo, Commissioner

El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument

           


       

3.         ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM TERA’S HOME TOUR COMMITTEEHOME TOUR OCTOBER 24, 2004
 

Join Us for TERA's Fifth Annual

Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour 2004

Sunday, October 24, 2004

10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The tour begins at the historic GLAD (Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness) Building

2235 Norwalk Avenue, Eagle Rock

 

Also -- Neutra's Clubhouse: 50 Years Modern Lecture -- Exhibit -- Auction Eagle Rock Playground Clubhouse 1100 Eagle Vista Drive at 4:00 p.m.

Marking 50 years of this fabulous Richard Neutra-designed building

 

Julius Shulman, famed architectural photographer (tentative) Dion Neutra, architect and son of Richard Neutra Barbara Lamprecht, Neutra author

 

Home Tour Tickets Sold Throughout Eagle Rock!

 

Lecture tickets available online, by mail, or at the door

 

Tickets

$17 in advance

$15 for TERA members in advance

$20 at the door

$20 for lecture

 

Ticket sale locations:

Auntie Em's, 4616 Eagle Rock Boulevard, Eagle Rock

The Coffee Table, 1958 Colorado Boulevard

Eagle Rock Juice Exchange, 2152 Colorado Boulevard, Eagle Rock

 

Online at: www.TERA90041.org

By mail: TERA, P. O. Box 41453, Eagle Rock CA 90041

  
Wanted: A Beautiful Home and Garden
 
TERA's Home Tour Committee needs a site to host this year's Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour After-Party, which has always been a welcome perk to our volunteers and always a great success!  Because of extenuating circumstances, our previously planned location is no longer available.  We would love it if you Eagle Rockers, who have a space which could accommodate our wonderful yearly event, would offer your home for the after party.  Please send your offer of home or garden to Joanne Turner, President Emeritus, at artburn@earthlink.net.  Thanks! 
  
And don't forget the Home Tour's request for volunteers!

Would you like to….

 ·        Meet active and interesting people in your community?
 ·        Perform your civic duties?
 ·        Brag about your beautiful and diverse neighborhood?
 ·        Attend a great party with your new friends?

Then be a volunteer for the Eclectic Eagle Rock Home Tour.  Be a part of one of the premier events of Eagle Rock.  Volunteers are needed before the event and the day of the event to set-up, sell tickets, and much more.  Please email Tacpa@pacbell.net, please write “volunteer” in the subject area. 


4.     DON’T MISS TERA’S ANNUAL STATE OF THE TOWN MEETING -- SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS! 

The Eagle Rock Association (TERA) presents our
"2004 State of the Town Meeting"

featuring Councilmember and Candidate for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Tuesday, September 21st, 2004
7:00 p.m.
Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock

Come hear Councilmember Antonio Villaraigosa discuss his accomplishments and goals for Council District 14, as well as his vision to be Los Angeles’ next mayor!  Mark your calendars now!  It should be a great evening! 
 
It is our tradition to ask the community for questions to pose to the Councilman in preparation for the State of the Town event.  Please forward suggested questions through this e.letter so that we can compile them for the meeting.  Of course, you are all welcome to come and ask your questions on the spot! 


5.    PUT YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO WORK IN EAGLE ROCK!  ERNC BUDGET FORUM SEPTEMBER 14

EAGLE ROCK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
BUDGET PRIORITIES FORUM
Tuesday Sept. 14th
7:00pm, Eagle Rock Library


How do YOU want public funds spent for the good of Eagle Rock?  
Do you have ideas for Eagle Rock improvement projects or community events?
Does your group or organization wish to make a presentation to request funds or make suggestions for spending?

The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council invites you to attend and participate as we discuss priorities for our 2004-2005 budget.

This is your chance to tell your neighborhood council how you want public funds spent in Eagle Rock, so give it some thought, mark your calendars and we'll see you there!  All stakeholders & groups are invited to bring ideas and participate! To have your presentation put on the agenda, please submit your summary / proposal by August 31 to Mark Ryan, ERNC Treasurer.  Non-agenda ideas & comments will be taken from the floor as time allows.  Mark Ryan, Treasurer@EagleRockCouncil.org or 323-217-4481.


6.     EAGLE ROCK'S TALENTS REACH THE BEACH! 

 

This just in from another Eagle Rock artist, Corey Madden:

 

FRIENDS!!

I'm doing AN ALL NEW production of THE LEGEND OF ALEX

at the Powerhouse in Santa Monica August 27 through September 26!

 

Fridays at 8pm Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm Sundays at 3pm

3116 2nd Street, Santa Monica 90405

Tickets $15. Group Discounts!

