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Volume 3, Number 6 * July 2005 * www.cd13.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
CITY HALL UPDATE:
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NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT:
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Councilmember
Eric Garcetti |
A Word From Eric
With my family and my partner Amy Wakeland joining me on stage before a standing-room-only crowd at the Barnsdall Art Park on Olive Hill, I swore to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America, the Constitution of the State of California, and the Charter of the City of Los Angeles. My friends from throughout the district and the city came to celebrate the work we’ve done together in the past four years and to commit ourselves to the work we have in front of us. We were joined by dancers and singers, veterans, the leaders of community groups, unions, immigrant restaurant owners and immigrant hotel workers, councilmembers, the mayor-elect and the outgoing mayor, and my CD13 staff.
Thank you to all who came, performed, and spoke. Through each task we have undertaken together to each joke or quiet moment we have shared, I have been honored to have you by—and on—my side.
In my remarks, I asked that we commit ourselves not only to work hard and to work together, but also once again to dream. Below is a short excerpt; the entire speech can be found here.
Four years ago, I made a compact with the residents of the Thirteenth District. It was simple: I would keep my eyes on the ground, but never be afraid to lift them up to the sky. I said we would focus on the cracks on the sidewalks but we would be unafraid to dream again.
Some say change happens all at once. Others say that it comes slowly and over time. In four years I have seen both. I have seen lives change in a moment in the smile of a child with the turning on of a splash-pad in a new park, and I have seen the true grit of neighborhoods digging in for a multi-year project to improve their main street.
But perhaps it is not the pace of change that is as critical as the scale of change. Change does not happen in an entire city in one fell swoop. It comes one block at a time. With one idea, one house meeting, one interaction between neighbors, one visit from a city department. And that's where we have focused—one constituent call, one case at a time, one leadership training, one graffiti paint out at a time until the many, many small acts of change collectively make up an unstoppable tide of transformation.
Our promise four years ago was simple but audacious, for we live in a skeptical, even cynical time. A time that tells us that our toughest problems are insurmountable, that our best years are behind us, that government is a negative force.
But I believe behind every cynic lies a powerful idealist. And I know that today I address a room full of idealism.
We also live in an age defined by velocity, an age in which we live in anxiety of how full our email boxes have become, in which it is difficult to contain, let alone keep up with forces of change around us that seem beyond our control.
On Earth Day in the Arctic a couple of months ago, I heard an Inuit leader say that in her lifetime her people have gone from the ice age to the space age.
It is against this backdrop of our repressed idealism and the rush of life that we have sought to make our communities strong and to make our dreams real.
Armenian Dance Troupe Luna
Traditional Thai Dancers
A few words from the new Mayor
Taking the Oath of Office
Odds and Ends:
© 2005 Diane Edwardson | A City Hero for a Fallen Feathered Friend: Diane Edwardson writes in with a commendation for a compassionate city hero:
Thought you’d like the attached photo from June 14, 2005, when Animal Reg came to the rescue of a baby red tail hawk that fell about 100’ from a eucalyptus tree off the log cabins on Corralitas Drive to the street below. Wildlife Officer Greg Randall had an officer out here in less than an hour. They transferred the hawk to Brenda with Camarillo Wildlife Rehabilitation where they discovered he had a broken leg. It did not require surgery and the hawk is in rehabilitation at the Ojai Raptor Center.
Thanks for sending in the note and the picture, Diane, and thank you Officer Randall and Officer Perea (who came out on the call and made the actual rescue) for your great work. Garcetti Boat Triumphs at Lotus Fest 2005: I hope you had a chance to get outside and experience the sights, sounds and tastes at last weekend's Lotus Festival. Echo Park was packed with people enjoying the cultural and culinary offerings of Los Angeles's Asian Pacific Islander communities, with an emphasis this year on Korea.
And of course, Team Garcetti dominated the Dragon Boat races yet again. Last year we won our individual race and tied for first in the elected officials category. This year we won the elected officials category and tied for first in the overall contest with the Echo Park Locals. Our time was 6:14, which may be a lake record.
