EPIAn Ways February-March 2006

8/8/2019 EPIAn Ways February-March 2006

1/12

Pasadena ran into a bit of rainybad luck this year with itsTournament of Roses Parade, butEcho Park had terrific sunny skiesfor the annual holiday parade thatwent down Sunset Boulevard inDecember.

To make sure that thedignitaries riding in the parade feltin a holiday mood even before the

procession started they weretreated to a V.I.P. receptionhosted by the Echo ParkImprovement Association. Whatcould be more festive than atable filled with pan dulce, threekinds of tamales, piping hotfrijoles, salsa (both green andred), several varieties of bagelsand cream cheese to spread onthem, and even a choice of twodifferent quiches! Fresh fruit,orange juice and just-perked

coffee with real cream roundedout the menu.

The delicious brunch wascourtesy of several of ourgenerous local merchants;CelayaBakery, Barragans Caf,Brooklyn Bagel Co., Les FreresTaix, Masa Bakery and Caf, andVons Market.

Volunteers wearing white EPIAaprons and bright red SantaClaus hats filled plates for the

VIPs as they arrived at WilliamsHall, part of the Barlow Hospital

complex. The hall was a cheerfulsight for the guests. A nearly ten-foot tree, sparkling withornaments and lights, stood onone side, while colorful berries andpine boughs from the nearby parkdecorated the tables. EPIAvolunteers included PhyllisLundine, Bill Campbell, VictoriaGerschbacher, Suzi Rogers, Lynn

Barb, Steven Arthur, Isa KaeMeksin, Suzanne Kimbrough,Margarita Fernandez and SusanBorden.

Even delicious meals had to befinished, though, and by 11:30a.m. the guests had wiped thecrumbs from their finery, climbedinto their spotless convertiblesand whisked away to the start ofthe parade.

The EPIA members packed upthe dishes and pans in time tocatch a glimpse of the tail end of

the parade. But the volunteersknew that they had really helpedbring Christmas to Echo Park!

Echo Park Improvement AssociationMeets at 7 p.m. the 1st Thursday of each Month

in Williams Hall at Barlow Hospital 2000 Stadium Way in Elysian Park

EPIA Hosts VIP Reception for 2005 Echo Park Holiday Parade

VIP reception volunteer Margarita Fernandez welcomes guests

by Susan Borden


2/12

February-March 2006

NEWSLETTER CREDITS

EDITORS:LYNN BARBSTEVEN M. ARTHUR

ADVERTISINGFLORA KERP

DESKTOP PUBLISHING:S.M.ART SYSTEMS

PRINTING:LYMAN PRINTING

MEMORANDUMS

INVOICES

LETTERHEADS/ENVELOPES

BUSINESS CARDS

PRICE CATALOGSALL KINDSOF INVITATIONS

COIN ENVELOPES

Lyman CommercialPrinting1201 N. ALVARADO (213) 413-5355

LOS ANGELES, CA 90026 (213) 413-5469 FAX

SE HABLA ESPAOL

(323) 634-0830

Los Angeles Citywide

Service Directorya single toll-free phone number to contact

City of Los Angelesofficialsfor any non-emergency public service:

Dial 311

ENERGY EFFICIENCYSOLAR ELECTRIC SOLUTIONS

The sun never sends a monthly bill!

call for a

free site visit & estimate

(909) 865-8561

www.eesolar.com

EXPERT EXPERIENCED ENVIRONMENTALYAWARE

Steven Arthur, Efficient Energy Specialist

C-10/C-46 lic.#827074

MAKE YOUR OWN ELECTRICITY
http://www.lacity.org/http://www.lacity.org/http://www.eesolar.com/http://www.eesolar.com/http://www.eesolar.com/http://www.eesolar.com/http://www.eesolar.com/http://www.lacity.org/


3/12

February-March 2006

(323)

girls teen yoga

Pilates

The Echo Park Chamber of Commerce, a fixture in

this community for decades, has endured a difficultcouple of years. The Chamber is, however, poisedto make an energetic comeback in2006. Applications for this yearsmembership are being mailed toprevious members and interestedbusinesses may phone (213) 630-3032 to request a form.

