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Volume II, Number 9 * October 2004 * www.cd13.com   IN THIS ISSUE A Word From Eric CITY HALL UPDATE: Budget Housing Economic Development Open Space and the Environment Neighborhood Empowerment Human Rights NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT: Atwater Village Glassell Park Elysian Valley Echo Park Historic Filipinotown Silver Lake East Hollywood Hollywood UPCOMING EVENTS CONTACT US Councilmember Eric Garcetti A Word From Eric Dear Friends, Next week marks the four-month anniversary of Uniting Neighborhoods To Abolish Graffiti (UNTAG), my initiative to reduce graffiti in CD13 by 50% within two years. UNTAG youth auxiliary In just one summer, we have already seen considerable success. We have recruited more than 70 block captains from every neighborhood in our district. Several block captains have told me and my staff that their work as a block captain has reduced graffiti in their neighborhood to almost zero. UNTAG is taking off. There are two exciting new developments I'd like to tell you about. First, I introduced a motion in September that would institute UNTAG citywide. Empowering block captains to take responsibility for reporting and painting out graffiti on their own blocks works, one block and one captain at a time. Graffiti goes down and stays down, and we can cut it out across the city. My motion calls upon the city to: increase graffiti-removal resources implement a "Rapid Response System" akin to the one we've established in CD13 with the goal of removing graffiti within 24-48 hours and tracking every graffiti removal request until it is completed. Learning from the success of CD13's UNTAG, the citywide program would identify obstacles to graffiti removal after 48 hours and work to resolve them. place (eventually) a surveillance camera in every park or crime hotspot in the city conduct a city-wide, street by street count of all the graffiti in the city to create a baseline against which to measure our effectiveness at reducing graffiti. As reported in last month's e-news, when we did this in CD13 we counted 20,763 tags! I will report to you next month on our progress in establishing a city-wide UNTAG program. Painting with Frank Secondly, on September 11th we launched our first UNTAG Neighborhood Clean Up. Every other month, we will select a different neighborhood in the district where vandalism is out of control, and we'll paint over the most extreme concentrations. By picking hotspots and hitting them with our city resources and our volunteers' paint and sweat, we can keep the worst graffiti locations under control. By selecting our sites carefully and maintaining them, UNTAG should be able to lower that baseline of 20,000 tags dramatically and effectively. To my praise of all of you who have signed up as block captains, I must add some good words for the city officials, workers and contractors who have responded to my call for action on graffiti. The work they do is tremendous. In the first three weeks of September (the latest figures available), Operation Clean Sweep, the Hollywood Beautification Team, and Central City Action Committee removed 147,262 square feet of graffiti from 1,791 different locations. That's a lot of paint and a lot of hard work. Along with my thanks go my congratulations: Paul Racs, formerly the assistant director of Operation Clean Sweep, has been promoted to the position of Director. Paul is my go-to guy on figuring out how to institute UNTAG citywide. Delphia Jones, whom Paul replaces, will be working at the Community Development Department. Congratulations to you both. Our next UNTAG event will be in Echo Park on October 16th, and all-around UNTAG duenna Shane Goldsmith has details. A week later, we'll take out the tags in Hollywood; Senior Field Representative Baydsar Thomasian has the information. Join us! Election Day Special: Of course, I encourage everyone to find your polling place and vote on Tuesday, November 2nd. While city ethics laws restrict me from using the e*news to advocate for one side or another of a ballot measure, I would like to reproduce the information in your ballot on Proposition O, which I've mentioned in previous e*news editions. I am one of the signers of the argument in favor of the measure; there was no argument submitted in opposition (if there were, I would post it here as well). The neutral ballot information, including the full text of the measure and the signed argument, can be found here. CITY OF LOS ANGELES PROPOSITION O TITLE: Bond Proposition O. Clean Water, Ocean, River, Beach, Bay Storm Water Cleanup Measure General Obligation Bonds. THE ISSUE: Should the City issue $500 million in bonds for projects that clean up polluted storm water, and bacteria in the City's rivers, lakes, beaches and ocean? THE SITUATION: The Environmental Protection Agency, in enforcing the Federal Clean Water Act, requires