EPIAn Ways August 2000

8/9/2019 EPIAn Ways August 2000

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August 2000

NEWSLETTER CREDITS

EDITORS:

LYNN BARB STEVEN M. ARTHURADVERTISINGFLORA KERP

DESKTOP PUBLISHING:S.M.ART SYSTEMS

PRINTING:LYMAN PRINTING

M EMORANDUMS

INVOICES

WARRANTIES

D IAMOND F OLD C OLOR C ARDS

P RICE C ATALOGS

A PPRAISAL C ERTIFICATES

C OIN E NVELOPES

Lyman Printing & MailingLOW C OST P RINTING & M AILING

S INCE 1913 IN LOS A NGELES

Dominos Pizza Echo Park

213-413-8444

10:30 - 12 Sunday - Thursday10:30 - 1 Friday & Saturday

(323) 634-0830

Your Business or Service could be read by more than 5,000 neighbors who would be happy to trade with

you.Place an ad in our next issue

Call the EPIAn ways at(323) 882-4835


3/12

Hello Echo Park:A lot has happened over the last few months and

we need to get organized once again.PUBLIC HEARING - AUGUST 10th, 9:30 am

We have a new public hearing scheduled forAugust 10th. The hearing was originally scheduledfor July 13th, but the developers asked for anextension because they were having troublepreparing (a good sign). This is the last publichearing by the Planning Department. It is VERYimportant that we get as many bodies as we can tothe meeting.

People do not have to speak if they do not wantto, although speaking is better. The number ofpeople representing our side though is most

important. At the (previous) preliminary zoninghearing, the developers offered people free (BurgerKing) lunches and bus rides for those who would goto sit at the Hearing. We must do with our passionwhat they can do with their money. Speaking ofpassion, we expect Huell Howser to be there to speakon behalf of preservation.

Here are the meeting details:

Thursday, August 10th, 9:30 a.m.Figueroa Plaza Building, Room 900201 N. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA

Whether you plan to speak or not, can attend ornot, we suggest that you write a letter that willbecome part of the public record as the developerwends it's way through the process. Make sure youprominently cite the case numbers. Here are thedetails regarding letters:

Re: Case # CPC 1999-2493-ZC and CPC 1999-2563-HDLos Angeles City Community PlanningCommission, Rm. 1600221 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90012Fax to 213.485.8005

Thank $$3 Million to Senator Polanco!State Senator Richard Polanco went to bat for usin Sacramento and came back with at least $3million towards an LA Community College branchcampus located at the Van de Kamp's location. If youread the LA Times Metro article there are someunexpected stipulations, but the Senator's staff feelsthese can be overcome quickly. We need another $4million to buy the site and even more to develop it,but this is a fantastic beginning. If you get a chance,please express your thanks to the Senator and histireless staff who have been so supportive of ourefforts. It is time to put pressure on our otherpolitical friends. There are City Council persons,County Commissioners, State Assemblymen andFederal Congressional representatives that arecurrently sitting on the fence, who told us to "showthem the money" when we met with them. Well we've

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REDUCESTRESS DEVELOPFLEXIBILITY,STRENGTH& TONE

Call for class schedule(323) 953-0496

2810 Glendale Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90039

(323)

Report from the Coalition to Save Van de Kamp's


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August 2000

1. DO NOT leave outgoing mail in your unlockedmailbox. It is safest to deposit mail inside yourlocal post office. If you use a U.S. Mail CollectionBox, make sure to use one that is NOT FULL anddeposit mail BEFORE the last scheduled pick-up ofthe day. ( DO NOT let your mail remain in a U.S.Mail Collection Box overnight, especially onweekends.)

2. Promptly pick up you incoming mail once it isdelivered to your mailbox.

3. Purchase a locked mailbox or convert yourunlocked box to the lockable type. (Look in thetelephone directory yellow pages under MailBoxes Retail.) On your locked box, the mail slotmust be large enough and safe enough for theletter carrier to insert your mail.

