Hate Crime Workshops in August
Click here to download the flier in English, or click here for the Spanish-language version.
Echo Park Animal Alliance pet spotlight
This adorable black and red female Rottweiler was found in an Echo Park resident’s car after she jumped in through the open window and spend the night. She is about one year old, and is thus far unaltered.
She is a great family dog – good with children, cats, and other dogs!
She is looking for a foster or forever home. Currently she resides at the animal shelter, and is ready for adoption!
Her ID for the North Central Animal Shelter is #A1322099. You can also contact the Echo Park Animal Alliance for more information at info@echoparkanimalalliance.org
August 25: Movie Night Under the Stars
The Echo Park Chamber of Commerce is hosting a benefit Movie Night Under the Stars on the Citibank roof-deck on August 25 at 7:00 pm.
“Godzilla vs King Kong” will be the featured film, and starts dusk so bring your blankets, folding chairs, picnics and family for this fun summer event.
Popcorn and other treats will be provided by Masa. Suggested donations are $5.00 for adults, $10.00 for families. Proceeds benefit local youth groups.
To confirm your attendance please email Christine at vice-president@echoparkchamber.com
Citibank is located at 1900 Sunset Blvd.
Echo Park Lake project updates
It’s hard to believe our beloved Echo Park Lake closed down a year ago as part of the $65 million renovation project under Proposition O – the state’s water quality act. Since then, the lake has been drained and dredged, and a new lake bed is being built.
So far everything appears to be on schedule for the lake’s grand re-opening in May 2013. The Lotus bed is also expected to return with the opening of the lake, as they are currently being grown by aquatic plant expert Randy McDonald in Reseda.
Street sweeping returns to Echo Park Avenue
Echo Park Avenue residents near the lake take heed – street sweeping will return back to its regular schedule beginning the week of August 6, 2012.
The east side of Echo Park Avenue will be swept on Thursdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon; while the west side (lake side) will be swept on Fridays during the same time period.
Tour of construction site
The Proposition O Citizens’ Oversight Advisory Committee (COAC) will conduct a tour of the project site on August 16 at 9:00 am.
A committee meeting will be held afterwards at 11:00 am in the nearby Rec Center. Attendees are asked to wear sturdy shoes and long pants (hard hats will be provided).
If you’re interested in attending the tour, you are required to RSVP to Katie Clark at katherine.clark@lacity.org or (213) 847-0395 by August 10. Please mention if you need Spanish-language translation services during the tour.
Visit echoparklake.org for regular updates of the lake rehabilitation project.
Central City Action Committee updates
by Gloria Sohacki
The Chinatown 10K run was a huge success – I think there were over 6,000 runners. That is a lot of water to pass out to the runners, so all of our kids helped as well as some of our good friends from the neighborhood.
There are two runs: a 5K and a 10K. I was at the 5K and was astonished at how our kids do not need any prodding to get them started, but I’m the one who overslept. Because of the temperature we did not need as much water this year, although we really worked hard that day. After the race, we went to a luncheon in Chinatown at the Dragon Inn – a good time was had by all of us.
This year we are seeing some changes at the office. I will only be working part time and Sam will not be working except for special events. He will come back for spring vacation to take the kids hiking and maybe a few other activities. Our kids are busy. They are engaged in school sports, ROTC, and soccer.
Maryanne will pay the kids to work during the break so they have some money in their pockets. Don’t worry – the graffiti program will still be operating as usual. Notes to our fellow constituents—please use the 311 system to report your graffiti removal requests.
While we love everyone in the neighborhood, just because you know us does not mean your request will be done faster. The City 311 requests are always completed before any other requests.
Rummage sales are an important part of our life at CCAC. The kids who are off track plan what they want to do and set a goal for the money needed. In only two days, a group of kids can make enough money to go to Six Flags, Knott’s, movies, and eating at Hometown buffet.
Spring is noted for being a time to clean out your closets, if you find some things you believe we could sell, please drop them off or give us a call to come and get them. There is a lot of foot traffic in front of the station so it enables us to make money. We even have regular customers. They keep coming back. We have great sales!
Photos from the March 31 cleanup of Sunset Blvd.
Special thanks to Josh Post (EPIA member and CD13 candidate) for organizing, The Warehouse LA/The Classroom LA for hosting and organizing, the office of Ed Reyes, Council District 1, for supplies, Feeding Birds for silkscreening t-shirts, and to everyone for volunteering in the cleanup efforts!
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer
LA River Fun Run / Walk on May 6
The Los Angeles River Fun Run / Walk is coming up on May 6, 2012 starting at 7:30 am.
Registration and bib pick-ups are on:
- May 4 from 12:00 noon to 7:00 pm
- May 5 from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, at A Runner’s Circle Running Shop in Atwater Village
- Race-day registration is from 6:15 am – 7:15 am.
The run is $15 (checks payable to Runners Circle Inc.). All donations benefit the Los Angeles River and the foundations that preserve her.
Go to www.lariverfunrun.com for more info.
Friends of Los Angeles River Cleanup on April 28
This month is the annual Friends of the Los Angeles River’s (FoLAR) 23rd Annual La Gran Limpieza: The Great Los Angeles River CleanUp!