Smoked on the water | My friend and colleague Wendy Greuel, whose 2nd Council District is only a short 10-mile drive from Echo Park, launched a boat for the first time ever, joining the able crews of Councilmember Ed Reyes, Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg, State Senator Jack Scott, Congressmember Xavier Becerra and my own boat on the waves. Conspicuously absent was a boat helmed by Mayor Villaraigosa. We'll see him on the water next year!
CITY HALL UPDATE: Public Safety
Stay Alert--Crime Tips:I periodically receive tips from the Los Angeles Police Department that I like to pass along. Here is their advice on avoiding carjackings. In all of Los Angeles, there were 225 carjackings in the January-June 13 period of 2005, down 9.3% from last year. Don't panic, but stay safe.
There are many precautionary steps that you can take that will help ensure your safety. Before you enter your car, make sure to pay attention to your surroundings. If someone is loitering near your car, wait until the individual leaves. Most importantly, trust your instincts. If something makes you feel uneasy, get into the car quickly, lock the doors, and drive away.
Once in the car, keep your windows and doors locked, and if you come to a stop, leave enough space to maneuver around other cars. If a suspicious individual approaches your car, calmly drive away. If you see a stranger looming near your place of residence or work, drive around the block until the person leaves. Additionally, try to drive with someone, especially in areas unfamiliar to you.
When getting out of your car, try to park in well-lighted areas, and avoid parking near dumpsters, woods, and large vans. Don’t leave valuables in plain view, and even if you’re in a rush, try to check your surroundings before you leave.
If you are involved in a carjacking, remember that safety comes first. If you are threatened with a gun, give up your car, leave the area as quickly as possible, try to remember what the carjacker looked like, and report the crime immediately to the police.
Finally, there are proactive steps you can take to make sure that a carjacking does not happen in your neighborhood. Contact your Neighborhood Watch, local law enforcement agencies, and others to get the word out about prevention.
I can't overstate the importance of reporting crime. To contact your local police station, call 3-1-1 or contact my office.
Rampart's New Police Captain: Captain Debra McCarthy, the new leader of Rampart Division, and her Patrol Captain Dennis Cremmins are a dynamic duo in action. One thorny issue that I’ve asked them to address is the jurisdiction question of Sunset Boulevard, the border between Northeast Division and Rampart Division. Captain McCarthy is eager to work with Northeast to begin a foot patrol there. She has already started an innovative leadership tactic within the division: once a week, the 13 Senior Lead Officers meet to tackle head-on a problem specific to one part of the district.
DART is Smart: The Domestic Abuse Response Teams report was approved by council. The report calls for a citywide DART program featuring a DART team in every police division. Currently, only a handful of divisions have this very effective program. A high proportion of calls to the police are domestic violence calls, which call for social service follow-up to a police response. The service providers who accompany police where DART is funded have the necessary expertise to help in domestic abuse situations, and they free up officers to return to police work.
UNTAG: The Board of Public Works recognized the graffiti removal crew members from the Hollywood Beautification Team and Central City Action Committee who have endured a quadrupling of their workload thanks to the watchful eyes of our UNTAG block captains. Nice work all around—let's keep it up!
Budget
Prop O $$$: City Council has approved the first Proposition O bond issuance. About $37 million will be issued to support catch basin inserts, which will put us on target to compliance with EPA Total maximum Daily Load regulations. Because this item was budgeted before Prop O passed, I won a commitment of $13 million in additional funds to be expended on watershed improvements. It's great to see Prop O having effects on our waterways and bays already.
Housing
Standing at St. Anne's | St. Anne's grand opening of the Bogen Family Center: I spoke at the opening of the new Bogen Family Center, a 40-unit affordable housing facility for pregnant and parenting teens and their babies that St. Anne's Maternity Home opened up in our district on Occidental near Beverly. The child care center on the site will serve up to 100 children. The grand opening was not only attended by Cardinal Mahony and Supervisor Burke, but also by Joyce Walter, a board member who, sixty years ago, was born at St. Anne's, and by Elizabeth Mendez, a resident who lives at the center today with her small child.