866-OFF-Main or powerhousetheatre.com

 

The Legend of Alexa new musical for young audiences

 

Written by Doug Cooney

Composer Dave O

Director Corey Madden

Choreography Ameenah Kaplan

Set/Props Keith Mitchell

Lights Don Luce

Costumes Ingrid Ferrin

Sound Jason Duplissa

 

Cast

Alex- Steve Muterspaugh

Royce- Kevin Artigue

Ensemble- Emma Barton, Dustin Fasching, Jamey Hood and Peter Musante

 


7.         EXPLORE THE JEWELS OF NORTHEAST LOS ANGELES  

 

Pandora's Box: A jewelry & functional art trunk show

 

Spiff up your fall wardrobe and support local artists at Pandora's Box, a treasure trove of jewelry and functional art at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park. Come see why Northeast Los Angeles is the new "it" destination for art and jewelry lovers!

 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, from 6 - 10 p.m.

                Avenue 50 Studio, 131 N. Avenue 50, Highland Park, 90042

Light refreshments will be served.

Studio info: (323) 258-1435

 

Benito Campo uses the lost wax technique to create detailed sterling silver rings, belt buckles, and other items that feature bold Aztec symbols.

 

Susan Carson blends raw materials such as turquoise with crystals and pearls to create strikingly original necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

 

Tai Carson uses semiprecious stones, vintage glass, tribal silver, and antique hand-painted pieces from India in her beautifully exotic jewelry. Tai's other career is midwifery.

 

Renee Dominique is inspired by the beauty of the earthy elements and the multitude of arts. She specializes in creating custom pieces that match her clients' vision and utilizes birth stones and stones with healing properties. Her clientele includes artists, actors, playwrights, community leaders, and Yogis. View samples of her work at www.reneedominique.com.

 

Noora Elkoussy is a painter and accessories designer whose fashion accents have been purchased by numerous actresses including Tea Leoni.Tracy Parker loves "taking something old and otherwise useless and transforming it into something cool." Her handbags, felt broaches, wristcuffs, and hair clips reflect her passion for art, fashion, and creativity.

 

Stormie uses her grandmother's Pueblo bead looming technique to create exquisite jewelry. Her mix of traditional and contemporary have caught Hollywood's eye" Madonna, George Clooney, Lenny Kravitz, and Kate Hudson are Stormie fans.

 

Jennifer Rowland breathes life into funky old "finds" by combining flea market treasures with a rich palette of semi-precious stones. Her "recycled" jewels are true one-of-a-kind pieces that are as unique as the women who wear them.

  


8.         OCCIDENTAL CHEMISTRY PROFESSOR PHOEBE DEA WINS AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY RESEARCH AWARD

 

Phoebe Dea, Fletcher Jones Professor of Chemistry at Occidental College, today was named the recipient of the American Chemical Society's prestigious Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution. The $5,000 award, which will be presented at the ACS national meeting in March, recognizes Dea's "extraordinary contributions to the lives of students as their research mentor and to the advancement of undergraduate research nationwide," according to a statement from ACS. Dea was chosen from among 16 nominees for the annual award.

 

At Occidental, Dea has supervised 116 research students, who have made more than 100 presentations of their work at local, national and international professional meetings as part of Occidental's award-winning undergraduate research program. Dea often publishes her own research findings with undergraduate co-authors and she has appeared in such premier journals as Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2000, the Occidental College Board of Trustees presented Dea the Graham L. Sterling Award for her dedication to teaching and undergraduate research.

 

A UCLA graduate who earned her doctorate at Caltech, Dea has taught instrumental chemistry at Occidental since 1993. Her research interests include the physical and analytical methods for determining molecular structures using methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance, fluorescence spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry.

 

"Dr. Dea represents a role model par excellence," said chemistry Professor Tetsuo Otsuki, who nominated his colleague for the award. "Her students praise her as not only their research mentor, but also a person who cares about their academic progress as well as their personal and social development. She is amazing in all that she does."

 

"Professor Dea is the quintessential educator," added Donald Deardorff, Carl F. Braun Professor of Chemistry. "She understands that undergraduate education in chemistry is a complex interplay between classroom and laboratory work and has fashioned her own research program accordingly. Her professional achievement is exemplary, her teaching nationally recognized, and her commitment to undergraduate research unsurpassed."

 


9.    OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE CREATES ONLINE ARCHITECTURAL ARCHIVE

           

Occidental College has created an online archive containing more than 4,000 photos of important Southern California architecture, and drawings, plans and historical pictures of the college dating back to 1912. The archive, the culmination of four years of work, was made possible by a $137,000 award from the Getty Grant Program. The public is invited to visit the site at http://winterandhuntcollection.oxy.edu.