4. Arrange for your mail to be delivered to a PostOffice Box for a small fee.

5. Have regular income checks deposit edelectronically right into your bank account viaDirect Deposit. Its easy, and in most cases, itsfree! Contact your bank for details.

6. In case your mail is stolen, to avoid fraudulent use

of your checking account, when writing checks topay your bills a) Write out in full the payee, memo, and

amount portions. Fill up the entire lines withletters or a squiggly line. DO NOT ABBREVIATE!

b) Use thick, dark ink to write your checks. Roller-ball,felt tip and fountain pens are best; ballpoint andpermanent ink pens are most easily altered.

c) Purchase checks through institutions that usetamper-resistant paper and ink.

7. Be observant of activities on your street, includingthose near your letter carrier, his or her Postaldelivery vehicle, residential mailboxes, and U.S.

Mail Collection Boxes.8. IMMEDIATELY report any suspicious persons or

activities by calling 911 while suspects are stillpresent! Remember, do not jeopardize your safety,but BE A GOOD WITNESS!

9. The Postal Service pays rewards up to $10,000 forinformation and services leading to the arrest andconviction of mail thieves. Report suspect or crimeinformation to the Postal Inspectors 24-hours a

day at 626-405-1200.10. Point your camcorder in the direction of your

mailbox to record mail thieves on film.11. Promptly report non-receipt of credit cards,

checks, and other valuable mail to the senders.12. Immediately notify the Post Office and mailers if

you change your address. If you are going onvacation, notify the Post Office, or have a trustedfriend pick up you mail promptly after delivery.

13. Join a neighborhood Watch Program. Remember, ifyou are not part of the solultion, you are part of theproblem.

14. THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS AT CRIMEPREVENTION.

Echo Park has recently experienced a rash of thefts from residential mailboxes. The Post Office has thefollowing suggestions to help prevent mail theft.

Not Rain nor Snow nor Sleet nor Hail...Is the Mailman the only one Getting into Your Mailbox?


5/12

Residents of Echo Park who want to take action

to make our streets clean now have a quick andeasy way to get started. Get active with the Keep ItClean Committee of the Echo Park ImprovementAssociation. The purpose of the committee is toimprove the cleanliness of the streets of EchoPark.

Key to the success of our goal is persuadingproperty owners to assume responsibility forcleaning the front of their properties by arrangingto have bulky items hauled away immediately andcaring for the their parkway which is the strip ofland between the sidewalk and the curb.

Teaching everyone how to use the cityresources, which are responsible for keeping ourcommunity clean, is another critical activity of thecommittee.

We are working with city agencies to encouragethem to do a better job and solicit the support ofour elected representatives to regard keeping ourcommunity clean as a vitally important issue. It isclear that additional support services will beneeded in economically disadvantage

neighborhoods.

Conducting community clean- ups like our KeepIt Clean event May 20th will continue todemonstrate how much better our streets can lookIf everyone pitches in and works on the problem.

In summary, our goal is to teach propertyowners about their responsibility to keep theirproperties clean. We plan to monitor how theproperty owners are doing. We will teach allresidents how to get involved and help Keep ItClean. And we will expect more from our electedrepresentatives and city agencies. Everyone inEcho Park is welcome to join the Keep It CleanCommittee. You do not have to join the Echo ParkImprovement Association to help out. You onlyhave to want to live in a cleaner and more beautifulEcho Park. Leave a message at #323-882-4835and we will get in touch with you.

Oops we forgot this in our last report: All of the volunteers at the May 20th Kick Off

Campaign received bright yellow Keep It Clean teeshirts provided by the Dodgers. THANK YOU

Talkin Trash report from the Keep It Clean Committeeof the EPIA

EPIA (No) Surprise Election ResultsTo absolutely no ones surprise, the current slate of officers was reelected at EPIAs July monthly

meeting. Officers include Lynn Barb, President, Jesus Sanchez, Vice -President, Susan Borden,Secretary and Barbara Neal, Treasurer.