As well as working hard for itsbusiness members, the Chamberhas done its best over the years toimprove this community. TheChamber sponsored scholarshipsfor local students, organized Christmas and Fourthof July parades, hung holiday decorations, set up a

Shop Echo Park program and arranged Echo

Park Night at Dodger Stadium. The Chamber alsoparticipated in clean-ups and Pride Days, funded

street tree plantings and streetcleaning, ran the Honorary Mayor ofEcho Park campaign and wasinstrumental in the opening of ourlocal LAPD Stop In Center. Membersorganized tours of the area for LotusFestival visitors and have alwaysbeen supportive of the EPIA.

If you are a business owner inEcho Park and want to support thecommunity, give a thought to calling

and joining in this revitalization effort.

Echo Park Chamber Making a Comeback Join In!


4/12

February-March 2006

1911 SUNSET BOULEVARDLOS ANGELES, CA 90026

(213) 484-1265

Most Echo Park residents have likely driven pastthe weekly Echo Park peace vigil, which has been

going on almost non-stop for over three years. It isone of almost 50 weekly peace demonstrations puton in communities throughout Southern California.

Originally, this vigil was located on a green spacein the middle of Glendale Blvd where it meetsAlvarado. The location was excellent for distributingliterature. Commuters stuck in rush hour traffic onFriday afternoons had nothing better to do than readflyers. Also, for several months, a homemade sign forKPFK radio (90.7 FM) was displayed, and thetrapped motorists could take the time to tune thestation in on their dials.

After more than a year of being at this location,the vigil relocated in 2004 to its current place, thecorner of Sunset Blvd and Echo Park Ave. Oneadvantage to the new location is theres so muchfoot traffic here, noted organizer Art Goldberg.Sometimes we give out 300 leaflets a night in

Spanish and English. Still, The better place for us

to stand is Glendale Blvd, and I want to go back , he

added. That [audience is] the downtown group.

This is half downtown and half local.

When this vigil began over 3 years ago, most ofthe passersby supported the Iraq invasion andopposed the protests. Now, that has reversed: mostpeople oppose the occupation and support thevigilers.

Most of the regular participants, whose numbersrange from about 5 to 7, are the same people whowere involved since the vigil began. They are veteranactivists and long-time Echo Park residents . BesidesGoldberg, there is Mitchell Eisenberg, who protestedthe Vietnam conflict; Mike Kogan, another veteran of

the Vietnam-era peace movement; and RichardDawson, who supported Jobs for Peace andProposition X in the 1980s.

Considering Echo Parks history of activism, it issurprising how sparsely attended the vigil has always

(Continued on page 6)

Weekly Echo Park Peace VigilBy Ross Plesset


5/12

February-March 2006

Podiatric Medicine and Surgery

ELISABETH S. YOUN, D.P.M.

City of Angels Medical Center1711 W. Temple St #5606Los Angeles, CA 90026Tel. (213) 483-6563Fax (213) 989=6159

ProcCare Medical Center, Inc.4515 Eagle Rock Blvd #133CLos Angeles, CA 90041Tel (213) 483-6563Fax (323 259=8835

Heavy rain dampened the clothing of the counters,but the Echo Park Lake Christmas Bird Count went onas scheduled on Monday, January 2. The cold weatherand wind didnt seem to bother the water fowl that in-habit the lake, but most ground birds disappeared,presumably into the shelter of trees or nearby struc-tures. The result was the lowest count since the EchoLake count began six years ago. Fifteen species and436 individual birds were tallied, less than half the2004 total of 1,015.

Mary Brooks and Judy Raskin, this years count

team, did have one exciting sighting a Rosss goose,a single individual that had been seen on and off at thelake during the previous two weeks. Its diminutive sizemade it hard to spot it is smaller than most of thewhite domestic ducks that live year-round at the lake.An adult is white feathered, with black wingtips and asmall orange-yellowish bill. Its breeding grounds are inthe far north of Canada, but in the winter some popula-

tions fly south to Californias Central Valley. This year,

there have been a number of sightings of Rosss in thegreater Los Angeles area

Other species seen at the lake this year include dou-ble-crested cormorant, black-crowned night heron,American wigeon, American coot, ring-necked duck,great blue heron, Mallard ducks, Canada goose, and

several types of gulls. In ad-dition, a flock of yellow-chevroned parakeets wasseen.