 

“This new web site brings together two important resources for the study of Los Angeles architecture,” said Louise Yuhas, professor of art history. “ It is completely searchable and makes readily available to teachers, students and the general public this previously unpublished body of material.”

 

The collection is divided into three categories:

 

*              The Robert Winter Image Collection, which consists of the personal slide collection of Robert Winter, the Arthur G. Coons Professor of the History of Ideas Emeritus at Occidental. Winter, who taught at the college from 1963-94, co-authored the seminal “An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles,” which he started with the late David Gebhard in 1965 and is now in its fifth edition. Winter’s publications are standard sources for anyone interested in early 20th-century architecture.

 

*              The Myron Hunt-Occidental College Architectural Drawings and Plans Collection is named after the architect who established the master plan for the Occidental campus and was responsible for the design of all campus buildings between 1912 and 1940. The collection consists of original pencil drawings, various copies including blueprints and brown lines, and architectural renderings. Hunt’s work also includes the Huntington Library, the original design for the Caltech campus, the Pasadena Public Library, and the Rose Bowl.

 

*              Historic photographs of the Occidental College campus include pictures of the surrounding neighborhood. The collection includes images of the construction, use, modification, renovation and reuse of campus buildings and the changes in landscaping.

 


10.  CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 'WOMEN IN BUSINESS' WINNERS

Sixteen Southland women have been selected as this year's winners of the Women in Business Awards.  State Senator Jack Scott (D-Pasadena), Assembly Majority Leader Dario Frommer (D-Glendale) and Assemblymember Carol Liu (D-La Cañada-Flintridge) will honor these outstanding business leaders at a luncheon September 1 in Pasadena.

The winners were chosen based on nominations from the communities of the 21st Senate district, 43rd and 44th Assembly districts.  These outstanding leaders are being recognized for their contributions and leadership in their local business communities.

  SMALL BUSINESSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

 * Dora Herrera, owner, Yuca's Restaurant, Glendale

 CORPORATE BUSINESSWOMAN OF THE YEAR

 * Dalila Sotelo, Sr. Vice Pres., McCormack, Baron & Salazar, Eagle Rock
 * Uma Shrivastava, Sr. Vice Pres., Bank of America, La Cañada-Flintridge

  NON-PROFIT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

 * Joan Whitenack, Ex.Dir., Foothill Unity Center, Monrovia
 * Judith Arandes, Ex.Dir., Burbank Housing Corporation, Toluca Lake
 * Bonny Herman, Ex.Dir., VICA, Sherman Oaks
  
 TAMI GINSBURG EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

 * Rubina Djansezian, Ex.Dir. Western Board, Homenetmen, Glendale
 * Rashi Kallur, Vice Pres. Comm. Relations, Citibank, Glendale

NON-PROFIT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

 * Judith Zitter, Community Health Mgr., Kaiser Permanente, Pasadena

WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AWARD

 * Suzanne Gornick, Corporate Environmental Management Engineer, New Hampshire Ball Bearings, Inc., Burbank
  
MOST INSPIRATIONAL AWARD

 * Katy Townsend, Owner, Open House, Altadena
 * Wassy Tesfa, Program Administrator, Head Start, Altadena

WOMEN IN ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT AWARD

 * Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Writer, Glendale
 * Jenny Cornuelle Krusoe, Ex. Dir., Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock

EMPOWERMENT AWARD

 * Linda J. Loe, Vice Pres., Strategic Alliances for Women in Film, Studio City
 * Yasmin Davidds, CEO-Founder, Empowering Latinas, Inc., Pasadena


11.   ”REVISITING THE RED CAR” WITH THE FRIENDS OF ATWATER VILLAGE — SEPTEMBER 10

The Friends of Atwater Village asked us to pass along word of an exciting event they’ve got planned for the fall, a gala benefit that promises to transport you back to the glory days of the Los Angeles red cars!  The Friends were formed in 2000 to battle the planned demolition of the historic Van Kamps Bakery building, and since them they’ve been a dynamic force in the Northeast community. Among their other good works, the Friends have provided vital assistance to TERA on a number of occasions.  We urge you to mark the date of their fundraising gala in calendars, and to plan on attending what promises to be a worthwhile event.

Friends of  Atwater  Village present
"Revisiting the Red Car"
Friday, September 10th, 2004
7:00 p.m.
Los Angeles River Center & Gardens


Join us for an evening along with Sky City Productions as we take a ride back in time with The Red Car.  Whether you rode Southern California’s legendary rail system in your past, or you simply would like to make a vibrant connection with our city's colorful past, you will not want to miss this event.