One item in EPIAs agenda for the coming year is to revamp meetings. EPIA will advertise theirmeetings as Town Hall meetings, capitalizing on their role in keeping the community informed ofwhat is happening in Echo Park. Additionally they will work on giving advance notice of guest speakers.It is hoped that this format will attract new members.

Another change is to tighten up at the meetings. The guest speaker will be limited to a maximum of20 minutes that includes questions and answers. Political representatives and police reports will belimited to 10 minutes, regularly scheduled committee reports to 5 minutes and announcements to 2minutes. Additionally some committee may only report every other meeting. The goal is for themeetings to end at 8:30 so that members can network.

To help enforce time limits, speakers will be signaled when they have 2 minutes remaining and whenthey run out of time.Please let Vice-President Jesus Sanchez know if there is a speaker or topic you would like presented at afuture meeting. He can be contacted through the EPIA phone line.


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Department Building & Safety 213-485-7091

213-485-4193


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August 2000

used at all.

Check the New Times for July 27, 2000, and theearlier story also by Ron Russell from several weeksago.The Dodgers & Barlow Hospital vs. the LAUSD.

There are rumors that Barlow Hospital is removedfrom the LAUSD hit list, but the District has notrevealed anything to Barlow. The Dodgers' parking lotsremain on their list. This is the list of potential sitesfor new schools that could be seized throughcondemnation by the LAUSD. Margaret Crane ofBarlow and Derrick Hall of the Dodgers are the mainmembers of our Coalition. The Coalition is made up ofmany groups around the Dodgers and Barlow whooppose putting a school on their parking lot.Neighbors of Dodger Stadium (NODS) is with them inthe Coalition.

Our position since the beginning has been to helpthe school district with their urgent search for newschool sites. But, we asked that Barlow and theDodgers be removed from their list first. This woulddemonstrate their sincere intentions about schools,and prove that they aren't really doing real estatespeculation. You know the history of the Dodgerproperty so you understand our skepticism.

It is now clear that former LAUSD CEO Howard

Miller was the problem. He is a real estate lawyer, andhe took an adversary position against the Coalition atthe first meeting. He kept threatening and reciting his

self-righteous mantra at us instead of beingconciliatory. At the last meeting before he left theLAUSD he delivered an intemperate public tongue-

lashing against Derrick Hall of the Dodgers. He was sofar out of line that the Dodgers called the District thenext day to let them know how much Miller hadalienated everybody. LAUSD Board members werequick to put distance between themselves and Miller.

Former Colorado Governor Romer is now theSuperintendent. He seems to be moving in thedirection of getting the complete EIR (EnvironmentalImpact Report) done on the abandoned BelmontLearning Center. So far the Coalition has not been ableto meet with him. If we succeed in getting the Dodgersand Barlow off their hit list we will proceed withhelping them with their problem. Stay tuned.Cornfields Doomed to Become Warehouses

The Cornfields was the railroad yard on the eastside of Chinatown for the last 100 years. The railroadabandoned the Cornfields, which opened up newpossible beneficial uses for Chinatown. But thecommercial zoning was never changed, so Majesticdevelopers planned a gigantic warehouse andmanufacturing complex there. While Chinatownopposed it, commercial interests and Mayor Riordansupported it, and their plan was approved in May.

Chinatown appealed the approval to try to getbetter use of that land. The appeal was heard at theirsecond meeting of the brand new Central AreaPlanning Commission whose members were recently

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got some money now, so it's time for them to ponyup to the table. If you know any of theserepresentatives or their deputies, talk to them andtell them that we are looking for them to representthe needs of the community: Schools not homeimprovement centers, Historic preservation not bigbox development. If you see Mike or his deputies, itis very important that you tell him that he must dothe right thing and keep the promises he made tothe public at Lawry's and in the LA Weekly tosupport the preservation of Van de Kamp's. Hecould stop the developers in their tracks right now!