The next count will be theannual Great Backyard Bird-count, held February 17-20.For details on participation,send an email to Judy Raskinat [email protected] .Write Backyard Birdcountin the subject line.

by Judy Raskin

RAIN DAMPENS BIRD COUNT BUT NOT THE COUNTERS
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


6/12

February-March 2006

ECHO PARK CALENDAREvent Date Location Comments

EPIA Meetings 1

st

Thursday, 7:00 pmFeb 2, Mar 2. Williams Hall at BarlowHospital, 2000 Stadium Wayin Elysian Park

Call EPIA message phone foradditional information.

EPIA SteeringCommitteeMeetings

2nd

Monday, 7:15 pmFeb 13, Mar 13

Call (323) 882-4835 forlocation

Take an active part in EPIA. Jointhe Steering Committee

CommunitySafety Meeting

2nd

Thursday,3 pm, each month

LAPD Stop-In Center, EchoPark Avenue and SunsetBoulevard

Hosted by Echo Park SecurityAssociation. Call (323)666-3228for more info

CitizensCommittee toSave Elysian

Park

1st

Wednesday,7:30 pm Williams Hall at BarlowHospital, 2000 Stadium Wayin Elysian Park

Call 213-666-9651 for meetinglocation

Greater EchoPark ElysianNeighborhoodCouncil Meeting

4th Tuesday, 7 pmFeb 28, Mar 28

Logan Street SchoolAuditorium, 1711 W. LoganStreet

Call (213) 413-3196 for info orvisit www.GEPENC.org

Edendale LibraryFriends Society

>=> ELFS


7/12


8/12

February-March 2006

Library Computer Classes

9 Thu. 4pm Computer Comfort Learn to use the

Librarys electronic catalog to search for materials,renew items, and place your own holds. Learn thebasics of surfing the Internet. Introduction to variousdatabases and search engines. Bring your librarycard. Adults only. Familiarity with the keyboard andmouse is recommended but not mandatory.Reservations required. Please arrive 10 minutesbefore class begins. Call EP Branch (213) 250-7808.14 Tue. 4pm. Rosetta Stone An introductory self-paced class to begin or improve your Englishlanguage skills. Ideal for ESL students. Computerexperience is mandatory. Call 213/250-7808. EchoPark Branch,

21 Tue. 4pm Introduction to Basic Web Design Learnabout HTML codes to create a simple web page.Computer experience is mandatory.Events11 Sat. 4pm Tarot Reading Program Come andreceive short mini-tarot readings. Sign-ups arerequired. Adults only.25 Sat. 4 pm Holiday Movie Madness Join us for aclassic holiday movie classic. Adults only.

Fun for Kids

DAILYGAB. Echo Park Branch, call (213) 250-7808for times.

ECHO PARK LIBRARY HAPPENINGSLibrary HoursMondays 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Tuesdays 12:00 pm - 8:00 pmWednesdays 10:00 am - 8:00 pmThursdays 12:00 pm - 8:00 pmFridays 10:00 am - 6:00 pmSaturdays 10:00 am - 6:00 pmSundays CLOSED

Library AddressEcho Park Branch Library

1410 W. Temple Street

Los Angeles CA 90026Phone 213.250.7808FAX 213.250.3744World Wide Web Address

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

Echo Park Farmers Market Committee is MeetingFor the fiscal year 2005/2006 the CD 13 Office secured funds to hire Sustainable Economic Enterprises of

Los Angeles (SEE-LA), a non-profit to help create and manage a farmers market for Echo Park. In August, thefirst community meeting was conducted. The committee has met every month since then. If you are interestedin giving input, join the committee and meet with us once a month. Together, we will create a market that willserve the unique needs of Echo Park. The timeline for opening for business averages about one year. Thatwould put us at July of 2006 but if we work efficiently, we can strive to make that happen much sooner. If youare interested in being part of the committee, please let me know.

We meet the 4th Wednesday of every month, from January to May, 6:00 p.m. at the Edendale Library,2011 W. Sunset Boulevard. Meetings are open to all stakeholders.