Tickets are $45.00 per person which includes: admission to our screening of Sky City Productions’ documentary, "This Was Pacific Electric,” as well as light fare by Netty's, a no host bar, a silent auction, coffee and conversation with the film makers and area rail historians.

Visit us online at http://www.friendsofatwatervillage.org to purchase tickets.  Or make your check payable to Friends of Atwater Village and mail it to:

Friends of  Atwater Village
3371 Glendale Blvd, Unit 110
Los Angeles,  CA  90039

For more information, dial (323) 913-2999.


12.      CALL FOR TALENT: UPTOWN GAY AND LESBIAN ALLIANCE CABARET 2004

On Saturday, September 18, the Uptown Gay and Lesbian Alliance (UGLA) will hold auditions for its 14th annual fund raiser, Cabaret 2004, in Eagle Rock. Singers, dancers, comics, instrumentalists, illusionists, groups, etc., are encouraged to try out.   If interested, please call Carl Matthes at (323) 254-2726 or Joan Potter at (323) 258-2555.  Or e-mail UGLA at UptownGLA@aol.com.

Cabaret 2004 will be held at the Womens 20th Century Club on October 16.  Funds raised by Cabaret 2004 will go to support UGLA's community charitable, educational and visibility programs.  For more information about UGLA, visit http://www.ugla.org.


13.        LOS ANGELES CONSERVANCY MODERN COMMITTEE CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH COUNTYWIDE MODERNISM TOUR SEPTEMBER 18-19, 2004  

To celebrate two decades of helping to preserve Los  Angeles' extraordinary Modern architecture, the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee ("ModCom") is throwing a two-day birthday party all over the county. The event, called "20/20/20" -- 20 years, 20 sites, 20 dollars (member price) -- will take place the weekend of September 18-19, 2004, with ten different sites available for viewing each day.  The self-driven tour features the "greatest hits" of previous ModCom tours and preservation issues, a true cross-section of mid-twentieth-century architecture.

Spanning from Pacific Palisades to Downey, the 20/20/20 tour includes such highlights as:

- The Charles and Ray Eames home and studio (Case Study House #8)

- Richard Neutra's former residence, VDL Research House II

- A 1930 Los Feliz home designed by R.M. Schindler

- Prime examples of postwar residential tracts, including Gregory Ain's Mar Vista tract, the city's newest historic district and the first composed solely of Modern homes

- The world's oldest McDonalds restaurant

- The 1958 former Union Oil headquarters (now Los Angeles Center Studios)

- A book signing with legendary architectural photographer Julius Shulman

Some sites will have docent-led tours, while others will feature special promotions and involvement by neighborhood organizations.  Participants will create their own custom tours by choosing which sites to see and in which order.  To commemorate the event, celebrated artist Shag will produce a special, limited-edition print, which will be offered first to 20/20/20 ticket holders.

Along with the fun comes a reminder to Angelenos of the vulnerability of L.A.'s authentic Modern architectural heritage.  The Modern Committee was formed in 1984 in response to the rapid destruction of post-World War II buildings in Los Angeles -- particularly two iconic Googie coffee shops, Ships Westwood and Tiny Naylors.  This volunteer sub-committee of the Los Angeles Conservancy has since grown into a powerful voice for Modern preservation.

Tickets are $20 for Los Angeles Conservancy members and $30 for the general public.  Tickets are good for all sites on both days. To order tickets, visit the Modern Committee website at http://www.modcom.org or request an order form by calling 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 8,500 members, making the Conservancy the largest organization of its kind in the U.S.  For more information, contact the Conservancy at http://www.laconservancy.org.


14.   WOMEN’S 20TH CENTURY CLUB SEEKS VENDORS FOR  HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIR

The Women's 20th Century Club
of Eagle Rock is in the planning stages of their upcoming Holiday Boutique & Craft Fair, which will be held on November 6.  If you are interested in a vendor spot at the Club on that day, please contact Roe Muzingo (323) 255-4438, or email her at Roemuz@webtv.net.


15.    WE’VE GOT MAIL

* * *

We kick off the letters section with one from President Emeritus Joanne Turner, who truly dedicated her heart and soul toward enforcing the Specific Plan, saving the Shopping Bag Building, and ensuring Walgreens kept to its conditions.

Well, Eagle Rock has been royally shafted yet again.  During this years-long Walgreens fiasco, our community has been subjected to relentlessly rapacious developers, a city Planning Department and Building and Safety Department bureaucracy who wouldn't know the law if it slapped them in the face, and a former Councilmember who was too arrogant to recognize the obvious: the community he was hired to represent wanted and needed a far better development that would have worked for everyone.