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J EB S V IEW

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Save Van de Kamp's


9/12

We are moving!! By the time everyone reads this article CCAC will probably be all nestled in its new home,Old Firehouse No. 6. We really started packing after the Lotus Festival. Staff realized that we could not doboth at the same time. The second week of July found CCAC staff and kids going through boxes of arts 'n'crafts, file drawers, books and other memorabilia. Some of the things we found brought back memories toMaryanne. There was 25 years of her life in those storefronts on Glendale Blvd. As Maryanne went through themany items we found, she would tell us a story that went along with the many pictures and memorabilia.Included in these boxes were pictures of The Echo Park Xmas Parade from long ago, youth painting out graffitiwhen CCAC first started, camping trips, special outings to Disneyland and other amusement parks. Picture ofpeople who have walked through CCAC doors and are no longer with us. Maryanne even found a $20 bill in one ofher drawers.

The storefronts worked well for all of us. Being that we didn't have air conditioning or heat in the winter,we managed to keep our program going without much trouble. But now, we are in a huge building that has twofloors, carpeting, and thermostats in each room and plenty of space for all. It even has showers. We can nowtake the kids outside for awhile and not worry that a car is going to run them over. The DASH runs right infront of the building so there will be problem in youth reaching us at our new location.

The staff and Maryanne want to thank Councilman Mike Hernandez and his office personnel for their hardwork in securing this building for us. We want to also thank everyone who has stood by us during the last yearas we struggled with funding. The staff is encouraged by their new office and is eagerly ready to start new andinnovative programs for the youth. In the near future we will be having a grand opening inviting the community

Central City Action

Wednesday, August 9th, isEcho Park Night at DodgerStadium! This annual event issponsored by the Echo ParkChamber of Commerce incooperation with the LosAngeles Dodgers and is theonly fund raising activity of theC h a m b e r. T h i s i s a nopportunity for us all to gettogether at a friendly, fun-filledevent that honors our specialcommunity. The on-field and

first pitch ceremony that takesplace just prior to the start ofthe game promotes ourcommunity pride. Just seeingSusan Borden on Diamond-Vision is worth the price of theticket! Tickets are $9.00(reduced from face value of

$10.00!). Contact the Chambermessage center at (213) 630-3032 for tickets.

As our membership hasincreased, so has our potentialto be more of a positive entityin our community. The vastmajority of businesses are"mom and pop" type retailers.Through membership in theChamber they are able to havea collective voice in the manyissues that arise which have a

direct effect on them, as wellas providing a source ofassistance with problems thatcan be resolved by resourcesat our disposal.

Any business entity in EchoPark is encouraged to join theChamber. We are always

l o o k i n g f o r g r e a t e rparticipation and involvementfrom new member talent. Ourgeneral membership meetingsare held the 3rd Friday of everymonth, 1 p.m., at TaixR e s t a u r a n t . I n e f f e c t ,"we" (meaning the Chamber ofCommerce) take the month ofAugust off, so there is nogeneral membership meetingthis month. However, while its e e m s f a r a w a y, t h e

preplanning begins on theHoliday Parade in August aswe begin forming a ParadeCommittee.

Hope to see everyone comeout to cheer for Echo Park onAugust 9th.

By Bonnie Scanlan,Echo Park Chamber of Commerce President


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August 2000

1911 SUNSET BOULEVARDLOS ANGELES, CA 90026

(213) 484-1265

Your June editorial by Jeb Brighouse concernsthree alleged assaults on the Echo Parkcommunity. Taking parkland from Elysian Park or

destroying Barlow Hospital to build a school iswrong. So is taking grassland from Echo Park tobuild a concrete Jose Marti plaza. However, forsome reason, you think it is more important tosave rarely used parking spaces instead ofbuilding a greatly needed recreation park east ofGlendale Blvd.