Elizabeth spoke to the assembled crowd about the experiences that led her to St. Anne's. She spent her childhood swinging from an abusive home to the vagaries of the foster care system. She got pregnant while living on the streets, and, seeing rock bottom, she found St. Anne's, got a job, enrolled in school and now works, goes to class, and takes care of her child. She said she couldn't do it with out St. Anne's. She's not alone: nearly half of all minors emancipated from the foster care system become homeless.
With $2.5 million committed from the Los Angeles Housing Department, the Center won funds from City of Industry Funds, Tax Credits, HUD Supportive Housing funds and substantial private donations for a total project cost of $10.8 million. Once again the city proved that by anteing up funds for affordable housing at the beginning of a project—by jumping into the pool first—we can help good projects leverage many times more than our initial contribution.
Breaking new ground in more ways than one. | Nation's 1st GLBT Affordable Housing: I was immeasurably proud to attend the groundbreaking for the Encore Hall project, which you've read about in the e-news before. As housing for low-income gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered senior citizens, this project is the first of its kind in the United States, and I'm very glad to have it in the heart of Hollywood, overlooking the vibrant Sunday farmer's market and steps from world-class cinema and theater. As a redevelopment project, it is also unique: the Community Redevelopment Agency purchased part of the DOT parking lot on Vine Street, the other part of which will now become a much-needed Hollywood parking garage. Together, the two will add vitality and urbanism to a central Hollywood location.
New Image Shelter and friends | Homelessness Census: A substantial part of my job in CD13 is, I have learned, to deal with tragedy. The council office receives prompt calls about lethal fires and horrific crimes and accidents. We can often arrange aid, warn neighbors or at least call attention to crises.
But not all tragedies are alike. Some unfold over decades of neglect, abetted by silence and the unforeseen consequences of seemingly sound decision-making. This morning the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has announced the results of their homeless census, undertaken earlier this year. The numbers are both staggering and sadly unsurprising.
On three consecutive nights, LAHSA counted more than 90,000 homeless people in 512 L.A. County census tracts. This would constitute a city larger than 70 of the 88 cities in the county. The resources we will have to commit to these people, including 20,000 individuals in families, are many times more what we have done so far.
And, as I mentioned, we are not completely surprised; for years, homeless advocates used an estimate of 83,000 homeless individuals in Los Angeles County. Many thought that the number couldn't be correct; that a proper count would prove the number lower, more manageable. Now we have counted. The number is even higher. (Interestingly, for the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, which excludes Long Beach, Glendale and Pasadena, the number is uncannily close: 83,347 on one night.)
So what do we do now? We aren't starting from nowhere; the establishment of LAHSA turned around years of fighting between the city and the county to avoid responsibility. Other institutions like People Assisting the Homeless, New Image Shelter, and the L.A. Coalition to End Hunger & Homelessness (to name only a few) are making strides and building support for change. For my part, I sit on the board of Bring L.A. Home, and I have helped bring new shelter beds to Hollywood, which serves the largest homeless population outside of downtown. But clearly, a quantum leap of effort, energy and resources is needed. So tell me what you think: what's next?
Economic Development
Strike's over | Earthshaking announcement: Only minutes before an earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale shook City Hall, I joined hotel owners and hotel workers on the steps of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Led by mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa, the two sides announced that they had ratified a new contract, that the sixteen-month boycott and seventy-two-hour strike were over, and that Los Angeles was back in business! Representatives from LA, Inc. were on hand to make it clear that Los Angeles is still ideal for conventions and travel.
I offer my sincerest congratulations and commendations to the two sides, who were able to reach a mutually agreeable contract that will get them to November 2006, and to mayor-elect Villaraigosa as well, who reinforced in late-night negotiating sessions that a protracted strike and lockout would hurt us all.
Photo by Leroy Downs | Business at the Airport: I had the pleasure of addressing the Airport Minority Advisory Council at their annual conference at the Hollywood Renaissance. No matter what adjustments are made to Alternative D, the airport will remain a fulcrum of our local economy. AMAC brings together government officials, airport executives and minority and women business owners to make sure that LAWA and similar economic engines are open and dynamic networks, not closed-off systems.