the City to clean up pollution in its rivers, lakes, beaches and ocean to provide for cleaner and safer water. Currently, the City does not have the money to pay for these required cleanups. Approval of these bonds will provide funds for projects to remove trash, bacteria and storm-water pollution from the City's rivers, lakes, beaches and ocean; and reduce flooding and increase water conservation. Construction of these projects will improve the health and welfare of the public and environment. THE PROPOSAL: This measure will authorize $500 million in bonds for the purchase and/or improvement of property for projects that: • Protect rivers, lakes, beaches and the ocean; • Conserve and protect drinking water and other water sources; • Reduce flooding and use neighborhood parks to decrease polluted runoff; • Capture, clean up and reuse storm water. There will be oversight by a citizens committee and an administrative committee. The bonds will be paid for by property taxes. The average estimated tax increase on a $350,000 home will be $35.00 per year for 24 years. The measure will be adopted if 2/3 of the voters approve it. A YES VOTE MEANS: You want the City to issue $500 million in bonds for projects that clean up polluted storm water, and bacteria in the City's rivers, lakes, beaches and ocean. A NO VOTE MEANS: You do not want the City to issue $500 million in bonds for projects that clean up polluted storm water, and bacteria in the City's rivers, lakes, beaches and ocean. See you at the polls. Yours truly, Eric Odds and ends:What do you get for the person who has everything? Somewhere to plug everything in! And in Los Angeles, what better portable power source than the solar powered jacket? More affordable (and tastier) might be Sahag's famous Basturma, a carnivorous treat from Little Armenia that can now be purchased online through CD13-specific web portal www.littlearmenia.com. On a different note, for fans of Greek drama, here is the story of Oedipus Rex as performed entirely by produce, shot in stop-motion. I was honored to host Los Angeles's annual El Grito celebration. Thousands of visitors came to hear top-notch Mexican acts rock City Hall from the Spring Street steps, waiting for the Mexican Consul General to ring the bell in honor of Fr. Hidalgo's call to arms in defense of liberty nearly two hundred years ago. The extravaganza never would have happened without the incredible work of District Director Ana Guerrero. Que viva Ana! CITY HALL UPDATE: Budget The fight for business tax reform is at a crucial juncture. Last week, the city's Office of Finance released a report, riddled with errors, that claimed a high cost to the Garcetti-Greuel proposal. Councilmember Greuel and I have released a response that shows that our current revenue expectations, even with very conservative assumptions, can pay for business tax reform (see chart below). Moreover, I believe that by enacting the proposed reforms and by tightening up compliance, we will see considerable growth in business tax revenue. For more information, contact my Legislative Deputy Alex Paxton. Housing I joined City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and Councilmember Martin Ludlow in announcing criminal charges filed against a slumlord with properties throughout CD10 and CD13 which had been allowed to deteriorate to the point where rats and roaches were more reliable than hot water. The city has strong laws to prevent these failings and a strong enforcement program to prosecute them where they do occur, but we need to continually support those programs. Economic Development I have supported a robust tourism industry in Los Angeles, including the construction of a convention center hotel. Our collective support for the tourism industry only makes sense if the industry supports its own employees, however. While unionized hotel workers have better wages and considerably better benefits than non-union hotel workers, they are still struggling to get by. The current contract fight may shape this industry for years to come. There are two ways to support workers right now. First, please don't hold events in hotels that are involved in the contract dispute: use this page to choose an alternate location. Second, please contribute non-perishable staples such as baby formula, diapers, rice and beans to the "Hungry for Justice" bin in my City Hall office (you may also leave supplies at the District Office on Sunset). A lockout or strike may be imminent; workers in San Francisco, also fighting for a contract and a national voice, have gone on a two-week tactical strike, and others have been locked out. On the positive side, the Council voted for a motion by Councilmember Janice Hahn to require "labor peace" on developments on city land. For example, a hotel leasing or building on city land would need to negotiate an agreement with its employees that they would not strike and the hotel