This morning I gathered with El Sereno residents to celebrate a victory 25 years in the making. The long-contested battle to protect homes from potentially dangerous development in Elephant Hill in El Sereno will soon be over. At my urging, my colleagues on the City Council voted unanimously yesterday to support a settlement with a developer that will allow the City to buy the original 15 acres of contested land, plus four more acres for $9 million. Our court battle was about an old Environmental Impact Report putting our residents and hillsides at risk. Although a judge initially ruled against the City in this matter, he did not compel the City to issue the final permit necessary for the developer to start construction on the 24 luxury homes on Elephant Hill. At the end of the day, this is good for everyone involved. For El Sereno residents, it's environmental justice. Somebody said today that the Westside has its beaches and we in the Northeast have our hills. Having grown up in Boyle Heights, environmental justice issues resonate with me. I have made it a priority to fight polluters in my district, taking them to court (Shamrock, ISOCI, Vernon). And I have fought for better policies like the Northeast LA Hillside Ordinance, to make sure that hillside lots are developed in a way that is sensitive to the hillside and existing homes. And now that the residents of El Sereno have 19 acres of their beloved Elephant Hill back, they can start thinking about what they want to do with it. At the very least, it will be protected open space that people can enjoy now and in the future. Congratulations to all, especially Elva Yanez, who spearheaded the battle and sat me down in her living room for two hours when I was running for City Council to tell me the problems with this proposed development. Also thanks to Vanessa Yanez, Geneece Perez, Casey Reagan, Hugo Garcia, the National Resource Defense Council and the Latino Urban Forum. There are many others to thank. Unfortunately, some people involved in this struggle didn’t live long enough to see this through. They are people who used to enjoy the hills of El Sereno at one time and beyond the concerns over potentially unsafe development, they wanted future generations to enjoy those same hills and ravines. We honor them and we will not forget their contributions to this noble effort.
Press Release

Labels: El Sereno, Environment, Jose Huizar

The past couple of days of Halloween activities in CD 14 have been really great! From little princesses to Michael Jackson impersonators, take a look at our district-wide slide show of great costumes! Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Labels: Boyle Heights, El Sereno, Halloween, Jose Huizar, Northeast Los Angeles

Today I rode with Metro CEO Art Leahy, Mayor Villaraigosa and my fellow MTA directors for a test ride on the soon-to-open Gold Line Eastside Extension. With the media invited along, we rode from Union Station to the Soto Station, which has some very eclectic but beautiful art inside. The ride itself was very smooth and I look forward to riding the line more often once it opens on Nov. 15, 2009. I'm happy that Metro has committed to adding $4.5 million in additional safety improvements and I've asked that areas around Mendez and Ramona High Schools and El Mercado be given top priority, so that those new features, which will include buffers and fencing to discourage people from jaywalking across the tracks, will be installed as soon as possible. I will continue to monitor the situation well beyond the opening as safety is the top priority for me and the other MTA directors. Beyond that, I couldn't help but think today as someone who grew up in Boyle Heights, how much this train line is going to allow kids from Boyle Heights and East L.A. to explore other parts of the City. And visa versa. I like that idea. That we're not really connecting trains. We're connecting people.

Labels: Boyle Heights, Jose Huizar, Metro Gold Line, Public Transit

During my time as School Board President for LAUSD, Steve Barr of Green Dot Charter Schools approached me about building a charter high school in my district. I suggested Boyle Heights since the two local schools, Garfield and Roosevelt, were severely overcrowded and they needed relief. Along with pushing to get the Mendez Learning Center built, I knew this would be an opportunity to improve the educational future of our local students. Yesterday, I had the great pleasure to celebrate the opening of the Oscar de la Hoya Animo Green Dot Charter School. Green Dot has shown great commitment to the community of Boyle Heights . And Oscar de la Hoya, who grew up in East Los Angeles and proudly attended Garfield High School , demonstrated yet again that he is absolutely committed to giving back to his community. By donating the property that once held the Oscar De La Hoya Resurrection Gym, as well as giving $4.5 million to the project, Oscar De La Hoya has proven to be a champion in and out of the boxing ring. Before finding a permanent home in Boyle Heights , students and faculty of the charter school have had several temporary homes since the school’s opening in 2003. Despite less than ideal conditions, over the last three years, 72% of graduates have gone on to 4-year universities and the school is ranked 53 among the top 100 charter schools in the nation. With a new home, we all expect bigger and better things out of the students of Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter School. Go Boxers!
Photo Credit: Golden Boy Productions

Labels: Boyle Heights, Education, Jose Huizar, LAUSD

Also on Saturday, boys and girls’ soccer teams from El Sereno and Boyle Heights squared off for the unofficial 1st Annual soccer match at the new $2.2 million renovated Boyle Heights Sports Center. The Center is now the site of the first City-built synthetic soccer field on the Eastside. After construction on the project began, state funding was frozen due to the poor economy and I worked with the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Bureau of Engineering to find City loans to complete the project. From the $50 million Valley Boulevard Bridge, to the Metro Gold Line, to the Mendez Learning Center and the new Hollenbeck Police Station, to the Sports Center (just to name a few!), L.A.’s Eastside is enjoying a time of unprecedented public project improvements. I’m happy to have done my part to turn these dreams into reality. Congrats to all the boys and girls (and their families) for coming out to our fair yesterday and thanks to all our organizations, including representative from the 2010 Census for coming out and helping.

Labels: Boyle Heights, Education, El Sereno, Sports

On Saturday, I joined LAPD Chief William Bratton, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and several of my colleagues on the City Council for the official opening of the police department’s new downtown headquarters, replacing the aging Parker Center. Located across from City Hall, the new headquarters is a stunning-looking building, with plenty of park space for people to enjoy. This week is also Chief Bratton’s last week on the job after 7 years at the helm of the department. During his tenure, crime has dropped in Los Angeles to the lowest mark per capita since the 1950s. He was very instrumental in helping the department engage more with the community and we all owe him a debt of gratitude for that.
Photo Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times / October 24, 2009

Labels: Downtown Los Angeles, Jose Huizar, LAPD

I attended a breakfast yesterday morning for Jonathan Veitch before his inauguration as new Occidental College President. I first met Jonathan a few months ago and I knew then that he was a committed and dedicated leader. Located in Eagle Rock, Occidental has a reputation as an excellent liberal arts university (President Barack Obama was a student) and I know that Jonathan will be tremendous asset to the college, its faculty and, most importantly, to the students. Congratulations, Mr. Veitch!

Photo Credit: 1)President Veitch, courtesy Occidental Facebook Page
2) Council Staff

Labels: Eagle Rock, Education, Jose Huizar, Northeast Los Angeles