Workforce Development: We passed the Workforce Investment Act Annual Plan, an often-overlooked budget that funds our worksource centers and other programs and plans to help people find jobs and job skills. This was the fourth year that we've funded that healthcare Career Ladder program, which has placed more than two hundred people in healthcare jobs (and, more importantly, careers) with average wages of $17.75/hr.
Open Space and the Environment
NLT: The Neighborhood Land Trust had its first annual fundraiser. My partner Amy Wakeland is on the board of the organization, which grew out of a task force that I convened with Councilmember Ed Reyes, the mayor's office, the City Attorney, and others, in response to community organizing around the lack of green space in many of the poorest parts of the city.
As longtime readers of the e-news know well, Los Angeles is one of the park-poorest cities in America, with less than half an acre of green space for every thousand residents in our park-poorest districts (about 5% the recommended average). This is one of the reasons I placed such an emphasis on building new parks in my first term. We have doubled (from 15 to 30) the number of green spaces in CD13, but we still need many many more.
LANLT was established with the simple goal of helping to enact the vision of having a park within walking distance of all residents of our city. The task force issued a study in 2002, Walking to the Park, which promotes that vision.
If you know of a good place for a park in the city, contact the Land Trust. The event was a great success, with Councilmember Wendy Greuel joining us and close to $80,000 raised to promote parks in LA. Congratulations to Amy, Executive Director Tsilah Burman, and all the staff, board and supporters of the Land Trust for a great event!
Neighborhood Empowerment
Come Together:
Empowering neighborhoods (and their councils) | I attended the Congress of Neighborhoods, where I had the chance to meet with leaders from the Neighborhood Council movement and discuss the work that we've done together and the challenges that lie ahead.
Human Rights
Marriage equality: I was proud to see the council vote unanimously to support the recognition of equal marriage rights for same-sex partnerships. With only minutes on the clock before the Senate Judiciary Committee began a hearing in Sacramento to consider a bill to grant equal marriage rights statewide, my colleagues approved a resolution that I introduced just two months ago.
Americans have reaffirmed time and again that the government must not discriminate. We hold many different religious beliefs that no government action can intrude upon. But our secular institutions must recognize the right of each and all to join in freedom and love with our chosen partners to build our lives together. The rights that marriage confers must not be denied based on someone’s choice of partner.
Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, the newest city councilmember and the city's openly gay official, spoke movingly about reconciling his Christian faith and his gay identity, and Councilmember Dennis Zine, a Republican, stirringly evoked his belief in the simple, incontrovertible justice of granting marriage equality.
Thanks to the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council for its leadership on this issue. Along with the Glassell Park Neighborhood Council, the SLNC submitted a Community Impact Statement to the council, which can be read along with the complete text of our resolution here.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT: Atwater Village
New Farmer’s Market: The Atwater Village Farmer's Market has only been open a few weeks and it's already really popular! Thank you to SEE-LA and to the Atwater Village community for helping plan and execute this valuable, nutritional community resource. I made sure to attend the inaugural market day and I'm sure I'll be back for more. For those of you who haven't been yet, the market is located on the Wells Fargo Bank Parking Lot at 3250 Glendale Boulevard, and will be open every Sunday, rain or shine, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Vining by the river | Vines: My congratulations go out to Hollywood Beautification Team and everyone who participated in the vine planting on Casitas by the river.
Glendale Boulevard: The Glendale Boulevard project continues onward. Look for monument signs at either end of Glendale as the next feature in the steady transformation of our pedestrian-centered main drag.
Street fair: The 4th annual Atwater Village Street festival built on the success of the last three. Organizers counted thousands of attendees through the day, and I personally had a terrific time.
L to R: Netty Carr, Eric Garcetti, Sandra Caravella, Ann Lawson, Cesar Portillo | The Los Angeles River and the historic 'Red Car' Pacific Electric Railway converged many years ago in Atwater Village. I joined Friends of Atwater Village to reclaim the open space where the tracks crossed the river for a pocket park by Glendale and Ferncroft. In doing so we also reclaimed an important piece of L.A.'s history. The Red Car River Park overlooks the green Glendale Narrows, the soft-bottomed section of the river. I invite all Atwater Village residents, neighbors, and passers-through to come pass the time down by the river at the park. (You can also check out the gorgeous blue heron mural.)