would not lock them out. The ordinance is being developed now; policies like this will help grow our tourism industry and spread its benefits around Los Angeles. Open Space and the Environment Solar Neighbors...and friends. I joined Ed Norton and Alicia Silverstone (not to mention Mayor Hahn and Councilmembers Tony Cardenas and Jan Perry) to promote "Celebrity Solar Neighbors". At the same time as he got solar panels put on his house, Norton paid for a low-income family in South L.A. to get solar power installed. It's good for the environment and spreads the economic benefit of having the sun on your side across the city. Anyone who wants to go solar and help someone else out as well should contact 'Green' Deputy Glen Dake, whether you're a celebrity or not. I sent Planning Deputy Alison Becker to the week-long Railvolution Conference, where she came back with dozens of inspired nuggets of smart growth planning from around the globe. Residential developments feature stacked parking from Germany to Berkeley. Residential hotels run the gamut of income levels in transit-oriented developments. Advertising on the body and wheels of public bicycles funds their wide use by urban dwellers and location-efficient mortgages help working people afford to live in city-center transit spots. If you have your own ideas, drop Alison a line. Neighborhood Empowerment It's election season! We've got election results from Atwater Village and Silver Lake below. Meanwhile East Hollywood is getting up and running. Let us know what's going on in your Neighborhood Council. Human Rights Nora E. Vargas I am pleased to announce the appointment of Nora E. Vargas as Director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs. Nora comes to the city from Planned Parenthood, where she handled governmental affairs for Orange and San Bernardino counties. She is herself an immigrant to this country, hailing from Mexico, and she has great ideas about how to use the OIA to promote civic engagement. I can't wait to see what she does. Congratulations, Nora.  NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT: I have appointed Mitch O'Farrell Deputy District Director. He will continue to serve Echo Park as he works with District Director Ana Guerrero on a comprehensive, district-wide program to make the 13th District the safest and best-served district in Los Angeles. Field Deputy Christina Ortega is eager to continue working on Mitch's ongoing projects in Glassell Park, and Field Deputy Joe Bernardo will take on Elysian Valley. Congratulations to all three! Shireen meets her representative Also, my congratulations go out to a former CD13 staffer: Priya Sridharan, who was part of my initial legislative team and now works in the City Attorney's office, and her partner Cecilia Estolano, also a City Attorney, have announced the birth of their first child Shireen Valerie Estolano Sridharan! Priya and Cecilia live in Silver Lake within walking distance of the field office, so the population of CD13 grows by a count of one gorgeous baby. Atwater Village The Wonder of Reading program has blessed Glenfeliz Elementary with a new, expanded library. Wonder of Reading is a non-profit group that, if given the physical space in which to work their magic, bestows improved libraries on public schools. Congratulations to the Wells Fargo Gateway branch on its grand opening in the Los Feliz location (in front of Costco). This pedestrian-friendly location is just one more jewel in the crown of community enhancements at that shopping center. Party City also just opened there; check it out too. I especially thank my Planning Deputy Alison Becker for her work bringing these amenities to life. I am saddened to report that "Coach" Dan Hammond will leave the Chevy Chase Recreation Center at the end of the month to work in the city-wide camp section of Recreation and Parks. His replacement, Bobby Hockless, is a 20-year veteran of RAP with a great background. In addition to the opportunities Dan has created for hundreds of kids in Atwater Village, Dan also coached my Echo Park rowing team to victory in three successive Lotus Festival races. We'll miss you, Coach. Good luck camping, and welcome to Bobby! Residents in the Fletcher Drive area will feel more included in the Atwater Village community after the new, blue community signs go up there. Thanks go to Luis Lopez for requesting them. Join Friends of Atwater Village for a clean-up on Glendale Blvd on Saturday, November 6th. They will work from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and sign-in is at the Ranch Market at 3111 Glendale Blvd. For more information, contact Luis Lopez at (323) 913-2999, or e-mail him.  