Copyright (c) 2008 All rights reserved. http://http://www.lacity.org/council/cd14 Top Stories en-us 5 Thu, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar has partnered with Time Warner Cable to install a new movie studio in the Boyle Heights Youth Technology Center. Time Warner Cable will be installing state-of-the-art equipment in the Tech Center and will also have staff members provide hands-on-training opportunities to local youth. Opened in 2006, the Boyle Heights Tech Center offers programs and services ranging from technology courses to employment preparedness trainings. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT On November 5, Councilmember Huizar joined Mayor Villaraigosa, LAUSD Board President Mónica Garcia, and families from Ramona Gardens in launching the "Walking School Bus Program," a new safety program that aims to create safe passages for children as they go to and from school. The Walking School Bus Program is a nationally recognized school safety model that enlists parent volunteers to walk children to and from school along a planned route and timetable. Councilmember Huizar and his colleagues walked a group of students from their homes to nearby Murchison Elementary School, and praised parents for becoming directly involved in school safety. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar has secured the funding for the "Art Heals" mural project in Ramona Gardens. To be designed by local artist Raul Gonzalez, the mural will create positive and promising images of hope for residents of Ramona Gardens. Over 70 community members participated in a recent discussion of the project, and gave overwhelming approval. Clean and Green, a program of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, will be coordinating the program, thus providing at-risk youth with paid employment and the opportunity to participate in an urban beautification project. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar led over two hundred community members from Boyle Heights and Huntington Park in a protest against a proposed 943-megawatt power plant in the City of Vernon. Community groups such as the Coalition Against the Vernon Power Plant, Communities for a Better Environment, and the Boyle Heights Residents Homeowners Association participated in the march, which included a mock funeral procession symbolizing the likely increase in community deaths due to harmful emissions from the plant. Councilmember Huizar also introduced a motion calling for the City Council to authorize the City Attorney to intervene in the City of Vernon’s certification process with the State for the new power plant. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar secured ten computers for the Ramona Gardens Resident Advisory Council to support their work in organizing and empowering the residents of Ramona Gardens. The Resident Advisory Council (RAC) is a nonprofit organization formed by community members to serve as a liaison between the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles and residents. RAC members requested the computers to help them organize and publicize community events. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT The Los Angeles City Council recently designated the Boyle Hotel as a Historic-Cultural Monument. The 118-year old hotel is listed on the California Registry of Historical Monuments and is an icon of East Los Angeles. For decades the site has served as a resting spot for travelers and visitors, and has since become a central hub for the Mariachis playing at adjacent Mariachi Plaza. Councilmember Huizar is working closely with the East Los Angeles Community Corporation (ELACC), which recently purchased the property, to ensure that it is rehabilitated to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Boyle Heights. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT On October 26, Councilmember Huizar and the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development hosted its first off-site meeting at Our Lady of the Rosary of Talpa Roman Catholic Church. The Ad Hoc Committee on Gang Violence and Youth Development is charged with reforming the City’s gang prevention and intervention programs to ensure that youth are given positive, meaningful opportunities and alternatives. At the meeting, which was attended by over 200 community members, Councilmember Huizar announced that he is developing a strategic plan for Boyle Heights to provide services to youth around the clock. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT On October 15, 2007, Councilmember Huizar joined City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to launch the School Safety Prosecutor Program at the Roosevelt family of schools in Boyle Heights. The School Safety Prosecutor Program, an offshoot of the highly successful Neighborhood Prosecutor Program, will dedicate a Deputy City Attorney, Ms. Veronica de Alba, to the prosecution of quality-of-life crimes committed in safe school zones (1,000 feet around school campuses). She will collaborate directly with schools, residents, and law enforcement to identify and target high-priority crimes. Councilmember Huizar has been a strong supporter of this program since its inception, and secured the funds to expand the program to Boyle Heights. Wed, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar called on the Los Angeles Police Department to increase its patrol presence in properties owned by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA), including Dolores Mission, Estrada Courts, and Ramona Gardens. While the City is experiencing major budget shortfalls, Councilmember Huizar insisted that public safety should not be compromised. At the October 29 Budget and Finance Committee meeting, Councilmember Huizar asked LAPD to report back in 30 days on how it plans to step up regular and overtime patrols in HACLA properties.