Glassell Park
Public Space at Public Storage: August brings the long-awaited grand opening of the Community Center at Public Storage! Next month's e-news will have the date and time. I hope that the whole community can come out to check out CD13's newest senior center and kitchen, council office's satellite field location, and general-use community space. [.pdf link]
National Night Out: Our plans for Glassell Park's very own National Night Out are coming along. The committee has met with LAFD and LAPD to ask for support for our home-grown, organic celebration of a safe and secure community. We should know soon what the final event will look like.
DASH: I am very happy to announce that Glassell Park came in at #3 on the LADOT list and will most likely get a DASH route by next year! It will go between Eagle Rock and Glassell Park. Kudos to the Northeast Transportation Coalition and Everett Sarrabia especially for the hard work that led to this victory.
Breakfast and Commerce: I spoke at the Glassell Park Chamber of Commerce's monthly breakfast this week about public safety, development in CD13's northeast communities, and the view from city hall under the new mayoral administration. For those who want to get involved with the Chamber, it meets every second Wednesday of the month at the Denny’s at Fletcher and San Fernando; there are also frequent Chamber mixers, the next of which will be held Tuesday, July 19th at 7 pm, location to be announced. For more information, contact Yollanda at (323) 222-1333 or email Yollanda@123kia.com.
Elysian Valley
EVU: Elysian Valley United held its annual awards ceremony for students at Allesandro Elementary. Congratulations to the honorees, and to EVU for tirelessly tending to its mission of giving youth in Elysian Valley more opportunities.
EVNC: Elysian Valley Neighborhood Council proved its mettle as a champion of the community when it moved the neighborhood's ranking on the DASH plan up to sixth place from an initial ranking of 36. Since the resources for new DASH bus lines are hard-fought, the EVNC's efforts will mean a difference of years in the community's access to transit.
EVNC-n-U: The EVNC also stayed visible and active by sponsoring a community clean-up held June 4th. Thank you to all who attended.
Helen Leung | Local Intern Makes Good: I was extremely honored to have one of my all-time favorite EV'ers speak at my inauguration. Helen Leung, who was born and raised in Elysian Valley and has worked in my field office for the past three summers, gave a brief speech about how her work in CD13 has showed her how it truly is possible to make a difference in your community and in people's lives. She was funny and moving, and CD13 wouldn't be the same without her. Thanks, Helen.
Senior club: My office is helping out the Elysian Valley Seniors Club with a few banners to promote their club, which features bingo and potluck dinners. Contact Field Representative Joseph Bernardo for more information about the club.
New Park! Parks are springing up all over. Join us on Thursday, July 21st at 10:00 am at Crystal Street and Ripple Avenue (on the north side of Fletcher Drive.) The park was created in collaboration with CD13, Northeast Trees, LADWP and the Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority.
Echo Park
Restoration Boatware: Plans to refurbish the boathouse are coming along nicely with repairs to the damaged rafter tails recently added to scope of work. We will also replace the outdoor fluorescent lights with vintage-style 1932 pieces. We'll replace two front windows that were outfitted with now-unfashionable (and never that attractive) 70’s-era aluminum sliders with proper wood-framed windows. And we'll pressure-wash the lighthouse tower and relight it to boot! The new roof is going on right now; after decades of asphalt shingles the classic red-tile roof will return.
Focus on Korea in this year's Lotus Festival | Lotus Festival: In case you missed my declaration of triumph above, the Lotus Festival was a terrific success. My commendations go out to the folks from Recreation and Parks who make Echo Park such a great place to gather and celebrate, and to Heritage Asian Pacific, Inc. that puts on the festival as well, highlighting Los Angeles's Asian/Pacific Islander heritage and in particular, this year, Korean culture. There were even some bloggers around...
If you missed the Echo Park Historical Society's walk-and-bus tours of the neighborhood during the Lotus Festival, be sure to check out their yearlong photo exhibit celebrating the 110th anniversary of Echo Park Lake. (I do not think it has any pictures of our historically significant rowing triumph.)