Northeast Division of LAPD held its annual open house on October 3rd. Thanks to everyone who came to meet their local police force, and to Captain Morris 'Mo' Smith for hosting. The results are in for Atwater Village Neighborhood Council elections. The newest board members are as follows: Resident, North Atwater: Christine Anthony and Gene Gilbert Resident, Central Atwater: Barry Shapiro and Mary Lou Watkins Resident, South Atwater: Ken Osborn and Shannon Johnson Business: Jeff Gardner and Luis Lopez Church/Religion: Perla V. Miranda and Michael Baricante Community Group/Non-profit: Katie Murphy School: Lisa Elaina Fontanesi Parks & Recreation: Dan Hammett Glassell Park The Crestmoore Place Steps have turned around 180 degrees in just a short period of time, thanks to sustained attention and care from city staff and community members. The surrounding street lights have been turned up, and the lights on the stairs will soon be replaced.  We are working on getting rid of the decaying timbers and replacing them with new safety barriers. Anti-graffiti coating has gone up, making the steps safer and more beautiful. Jerry Valido of Operation Clean Sweep gets credit for finding the money to pay for the coating, and local resident George Brauckman was instrumental in bringing the steps back. Thank you to all, and to Glassell Park's intrepid representative Mitch O'Farrell.   The steps, before and after Congratulations to the ten members of the junior LA Bridges Aztec firefighter crew at Washington Irving Middle School. Their curriculum, recently completed, comprises field trips, counseling and forest fire prevention, and provides opportunities for program graduates to join the forest fire fighting force once they turn 18. The program has been very successful with the youth of CD13, especially with at-risk Atwater Village residents who joined up to defuse gang tensions three years ago. Fletcher Drive is shaping up, as Phase I of the new elementary school nears completion. The Community and Senior Center at Public Storage will begin construction within weeks!  They are shooting for a late spring or early summer 2005 opening date. Glassell Park is home to Blue Penguin Diapers, a reusable cloth diaper business run by Carol Stewart.  It's an innovative, landfill-reducing example of "green business" that I'm proud to have in the district. The diapers have a removable cloth insert that takes on the mess, and the rest of the diaper is washed like normal laundry. www.cotton-kids.com.  Congratulations to the newly chosen Glassell Park Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. The Chamber is officially up and running! Business journalist Cynthia Harrington will chair the Board. The Vice Chair will be Ron Sires, CEO of Ribet Academy. Shae Seward, founder and operator of Cobblermania is the new President, and Virgil San Juan Sy, the owner of Seafood Ranch Market, is the Vice Chair of Finance. The Chair-Elect will be Pietro Piumetti, the general manager of MP Construction, and Jose Vargas, the president of Condor Driving School will chair the Executive Committee. It's a great group of multi-talented, multi-racial people who represent all walks of Glassell Park, including new and old businesses and different professions. I'm excited to work with this newest CD13 Chamber. Elysian Valley Elysian Valley United's much-heralded micro-radio project is gathering momentum. With $45,000 that CD13 found for them, EVU will launch a program that will train high school kids for jobs in the radio station industry. This grant will go towards the purchase of radio station equipment. My office has procured new tables and chairs for the recreation center on Queen Avenue between Ripple and Blake. The Bureau of Street Services has resurfaced Ripple Street between Clearwater Street and Fletcher Drive. And check out the new sidewalks at Newell and Blake and surrounding the Elysian Valley Recreation Center at Blake and Queen. Echo Park Get your books! Thank you to all who came out to watch Mayor Hahn, Los Angeles Chief Librarian Fontayne Holmes and I cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the Edendale Library, the newest in the city's expanding archipelago of learning and reading centers. The library features state-of-the-art design and architecture, and is a great addition to the Echo Park streetscape. To keep the celebration rolling, my office will co-sponsor an event October 16th with the Edendale Library Friends Society. Musicians Carlos Guitarlos and the roqueros Los Abandoned will both play live, hosted by Spaceland, and there will be presentations by filmmakers Marianne Conner and Stefan Avelos, poets Eloise Klein Healy and Steve Abee, local noir writer Elizabeth Stromme, and the ineffable personalities of Mr. Dan the Drag Librarian, the Derby Dolls on their skates, and Art Goldberg. Watch for final times and more confirmations at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EdendaleFriend/. The new sidewalks on Mohawk Street near Berkeley have been completed... ...which will make it nicer for you to come join my monthly neighborhood walk on October 16th. Our meeting place and time have not been determined, but contact Mitch if you'd like to come canvass your neighborhood and find out what's on people's minds, and how the city can help out. You could host a salon My thanks go out to Rhonda Reynolds and Rob Rowe.  