Sunset Boulevard Beautification Team:In July Central City Action Committee started a CD13-funded program that pays stipends to youth helping

to clean the decorative garbage cans on Sunset Boulevard. They come out every Monday and Thursday to bagthe garbage and replace the cans with new liners. The city then picks up the bags the next morning. In AugustI began going door to door with the youth and administrators from CCAC to talk to all the businesses along theSunset Blvd. Corridor advising them of what the Beautification Team is doing and what their responsibilitieswere regarding sidewalk and parkway cleanliness. We will continue this process until every business has beencontacted. This program is funded for one year but we will make sure it gets renewed until another alternativeis discovered.

In December the LA Dodgers announced they are awarding a $10,000 grant to supplement the Sunset BoulevardBeautification Team in 2006. Thank you Dodgers!

by Echo Park Deputy Mitch OFarrell


9/12

February-March 2006

Who responds to your alarms?

Experience does matter.

With so much at risk why take chances?

Count on the experience of Select Patrol.

For more information about our 24 - houralarm response service, call us today.

Select PatrolA superior level of service since 1984

323.644.1014 Lic. PP0-92292150 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, 90026 CA

The Edendale Library will be hosting a Giant BookSale on Sat. Feb. 11th from 10:30 until 3:00. Great

deals on all donated books! The ELFS are now anofficial nonprofit organization and will be gearing upfor a membership drive in the coming months. ELFSmembers receive prescreening rights to all donatedbooks plus a 50% discount on our collection and wewill be having wine tasting events, musicalpresentations and author signings this year which willbe free to any new ELFS. Membership price is $15.00per year for individuals, $25.00 for families and wealso offer Good Friend ($50.00), Better Friend($100.00) and Best Friend ($250.00) of the EdendaleLibrary to anyone, business or corporation wishing to

help support our local public library.According to Langdon Faust, Edendales new

Childrens Librarian: Tuesdays 10-10:45 am will be Story-time for Babies and Toddlers: Future readers and theirspecial grown-ups join the childrens librarian for nurseryrhymes, songs, finger-play, and more. Edendale BranchLibrary, 2011 W. Sunset Blvd., (213) 207-3000.

EDENDALE LIBRARY HAPPENINGSLibrary HoursMondays 12:30 pm 8:00 pm

Tuesdays 12:30 pm 5:30 pmWednesdays 12:30 pm 8:00 pmThursdays 12:30 pm 5:30 pmFridays 10:00 am 5:30 pmSaturdays 10:00 am 5:30 pmSundays CLOSED

Library AddressEdendale Branch Library

2011 W. Sunset Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90026Phone (213) 207-3000FAX (213) 207-309724 Hour Renewal: 888-577-LAPL

THIS SPACE IS WAITING for

YOUR AD

Call the EPIA (323) 882-4835 for Info


10/12

February-March 2006

SaturdaySpecial

TypicalHaitian

Food

Mon Sat11 am 7 pm

Sundays Group of 10or more byReservation Wood Burning Rotisserie

309 N. Glendale BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90026

www.tigeorgeschicken.comEmail: [email protected]

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

Gardening Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to

pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

There are two kinds of pedestrians: the quick and the dead.

Life is sexually transmitted.

Health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth

Some people are like Slinkies. Not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one

tumble down the stairs.

Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

PONDERISMS


11/12

February-March 2006

Wow! The holidays are over already. BetweenThanksgiving and Christmas the time flew over like a

flock of birds migrating south.Thanksgiving was the scene of our annual dinner

for our kids. This year, we went to DennysRestaurant downtown. All the soda you could drinkwas an added attraction to the traditionalThanksgiving dinner.

The Echo Park Holiday Parade turned out to be anextremely satisfying event. All our kids and staffparticipated. We decorated our new graffiti truckswith holiday splendor and dressed our staffappropriately. Our stake bed had the privilege oftransporting Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus and little elves.

The day was beautiful and we all had a great time.After the parade we made our yearly trip to Magic

Mountain. It was on a Sunday and the weather wasperfect. The kids got wet, went sky high on the rides

and got wet again.The bus trip home was completely silent as most

of the kids were sound asleep. So, if you want to tirekids out, take them to Magic Mountain.

We were fortunate to receive complimentarytickets to several LA Kings Hockey Games. Our kidsare really getting interested in ice hockey. Thanks to

Irene Camarena from the LA Kings Care Foundationfor the tickets to the hockey games and for ice-skating tickets to Pershing Square. Ice-skating is quite a popular activity for ourkids. By the time they figure out how tostand up, its time to go home. After thefirst time, they learned it is better to skatein pairs you help keep each otherstanding up on the ice.