Nuisance pay phone, out of here: We have removed another nuisance pay phone, this time at 1320 Echo Park Avenue. As we've found time and again, it's one thing to get rid of a nuisance pay phone in the public right-of-way, but on private property it can become very complicated. In this instance, the property owner graciously complied with our request.
Smooth streets: Landa street, the most crumbly and damaged street in Echo Park, has been resurfaced.
Islands in the Park: The four floating islands that filter and clean the water of Echo Park with natural vegetation have been fully installed. It's OK taking a closer look from your paddle-boat, but don't climb aboard.
Historic Filipinotown
A Sad Day at Rosemont: On June 30th, we will say goodbye to Brad Rumble, Rosemont Elementary's profoundly talented assistant principal. It's at least some comfort to know that Brad, an educator at Rosemont for 15 years, will just move south a few blocks to become principal of Leo Politi Elementary at 11th and Hoover. Congratulations, Brad! At Rosemont, Brad has been an active partner in my efforts to clean up CD13's graffiti and to increase the number of parks and places to play for our district's children. I am sure that he will be as much of a community leader in the CD1 neighborhoods around Leo Politi. In fact, I might just let Councilmember Reyes know what a catch he's getting....
Groundbreaking charter school breaks ground. | Camino Nuevo: Hooray for Camino Nuevo Charter Academy! CD13's newest charter school, a high school, broke ground at 3550 Temple Street. Congratulations to Philip Lance, president and co-founder; Ana Ponce, the Academy's executive director; Steve Seaford, who will be the principal of the new high school; and Anita Landecker from Excellent Education Development, whose assistance and participation has been invaluable.
Park process: In partnership with SIPA and the Neighborhood Land Trust, we moved to purchase the SIPA community garden site at 1644 Beverly Boulevard, using the generous bequest from the Anna Bing estate. The goal is to preserve the 1/3-acre location as a neighborhood open space. The beautiful Gintong Kasaysayan Gintong Pamana mural (A Golden History, A Golden Legacy) serves there as a major landmark of the Filipino-American experience.
FASGI at Fabiolus | FASGI reception: More than one hundred people came out for the reception that FASGI threw for me at the Fabiolus Cafe on Melrose. I had a great time talking to everyone. The evening was such a success that I just wish I could have had more time with each of you.
A new crosswalk has been installed at Valley and Alvarado, creating safer passage for workers and patients at St. Vincent’s Medical Center.
Belmont traffic safety: The Department of Transportation is soon to issue the Belmont High School Traffic Plan, which will clarify some of the issues we've been having along 2nd street. We'll change some of the street signs and specify loading zones. The overall effect of the plan should be to ease traffic before and after school.
Silver Lake
Ready, aim, mural! Photo by Bruce Carroll | Mural on Myra: The Myra Mural is ready to go! Peter Bedard led a crew of talented and dedicated local youth to clean the street and prime the underpass wall. Some of the kids are going to have their brushes in the final mural as well, coached by Louie, the artist.
The Manzanita Garden fundraiser raised $100. Thanks to all who donated. Meanwhile, my office has helped by getting No Parking signs to preserve access to the garden.
Brunch at Bea's: At the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council brunch at the home of Bea Gold, the council's board members gave awards to community leaders including CD13's own (soon to depart) Glen Dake. We also found out that Tom Blanchard would move to San Francisco, which is a terrible loss for the Beautification Committee and to anyone who cares about a beautiful Silver Lake community. Tom's work will live on in our artistic Sunset Boulevard trash cans and in the redesign of Triangle Park. Needless to say, there is now a very lucky neighborhood in the Bay Area.
Parking Meters in Silver Lake: There have been two community meetings now on the question of parking meters for Silver Lake, one at my field office and another at the Neighborhood Council. The Chamber of Commerce has requested parking meters in order to activate the Sunset Boulevard business district and to raising the necessary amount into the Special Parking Revenue Fund to construct of a Silver Lake parking structure. The Neighborhood Council considered that position and the input of community members and came out in favor of installing parking meters on Sunset Boulevard (but not on Silver Lake Boulevard).