They hosted one of my house coffees at their recently opened Masa Cafe.  In addition to being UNTAG block captains, Rhonda and Rob have been working with their neighbors to improve the area around Lilac Terrace.  If you are interested in hosting a house coffee, contact District Director Ana Guerrero. Historic Filipinotown Rosemont Elementary School received a $25,000 "Above and Beyond" award. Schools nominated for the Above and Beyond School Awards are selected based on the following criteria: innovative programs, parental/community involvement and professional development opportunities; intended use of the grant money; and representation of the City of Los Angeles's ethnic and socio-economic diversity. Rosemont will use the award money to provide extended learning sessions with a low student/ teacher ratio for those who are not meeting benchmark. Kids hunger to learn, but sometimes they need an extra chance or an extra hour before they really open up to education. This money will open doors for children who have only seen them closed before. The e-news has previously covered the proposal for diagonal parking on Carondelet Street. For proposals like this that would alter conditions on a street, the city often turns to democratic mechanisms like requiring petition signatures or surveying neighbors. In this instance, when neighbors were consulted, a majority favored leaving the parking the way it was. I am pleased to see the city's processes put to the test. On the other hand, speed humps on Mayberry have been approved after surveying local residences, and now the challenge is to find the funding to install them. And congratulations to Historic Filipinotown for its inclusion in the LA Weekly's "Best of L.A." issue! Next time, the Weekly might notice the many Filipino organizations that do make Hi-Fi their home. But the attention to this great L.A. neighborhood is welcome.  Silver Lake Mayberry Elementary is getting an LA's Best program! LA's Best is an after-school program that gives kids a safe place for recreation and study after school lets out. It's a very successful program, and I've been pleased to announce one or two additions in CD13 every year since I started. Shane gives Reno Goodale a cert. The Silver Lake Improvement Association celebrated its 15th anniversary along with the 10th anniversary of the Music Box Steps Children's Film Festival. The Music Box Steps, of course, were the setting of an Oscar-winning Laurel and Hardy short from 1932. I was pleased to contribute to the celebration by having my office pay for the canopy and porta-potties and arrange for the provision of chairs, table, street barriers and an audio system. The Silver Lake Neighborhood Council elections have been tallied and certified, and the new members are as follows: Region 1: Judith Borstein Region 2: Jacqueline Rivera Region 3: Jeff Hradec Region 4: Alvin W. Hopkins Region 5: Genelle Le Vin Region 6: Bea Gold Region 7: Gena Nason At Large Candidates: Elizabeth Bougart Sharkov Martin Hittelman Lorraine Kells Other board members will continue to serve the second year of their two-year terms. Congratulations to all! The Silver Lake Film Festival concluded with another successful run. Congratulations to the organizers, who have grown the festival every year since its creation. Breaking ground at the reservoir. As of early last Friday morning, work on the $4.2 million Silver Lake Reservoir Improvement Project has begun. At 8:00 in the morning, I joined Tom LaBonge, Commissioner Cynthia Ruiz, Assemblyman Dario Frommer and dozens of local community members to break ground on the path. I look forward to jogging it soon. Primp your pooch and win! The Queen of Silver Lake Pageant isn't running this year, but in its place you can see the crowning of the Prince and Princess of Silver Lake: yes, it's a dog show! (No, the dogs don't have to dress up as cats.) Once again, the Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce is raising money for a worthy cause with a festive and star-studded event featuring The Exorcist's Linda Blair and other celebrity judges. PAWS-LA and the Silver Lake Dog Park will reap the benefit of your participation and attendance, so enter your pup at http://www.silverlakechamber.com/poochpageant/flyer.pdf or just head over to the Dog Park on October 16th after noon. Following the successful installation of new sidewalks in September, Manzanita will be resurfaced from Fountain to Sunset in January. As the Irish blessing goes, may the road rise to meet you; as it should continue, may it have a smooth, new asphalt surface. East Hollywood The 9-11 cleanup on Melrose Hill had great participation from the community. More than 60 