I and other Eagle Rock community members have never worked so hard on an issue.  Do you know why we spent so much time and energy fighting this?  BECAUSE WE WERE RIGHT.  We stood up for the law that took five years for citizen volunteers to develop and implement, only to see that volunteering to improve your community doesn't matter if those charged with looking out for the interests of citizens are looking out for themselves instead.

To all of you out there who believe in justice and the law, in doing what is right, and who know as I do, that the residents of a community must have an equal say in how that community is developed and grows, I say BOYCOTT.  Rich Development owns the Walgreens property, including the other two buildings, one of which now illegally has "Walgreens" on its face.  Rich is hoping to make its millions off of these businesses.  Show Rich that corporate greed will NOT prevail in Eagle Rock.

DO NOT PATRONIZE Walgreens or the other two businesses, whatever they eventually might be.  Go around the corner on Eagle Rock Boulevard to Sav-on (whose developers of the second site near Figueroa willingly worked with the community), or across Eagle Rock Boulevard to Eagle Rock Drugs.  If predacious Starbucks moves in, go half a block more to Swork instead, on the corner of Eagle Rock and Colorado.  Support our local businesses and corporate businesses that have been sensitive to our community!  

Please stand with me and reward those businesses that have been good neighbors and ignore those that don't care.  I know firsthand: Walgreens DOESN'T CARE.  Neither does Rich.  DON'T give them what they want.

Joanne Turner <artburn@earthlink.net>
President Emeritus, The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)

 

 * * *

Dear TERA Editor:

 

Along with several other ERNC folks, I am helping Mark Ryan, ERNC Treasurer, with LA City Mayor's Budget meetings, plus circulating and collecting the Mayor's Budget Surveys for the 2005-06 Fiscal Year.  The local response has been a little slow, so I am asking if you could assist us with publishing the form and our map in your TERA email letter.  

 

This is the second year in which the Mayor has asked neighborhood councils to participate in reaching out to their communities to gain constituent response as to how we Los Angelenos would like to see our taxpayer city funds spent.  While I realize the TERA newsletter goes into far reaching areas, we invite only Eagle Rock residents and stakeholders to participate in this survey.  Although the Mayor's Budget Survey form is the same throughout Los Angeles, Glassell Park, Highland Park, Arroyo Seco and other neighborhood councils are sending out and collecting their own surveys. 

 

Please complete the budget survey in English, after you have verified your Eagle Rock status with the attached Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council map.  If you are in doubt as to whether you live or own property in any one of the eight ERNC districts, fill out the survey anyway and note "Unsure if ERNC" under your name & address.  To get survey copies, in English or Spanish, you can get a printed Spanish (English on reverse side) copy at the Eagle Rock Library, the Center for the Arts, Sizzler, Elvira's, Swork's, the Westfield Mall (2nd floor, Service Kiosk), the donut shop just west of Trader Joes, the Friday Farmers Market and other Eagle Rock locations.

 

The deadline for mailing or simply leaving the completed printed forms at the above locations is: 3 pm on September 12.  The deadline for emailing these electronic forms is: 5 pm on September 23.   The survey should not take more than five or six minutes.  When completed, please email the forms to Mark Ryan at mryan@cadet.org.  If you have any questions or want more forms, please telephone Mark at 323-217-4481 or myself at 323-257-3333.

 

Thanks for your help,

 

Marlene Schmidt, ERNC Public Safety Director and ERNC Budget and Finance Committee Member

 * * *


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.


18.   THE LAST WORD  JONATHAN SWIFT  

 

            In honor of our Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan…          

 

“Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.” 

-- Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)   


Distributed weekly via email and as a regular feature on various internet discussion groups, the TERA e.letter is read by well over 2000 readers with an interest in Eagle Rock and Northeast Los Angeles.  Please encourage interested friends to send their full name and email address to us at e.letter@TERA90041.org so we can keep them informed, too.  

 If you have changed your email address or would like to be removed from this list, send us an email to
e.letter@TERA90041.org with the word(s) "remove" or "address change" in the subject box, as appropriate.

 If you have a press release, letter of comment, question or other notice that you feel might be of interest to the Eagle Rock community, send it to
e.letter@TERA90041.org. Your announcement -- in the form of an email text message, (no attachments, please) -- must be in our hands by noon on Monday to be considered for inclusion in that week's issue.

©2004 The Eagle Rock Association


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


Got graffiti?  Contact the City of LA’s Operation Clean Sweep Graffiti Removal Hotline: (800) 611-2489.


The TERA e.letter
A publication of
The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)
Hilary Norton Orozco, editor
e.letter@TERA90041.org