Homelessness in the neighborhood: The Silver Lake Improvement Association's forum on homelessness took on some weighty issues. The panel included Shane Goldsmith, People Assisting The Homeless (PATH), Gateways Hospital, Frank Tamborello from Hollywood Community Action Network, Neighborhood Prosecutor Arturo Martinez, Clayton White from the division of Street Services that deals with homeless encampments, and the transient detail from Rampart Division. One of the concrete pieces of information distributed at this very positive meeting was how residents can deal with homeless encampments: contact your Senior Lead Officer, who in turn will activate LAHSA, PATH and Street Services. For those of you who want to go deeper into the long-term solution to homelessness, I am part of a blue ribbon panel called Bring L.A. Home and our upcoming action announcements will certainly be part of the e-news and blog.
Cut-throughs: The Rescue Silver Lake Coalition has been formed in order to prevent commuters from using side streets as thoroughfares. The coalition has met with the Department of Transportation, which will come back with proposals in either late August or early September. To stay in touch with the coalition's progress, contact Silver Lake Field Representative Shane Goldsmith.
Addressing the march | March for Lesbian Visibility: I addressed the 11th annual March for Lesbian Visibility, an event dedicated to declaring Silver Lake the "Girls' Town" equivalent to WeHo's "Boys' Town" (though let it be said that Silver Lake's traditions of diversity, innovation and harmony apply to every human being equally). The march was a festive display of women's pride and I hope to be back next year!
DASH bus: The Silver Lake DASH coalition did a fine job persuading the writers of the DASH report to move Silver Lake up the list. DOT now ranks Silver Lake 21st out of dozens of competing neighborhoods citywide.
New trees on Silver Lake | Silver Lake Sequoia: Behold the mighty Sequoia sempervirens! You might also know the saplings springing up on West Silver Lake Drive as redwoods. They are the same species as the big, old evergreens that already ring the reservoir. These handsome, young specimens are relatively slow-growing but will eventually make as dramatic a green skyline as their elders whom they join.
Slightly to the north on the same street (not pictured below), you will find smaller examples of Geijera parviflora (Austrailian Willow), selected for their compact size and bright evergreen foliage. We've also planted a few jacarandas and Chinese flame trees here and there to break up the street picture a little bit. Several of you have asked for trees to plant in front of your homes. This fall we might arrange a community tree planting and do just that.
East Hollywood
Any buyers? | Calling all preservationists: Remember the Briles house? The historic home whose demolition was stopped by the Cultural Heritage Commission? Well, the owner would like to sell to a preservation-minded homeowner. If you are interested in investing in Ambassador Hill's heritage, contact my Planning Deputy Alison Becker at (213) 473-7013 or via e-mail.
School name: The school formerly known as the Santa Monica Primary Center, located on Tamarind and Santa Monica and scheduled to open in the fall for the new school year, has been given a name. The community-based naming committee has dubbed it the Hollywood Primary Center.
Thank you, Rita | Goodbye, Rita and Fred! Rita and Fred Stafford, stalwarts of the Catalina-Kenmore Association, have sold their home! Rita was a founding member of the Association and devoted years to enhancing quality of life in the neighborhood, showing up to lead plantings, clean-ups, and meetings that lasted well into the night. In a parting effort, the Staffords' led the selection of the name “Ambassador Hill” for their neighborhood. Don't forget to write....
El Salvador parade: The Salvadoran organization DeFISAL has begun preparations for their annual parade, to be held on Sunday, September 4th. Please come out to celebrate Salvadoran independence.
Neighborhood Council: The Wilshire Center-Koreatown Neighborhood Council has moved into a brand new office in the Wilshire Corridor at 3450 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1114. Meetings are the 2nd Thursday of every month at 7pm. It's a great time to start participating in this relatively new neighborhood council.
Hollywood
"Grow smart, Hollywood!"—CHNC: The Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council has come forward with its development recommendations for the Hollywood Community Plan, and I want to recognize the thought and effort with which they went about crafting their input. While many observers of city government fear that neighborhood councils are reactionary and thoughtlessly anti-development, the CHNC's proposals prove what I have been consistently arguing about the councils: that the more they are brought into the process and given real authority, the more they will move beyond reflexive "no" positions and into an understanding of the necessities of managing a growing city. The CHNC's recommendations endorse zone changes that encourage mixed-use development at a 3:1 Floor Area Ratio and with a 75-foot height limit—a reasonable guideline that acknowledges that urban growth must take place with reasonable constraints to meet the needs of Los Angeles in the 21st century.