people pitched in throughout the day. Clean & Green and LA Bridges II together got 22 trees planted, and a follow-up event in the spring will bring that total to 50. Get ready to party under those new trees! October 9th is the Melrose Hill neighborhood party from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Catalina-Kenmore Association has rescheduled its tree planting. Field Representative Christina Ortega has more information. I enjoyed the privilege of honoring Captain Michael Downing at the Hollywood Police Assistance League benefit at the Music Box Theater. Councilmember Tom LaBonge joined me in presenting a resolution that commended the captain for his years of service to our community. The El Centro Alliance has scheduled regular meetings to develop its program of community clean-ups. Come to 1538 North Wilcox at 5:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month or contact Field Representative Christina Ortega for more information. Viacom and Paramount hosted their National Volunteers' Day at the end of September. Dozens of their Los Angeles employees met at Los Angeles City College and fanned out across the community to work on beautification projects. Expect to see improvements on Heliotrope between Oakwood and Beverly, thanks to the Neighborhood Block Grant. We're hoping to widen the median, add some landscaping, increase the lighting, and install diagonal parking.  City departments are currently working on a design. The East Hollywood Neighborhood Council held its first meeting on Wednesday, September 8th at the Saban Research Institute. Elson Trinidad has demonstrated no small amount of dedication to bringing East Hollywood onto the Neighborhood Council map, and if you're interested in joining the council, I recommend you go to www.easthollywood.net for more information. The driving range at LACC is still troubling. Questions remain about safety, golf balls have landed outside the net, and I have repeatedly expressed my concerns to the college. Clean up this town Holy community clean-up! More than 500 young people scoured the streets of Little Armenia on Saturday, September 25th, organized by Viken Soikian and the Armenian Youth Federation. They hit Hollywood, Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards, covering the entire area from Vermont Avenue to Wilton. You can see the difference in the streets: 4.5 tons of trash were collected, according to the Department of Sanitation, which is down from nearly twice that amount last year. We're making progress. An exquisite, inspiring exhibit of Armenian-American life is running right now at Barnsdall Art Park. Traces of Identity: An Insider's View into the L.A. Armenian Community, an exhibition of work by photographer Ara Oshagan, will run until December 31, 2004 at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. The culmination of four years of work by Oshagan, this documentary exhibit features 40 black-and-white photographs and is the first such photographic project about Los Angeles Armenians to be exhibited publicly. Hollywood An open, public, community process has resulted in the selection of Florentine Gardens as the site of Fire Station 82 by the Proposition F Oversight Committee. Fran Reichenbach and Joel Fisher were both very active in making sure that the opinions of community members were heard and heeded. Kids walking to school at the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School won't stumble now that new sidewalks have been laid down on Kenmore between Sunset and Hollywood. I am delighted to announce that Magic Johnson has agreed to serve as the Grand Marshal of the Hollywood Christmas Parade. Magic has a great relationship with Hollywood, most recently as one of the partners in Larry Bond's Sunset and Vine development. I'll see you on the Boulevard for the parade, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The YMCA's annual fundraiser is on October 17th at The Improv. Field Representative Baydsar Thomasian has details about how you can attend or help out. This Wednesday, October 13th, the Los Angeles Music Festival takes over the Knitting Factory, presenting 10 bands in one evening. The events promoters say that "this festival's soul is no commercial contrivance", and proceeds from the event will support good local causes such as Hollygrove, Inner City Struggle, Music for America and Hip-Hop for Humanity. After strategic lobbying and letters from the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and other allies, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 3047 into law. From the 101 freeway to Santa Monica Boulevard, Highland Avenue is technically a California State Highway, Route 170. This law relinquishes it from Caltrans' control to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. This will bring both millions of dollars in improvements and local control of an important thoroughfare to Hollywood. And