I worked in that area everyday for over twentyyears. The parking spaces in question are nevermore than 10% full during the week. So why doesBrighouse oppose having a desperately neededplace for children and adults to play volleyball,basketball and handball? Because JackieGoldberg is involved.

He calls the Prop K plan a secret scheme thatno one knew about before the March 7 election.Not true. It was my idea to use the entire parkinglot instead of the original plan of using one-third.

In fact, I spoke to numerous people about theidea including several members of EPIA andCCSEP in January and February. To think Ms.

Goldberg was hiding this plan to win the electionis politically nave.

A precinct breakdown showed that JackieGoldberg received close to 80% of the votes in the13 th Council District that was part of her StateAssembly District. Clearly the overwhelmingmajority of people in CD 13 think she is doing agood job.

Siding with business interests over those of thecommunity? Calling Jackie Goldberg a dictator?As Bolivar, Zapata and Castro are also named inthe article all of whom have been accused ofbeing a dictator maybe Jackie should see thiscontinuous attack on her as a compliment, beingmentioned with these great American Leaders.Stop the lies!

Michael Kogan

L ETTERS TO THE E DITOR


11/12

Come celebrate the magic of Summer! Thelibrary will host TWO summer magic programs

for young adults. The first, on Saturday, August19, from 3-4 pm, features "ABRACADABRA" withcomedic magician Charlie Mount and hisfamous LEVITATION tricks. The secondprogram, on Saturday, August 26, also from 3-4 p.m., features LA's own Magic Castlemagician, Alan Oshiro and his birds andbunnies acts.

Also, the Library's Summer Reading Club forKids presents a program every Wednesdayafternoon at 3 pm. The events feature talentedlocal presenters from the worlds of crafts,culture, and the arts -- including drawing andcartooning! The programs are, of course, free.So, come to join the Children's Reading Clubmembers. But stay for the performances.

The Echo Park Branch is pleased to welcomeand thank its Summer 2000 class of highschool Service Volunteers. The summer classbegan on July 21, and will continue throughSeptember 2000. If you know a teen who wantsto earn experience for paid jobs, or credittoward graduation requirements, contact the

library for details. The Summer class is: LisaBurgos, Belmont High; Coordinator DinaMorales, Belmont; Jecella Mejia, Belmont; JoeyValencia, Music Magnet; Elia Hernandez,Verdugo Hills; Frank Flores, Granada Hills;andLilian Muniz, Belmont.

Web "surfers," don't forget that you canaccess the Los Angeles Public Library's Internet

homepage at www.lapl.org to gain access to thelibrary's huge holdings catalog, as well as many

on-line databases. Furthermore, take advantageof on-line reservations for popular materials. Ifyou read the LA Times recently, you mayremember that many of the over 700reservations for the latest Harry Potterinstallment were made on-line. Adults areencouraged to follow suit!

If you've not yet explored the "on-line" world,the library offers on-going and very small one-and-a- half-hour Internet introductions. Theclasses begin with the very first steps (inEnglish or Spanish), no computer experiencerequired, and participants receive plenty ofpersonal attention.

L IBRARY H APPENINGS

Library Hours Monday 12:30-8:00 p.m.Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. 5:30 p.m.Wednesdays 12:30 5:30 p.m.Thursdays 12:30-8:00 p.m.Fridays 12:30 5:30 p.m.Saturdays 10:00 a.m. 5:30p.m.

Library Address 1410 W. Temple StreetLos Angeles CA 90026

Phone 213.250.7808FAX 213.250.3744 World Wide Web Address

http://www.lapl.org24 Hour Renewal: 888-577-LAPL

You must get involved to have an impact.No one is impressed with the won-loss record of

the referee.