Hollywood Teen Community Project: Congratulations and farewell to the Hollywood Teen Community Project. After 8 years of activism and program activities around lowering teen pregnancy rates, the project has closed its doors. (The original grant, from the California Wellness Foundation, was only for a limited time.) Located in the Adolescent Medicine division of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the program was enormously visible and successful. During the time it was in operation, teen pregnancy declined by two-thirds. It couldn't have happened without the staffing or support of Susan Rabinowitz, Jenna Baumann, Tracy Levine and many others, too. Thank you!
 
Gail Patrick's no villainness now | The YMCA has a new building: Evelyn Aleman writes in: On Tuesday, June 14, the Hollywood Wilshire YMCA dedicated the Gail Patrick Memorial Teen Center and Park in honor of the late actress's commitment to public service and generous $1.1 million endowment that will benefit the YMCA's social service programs. Ms. Patrick, a popular film personality best known for her roles as a conniving villainness on the silver screen, was a talented actress, producer, and philanthropist, who served on the Hollywood Board of Managers for almost forty years.
Cleaning up: I got my hands good and dirty at the Children’s Hospital/L.A. Bridges community clean-up. And I wasn't the only one: dozens of people came out to pick up trash and get the area around Children's Hospital looking good.
Art on Fountain: The Art Show at King Magnet on Fountain was a great display of community creativity. As young poets read their work, their musician peers played as parents and community members wandered in and out of classrooms.
Hillview rises again: I was thrilled last night to attend the grand opening of the Hillview Apartments near Hudson Street on Hollywood Boulevard. The Hillview was a glorious classic Hollywood apartment building that suffered indignities too numerous to fully recount at the hands of fires, subway construction, and the Northridge quake. Developer Jeff Rouze brought it back; its 52 apartments will soon hold the latter-day equivalents of the fame-hunting Hollywood new-arrivals it housed in Hollywood's (first) golden era. I won Section 108 loan financing for the project. The developer will repay the loan with site-specific tax revenues from the site, which will include a restaurant and a jazz club beneath the housing.
UPCOMING EVENTS
More than 1600 works of art were submitted for this year's biennial 2005 Los Angeles Juried Exhibition which opens this Sunday, July 10, at five selected city-owned galleries. The Municipal Art Gallery (MAG) in Barnsdall Park hosts the awards ceremonies for the three adult winners
and the two youth awardees. In addition, simultaneous openings for the 223 works by 111 adult artists will be held at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts and the William Grant Still Art Center, and for the 59 pieces for the 27 artists in the youth competition at Barnsdall's Junior Arts Center and the Canoga Park Youth Arts Center. Free opening receptions will be held at all five venues from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, and the Nedra Wheeler Jazz Quartet will provide live music at MAG, 4800 Hollywood Blvd. MAG is open Thursday through Sunday from 12 noon to 5 p.m., and until 9 p.m. on Friday, August 5. More information is available from (323) 644-6269 or (213) 473-7700 or visit
www.culturela.org.
The juried competition provides artists a competitive opportunity to exhibit their work. Prize recipients have been selected by prominent curators and arts professionals from Southern California.
Adult exhibits at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, 225 Colorado Blvd., are open Mon. to Fri. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The William Grant Art Center, 2520 So. West View St. is open daily from 12 noon to 5 p.m. The Canoga Park Youth Arts Center, 7222 Remmet Ave., is open Tues. to Fri. from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sat. from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. All five exhibitions run from Saturday, July 10 through Sunday, Sept. 4.
The Independent Shakespeare Company continues in repertory on the Barnsdall Great Lawn through August 28. July 22 and 23 features "Richard III." "Two Gentlemen from Verona" will be performed Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30. "Hamlet" will be featured on Sunday, July 24 and 31. Reservations are recommended at www.independentshakespeare.com or (818) 710-6306. Summer classes for both the Junior and Adult Art programs run from July 5 through August 27.
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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