The community, family-friendly event is on April 28, 2012 from 9:00 am to noon. To entice you a little more, there will be gift giveaways, raffle prizes, entertainment and refreshments at each site.
The event is part of Keep America Beautiful’s (KAB) nationwide Great American Cleanup™ day of service. There will be 15 river clean-up sites, including: Sepulveda Basin, Encino; Big Tujunga Wash, Sunland; Griffith Park; Atwater Village (2 sites); Glassell Park; Cypress Park (3 sites); Elysian Valley (3 sites); Compton Creek, Carson; and Long Beach (2 sites).
Each year going back to 2004, FoLAR publishes a trash report of what they find and how much in the LA River – from clothes to plastic film, metal, styrofoam, beverage containers, molded plastic, and glass. Some of the strangest items they’ve found include phone booths, cars, swords, and even old saunas. They expect 25 tons of garbage to be removed.
Check FoLAR’s website for maps and more information: www.folar.org
Building design nearing completion on “the triangle” development
Rendering is not the final product - design is still in process.
by Peter Lassen
The triangle-shaped property located at the southeast corner of Glendale Blvd. and Montana St., bordered on the east by Lakeshore Ave., presents some unique design constraints. Formerly a Union Oil gas station, it is relatively small, it has a high visibility, both to the Echo Park community and to through traffic on the Boulevard, and it is too small for on-site parking. In addition, because of its prominent location, the architecture of anything built there should express a sense that Echo Park is a unique community.
The current developers are expected to resolve the parking problem by providing on-street parking along Lakeshore Ave. To do this, the developers have secured permission from the City to make that portion of Lakeshore which is south of Montana St. into a one-way street flowing south, thereby allowing parking on both sides of the street. A bit less that 15 parking spaces will be the result.
We have recently seen a rendering of a proposed building that the developer of the triangle is circulating to prospective tenants of the site. The picture shows a static red lump of a building with archways on the facades facing Glendale and Montana.
Clearly, the lump neither reflects the history of our community, nor its artistic sense. This is an architecture that has no sense of place. It could be built anywhere, and would stand out for its ugliness and lack of fit in the neighborhood. The rendering, which was first published by The Eastsider LA, drew a huge number of negative comments from the community, and the developers have agreed to change the design.
The community outcry forced the developers to provide us with a second rendering of the proposed building, and while it is still a long way from being acceptable, it does move a bit toward better architecture. The building is still far too symmetrical, so that it tends to isolate itself from the neighborhood. But it is wood framed, with deep overhanging eaves, and has a much more open feeling with lots of windows.
Because the developers expect that a restaurant will occupy the space, we have asked their architect to provide dining space on the lower roof(s) and at ground level, with a shading for the diners, and also for roof landscaping.
Still, it remains to be seen if we can convince them to build a building in this prime location that will truly enhance the community. Stay tuned….
Echo Park/Elysian Park borders escape major changes, barely
by Christine Peters
After many months of deliberations the L.A. City redistricting Commission turned in (with some relief it is assumed), their final draft map for the City Council approval of the proposed new boundaries for the 15 districts that comprise our City Council. The Echo Park/Elysian Park area, had initially survived unscathed with no boundary changes. That was, of course, until the March 1 “final” version was sent to the City for approval by the distraught Redistricting Commission.
What changed? Well, oddly, some “scrivener” went “etch a sketch” on the final map and for the first time in the redistricting process, altered the lines that have defined the division of Districts 1 and 13 for the last ten years. A small swath of Echo Park south of Sunset, mainly City Parking Lot 663, along with buildings between Park Ave. and Sunset from Logan St. to Echo Park Ave., were moved into CD1. More strikingly a huge swath of Elysian Park and it’s adjacent western boundary neighbors, were swept into CD1.
What was the perceived impact and why any objections? After much discussion prior to the March 7 Citizens Committee to Save Elysian Park (CCSEP) meeting, the Steering Committee voted to solicit CD 1 and 13’s help in restoring the existing boundary that naturally follows Stadium Way from Riverside Dr., and then along Elysian Park Dr. until it reaches Lilac Terrace.
Why did this make sense? Largely the impact would have been felt by the Council Offices themselves. Until this proposed divide, the park was geographically divided so that constituents living adjacent to the West were in CD 13 and Constituents to the East were in CD 1.
With the proposed change constituents on the west would reside in CD 13 but the Park they lived adjacent to would now be wholly in CD 1 and those requests for constituent services would now go through CD 1 only, tapping already stretched resources by putting all of the stakeholder needs in one District. This was seen by many (including both council offices) as a negative. CCSEP quickly organized a community letter writing campaign to both elected offices, the filing of Impact statements in the official Council file 11-0187-S3, and the amendment was proposed prior to the midnight March 8 deadline for proposed changes.
The item was scheduled for a vote March 16, and at least in regards to the amendments, prevailed with no contention (much can be read about the not so happy Council members and stakeholders in other districts!). The restored boundaries are on track to be reinstated with the final adoption of the redistricting issues.
Moral of the story?
Well organized and executed political engagement with sensible, thought out proposals can and often do prevail, when “we the people” are unified in our strategy. Having two Council Districts, working together for the benefit of one community is also a plus!
Thanks to the city staffers who were active in the process, and, congratulations Echo/Elysian Park residents who took the time to engage for a positive change.