I know the e-news covered this last month, but please: DON'T BRING SILLY STRING TO HOLLYWOOD ON HALLOWEEN! It's illegal. You'll get busted. Please. UPCOMING EVENTS Stephanie Vendig writes in: The Silver Lake Senior Club fall classes are in full swing at the Silver Lake Recreation Center. You can participate in Yoga, Tai Chi, Strength Training, Life Story Writing, Line Dancing, Craft Workshop and Painting Workshop. The classes are ongoing. They are free or there is a minimum cost. You can check the bulletin board at the Center for the schedule. Our next day trip will be a docent-led tour of the Gene Autry Museum on November 18th. At our next general meeting on October 20th at 1 p.m. at the Center, the League of Women Voters will make a presentation on the initiatives to be on the November ballot. On November 17th the Alzheimer's Association will make a presentation on Memory and Aging. We will hold our annual fund raiser to support the activities of seniors and youth at the Silver Lake Recreation Center on Saturday, November 13th from 10 to 4 at the Center. Used books, handcrafted items, White Elephant items, plants and baked goods will be sold. There will be a raffle, and the Los Feliz Lions Club is sponsoring a BBQ on the West lawn of the park. Donations of books will be accepted. The Silver Lake Senior Club is part of the LA Recreation and Parks Federation of Senior Clubs. Membership dues are $5 annually. We urge all 50+ people to join to make sure that there are activities and classes for seniors from the neighborhoods of Silver Lake, Franklin Hills, Atwater, Los Feliz, and Echo Park. For information, contact Jeanne Phipps at (323) 664-2681 CD13's planner extraordinaire Alison Becker will present "Planning 102" for neighborhood activists and others who want to delve a little deeper into community planning and mixed-use development. The session will take place at our field office on October 16th. Call (323) 913-4693 or email Alison for more information. Calling all elementary school kids: want to see some theater, for free? A partnership funded by CD13 with the International Latino Theater Festival of Los Angeles will provide free tickets to 3rd, 4th and 5th-graders to see two plays coming up in November. On Wednesday, November 10, and on Friday, November 12th at 11:00 a.m., The Wandering Players will be presented at Los Angeles Theater Center. Adults are asked to pay a $10 donation at the door. Call (323) 960-5132 or visit www.fitla.org for more information. The 2004 Canoga Park Dia de los Muertos Festival wants to see more calaveras from "the other side of the hill" this year, so cross Mulholland on Sunday, November 7 to join Main Street Canoga Park in celebrating the Day of the Dead. The festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. along Sherman Way between Canoga & Jordan Avenues. http://mainstreetcanogapark.org/ has more information. Currently at the LA Municipal Gallery is "Certain Traces: New Dialogue Los Angeles/Prague 2004" The exhibit, featuring 14 artists from the Czech Republic and 14 artisis from Los Angeles celebrate and explores the concept of free exchange in a newly open society. The curators are Barbara Benish in Los Angeles and Sarah Broch in Prague. This show closes October 24. "Bopbalistic", which closes December 31, is curated by LeRad Nilles. Each artist begins with a biological concept and concludes with an abstract art experience, showing how a close relationship between art and science can be mutually enriching. The Gallery, at 4800 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles 90027, is open from noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. General admission is $5.00; students and seniors is $3.00. Children under 12 with adults and free on first Fridays. CONTACT US Tell us what you think. ..... garcetti@council.lacity.org Councilmember Eric Garcetti represents the Thirteenth Council District which includes all or part of the communities of Glassell Park, Atwater Village, Elysian Valley, Echo Park, Historic Filipinotown, Silver Lake, East Hollywood and Hollywood. Councilmember Garcetti serves as Assistant President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council. He chairs the Council‘s Housing, Community, and Economic Development Committee, is the Vice-Chair of the Environmental Quality and Waste Management Committee, and sits on the Information Technology and General Services and Budget and Finance Committees. He also sits on the Council‘s Ad Hoc Stadium Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee on the Los Angeles River. Councilmember Garcetti and his staff can be reached via e-mail at garcetti@council.lacity.org or by mail or phone at City Hall, 200 N. Spring Street, Room 470, Los Angeles, CA 90012, (213) 473 7013 and 3525 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026, 323/913-4693. www.cd13.com

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