Our Christmas Party was held onDecember 22 in the afternoon. We servedtamales, rice and beans and cookies. Werewarded those kids who had perfect

attendance and excellent grades by lettingthem choose their gifts first. We wereproud to be able to provide gifts for all thechildren from our kids families. Thanks toeveryone in the community who sogenerously donated gifts for our kids.

During all the activities, we still managedto have a few rummage sales. Therummage sales help us to provide littleextras for the kids. We also went to themovies, went to Griffith Park to see thelights, participated in a Posada and had a

whole day of fun at Speed Zone.Staff and youth from CCAC would like to

thank the community for their continuedsupport during 2005 and look forward toworking with everyone in the New Year.

Central City Action by Gloria

Central City Action Committee youth turn corner of Lemoyneand Sunset Boulevard in the 2005 Echo Park Holiday Parade


12/12

February-March 2006

ECHO PARK ENTERED FEBRUARY in a doldrum-like state. Or was it outright despair? There was somuch to disappoint, that one Lotus pad cantadequately cover all the unfortunate happenings. Butheres a Cliffs Notes version:

BARLOW HOSPITAL. The site of numerouscommunity meetings, including those run by theEPIA, Barlow announced that its up for sale but didso in a way that left almost no one any time to doanything about it. Thats right, kids, bidding isclosed. Barlow is beloved in Echo Park. A hospitalthat never looked callous or impersonal, itsbungalows, shingled offices and Spanish-style library

are part of a campus that has graced theneighborhood since 1902. Best of all, its surroundedby parkland. Unfortunately, in Echo Park, if youtreasure something, it probably wont be aroundmuch longer.

GEOFFREY PALMER. The sale of a hospital mightnot be scary if there werent so many moneyed realestate developers circling the site. And the biggestshark of all is Palmer, known for the Orsini and otherhulking, allegedly luxury-style apartments that havesprung up like mushrooms around downtown. Palmerdoesnt think small. He thinks many, many, many

stories in height, then slaps a faux faux may be tooorganic a term -- Italian faade to his boxy, giganticbuildings. Take a look at Sunset and Figueroa, wherethere will soon be Palmer projects on three of fourcorners. Palmers business strategies have drawn theire of affordable housing advocates, historicpreservationists and People Who Hate Ugly Things.Whats next for the man who created the Orsini? ThePanini? The Linguini?

EVICTION NOTICES. On the other end of EchoPark, residents who live near Sunset and Alvarado gotsued for failing to promptly sell their homes to the

school district. Happy New Year! Dont worry. Themedian home price in Echo Park is only $700,000, sotheyll find a lovely two-bedroom townhouse in Indio.

CRIME. Whats worse the rash of shootings andgeneralized gang-generated stupidity, or thedemoralizing community meeting that follows? EchoPark residents with a hunger to improve theirneighborhood left discouraged from a crime meetingthat confirmed their worst suspicions about the citysrickety policing apparatus.

WAIT! Dont reach for that bottle of Drano just yet!Instead of discussing the fact that the Dodgers want

to build a shopping mall, or that the Department ofRecreation and Parks doesnt think Echo Park Lake isworthy of monument status, let us celebrate a fewsmall things. The Echo Park United Methodist Church

is celebrating its 100th birthday, no mean feat in atown known with a highly transient population. Thechurch, under Pastor David Farley, has developed anespecially strong bond with some of the areasCentral American families.

Then theres Dauna Whitehead, who sold her homelast month after three decades in Echo Park. A giftedphotographer, Dauna captured countless images ofthe beauty, the ugliness and the character of EchoPark. Her cards were a tonic for a neighborhood that,for years, had few images of itself reflected back at it.Daunas on a new journey one involving a

Recreational Vehicleand will be missed. But as youalready know, if you like treasure something in EchoPark, it probably wont be here much longer.

Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the writers

and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Echo Park

Improvement Association

LOTUSPAD NOTESNEWSAND ITEMSOF INTERESTFROM ECHO PARK & ANGELINO HEIGHTS by E.P. Lagoso

Documents

EPIAn Ways February-March 2006