John H. HolcombThe Militant Moderate

Here is a good tip about cleaning up your house:

If you haven't cooked with it, danced in it, sat onit, squeezed into it, mailed, read or watered it in

the last 12 months, then you never will,so get rid of it.


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August 2000

Our Own Library in Echo ParkThe Board of Library Commissioners recently

approved the purchase of the Peerless Hardware sitefor our new library. Peerless is on the north side ofSunset and includes their building and parking lot,the rear lot and driveway, and the two wooden 2-storyapartment buildings. It does not include the brickbuilding with storefronts on Alvarado, nor the gasstation at the corner.

We need to get started with our own efforts now.The site plan, design style and overall architecturewill require community input. If we take thenecessary initiatives early we can work in cooperationwith the architect. We also need to establish our own

library advisory committee. There are many optionsthat will need full community discussion before finalpolicy decisions are made. This is a wonderfulopportunity for Echo Park to get the best librarypossible. Let's do it!Bumps in the Road for Jose Marti Plaza

The Recreation and Parks Commission metrecently at the Echo Park Rec. Center. One of theitems discussed was the Jose Marti Plaza proposal byAl Nodal. Nodal is the Director of the L.A. CityCultural Affairs Department, and also the Director ofthe Jose Marti Plaza Committee of the Patronato

Jose Marti. The Patronato is a cultural association forthe preservation of Cuban culture for the exilecommunity in Los Angeles. They have been amongthe sponsors of the annual Cuban Festival at EchoPark. Their proposed Plaza would honor Marti withlarge cement walls and pavement covering agenerous portion of the northwest area of the park.

Many Echo Park residents spoke against the planto replace green grass and open space with cement.The opposition speakers included both Latinos andothers, negating any possible charge that theopposition is racist or anti-Latino. We all just want toprotect the small amount of public green space we

have in our park. Affection for our park is a sharedhuman feelingthat goes beyondpersonal ethnicb a c k g r o u n d .There were nospeake r s i ns u p p o r t o fcement.

Commissioner Lisa Specht questioned Nodalabout his publicity, which implies that his Plaza is a"done deal" even before the Commission has receivedany request. Evidently Nodal is planning to retire atthe end of the year and is determined to get the Plazaapproved by then. This raises a question about who isreally being honored here, Marti or Nodal?

We are waiting for the next public meeting aboutthe Plaza project.Rec. & Parks Commission Gets Detailed List ofProjects for Echo Park

Judy Raskin, President of the Echo ParkCommunity Action Committee (nee Glendale CorridorCommittee) presented a comprehensive list ofimprovements needed in our park. The needs weregrouped into:

1. Physical condition of the lake area of Echo Park.2. Physical condition of the Recreation Center.3. Maintenance and rehabilitation.Judy received a reply from Ellen Oppenheim,

General Manager of the Department. The responsesin general were; we're working on it, or, it's hardbecause we're short of staff, or, the City Councildoesn't provide us the money to get that done. Thislist and the responses do give us a checklist to keeptrack of their progress. And we will keep on them.

Aimee Semple McPherson's Church is Closed!!!The most bizarre turn of events has led to theclosing of the main sanctuary of Angelus Temple.Sister Aimee built her church in Echo Park in 1923. Ithas been one of the main signature elements of ouridentity since then. This community holds AngelusTemple close to our hearts and we could not imagineit being in jeopardy.

But, you have followed the controversy in the NewTimes and already know what has happened. The newpastors, the Stantons, wanted to change importantfeatures of the sanctuary. This was unacceptable tomany in the congregation, and they formed theCoalition to Save Angelus Temple.

The Coalition sued to stop the renovations, andthey won. In retaliation the Stantons have closed thesanctuary and relocated church services to a hotel inPasadena. There had been seating for 5,200 but theStantons had the seats removed. So now the historicplace where Sister Aimee earned her fame cannot be

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J EB S V IEW

Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Echo Park Improvement Association

Opinion by Jeb Brighouse

Documents

EPIAn Ways August 2000