EPIAn Ways June 2003

8/9/2019 EPIAn Ways June 2003

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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

N o t i c eanything newat Echo ParkLake? OnThursday, May2 9 , t e na t t r a c t i v e ,new, terracotta coloredc o n c r e t ebenches were

installed inthe park,thanks to theefforts of theEcho ParkLake Supportgroup.

The newbenches weredelivered oneweek earlier,b u t n o tinstalled until

May 29. Threeface GlendaleB o u l e v a r d ,o v e r l o o k i n gthe Lotuspond, threeare near thep u m p i n gstation pointand four complete the circle of, as yet unpainted,benches around the childrens play area.

Last year, the Echo Park Lake Support Group

submitted a Neighborhood Matching Fund (NFM)application for these benches to the L.A. City Board of

Public Works, which offers grants each year. NFMgrants provide half of the cost of the project, while thesubmitting group must supply the rest, often through

(Continued on page 3)

New Benches Add to Views at Lake

New benches, provided by L.A. City, Operation Sparkle, Neighborhood Matching Fund grant, allowEcho Park Lake visitors welcome seating.


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(323)

Echo Park Lake Support Group

sweat equity, where communitymembers contribute their time,usually valued at $10/hour.

After the grant was awarded lastyear, the Echo Park Lake SupportGroup, worked on selecting andpurchasing the benches and workingwith the L.A. Department of Recreationand Parks to install the benches.Echo Park Lake Support groupmembers include Mary Bovee,Margarita Fernandez, Judith Hansen,Suzanne Kimbrough, Isa Kae Meksin

and Judy Raskin.

(Continued from page 1)

New Benches

girls teen yoga

Pilates


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Despite a slow beginning, thesecond book sale to benefit theEcho Park Library was a hugesuccess. The sale, held onSaturday, March 17, 2003, by EchoPark volunteers, started slowly.The day was overcast and it lookedlike it would be a repeat of the firstbook sale, held in March, whenheavy rain had not dampened earlyshoppers spirits.

At opening time the volunteerswere ready, but there were nocustomers, unlike the first rain-soaked sale day when the

customers arrived at 10 a.m. sharp.At 10:30 a.m. volunteers greetedtheir first patron and hoped for thebest.

The weather changed to sunnycausing fears that the weather, nolonger overcast, would keep thecustomers out to enjoy the sun. Butthese fears were unfounded; peopledid come; they looked at all thebooks and made choice afterchoice. It was looking good.

The day continued as volunteershelped customers locate the booksthey were searching for. There wereplenty of books and some rummageitems, too. Both were going fast.

Upon arriving, one gentlemanand stated, I shouldnt be here.I m r i d i n g o n p u b l i ctransportation. He wasencouraged to stay and just lookaround. When he arrived at thecheck out table with a box full ofbooks, volunteers smiled and askedif he was finished. Oh, no. I imgoing to look some more, he

replied. He continued his searchand finally said he was ready. Ashis purchases were tallied, he said,I like to read and knew I would getin trouble if I entered the room. Heleft happily for the bus stop with histwo boxes packed with books.

It looked good; the hourspassed by very quickly. Andsuddenly it was 5p.m., time to startwinding down.

Volunteers began closing up, whena late arriving art lover wasfortunate enough to purchase allthe remaining art books. Thebooks, which contained high qualityphotos and sold for $2.00 apiece,were gone. A wonderful ending.

As the second book sale camecome to an end, everyone was verypleased. The sale had surpassedthe March sales income and soldover $500 in donated books. Thiswas fantastic! And all for a goodcause.

From the proceeds of the first

sale, the library has alreadypurchased books for children inTagalog. The proceeds of thesecond sale will be put to good use.

To all of you who came to thesale, thank you for yourparticipation. We look forward toseeing you again at the nextepVolunteers Book Sale, Saturday,

August 9th.

1911 SUNSET BOULEVARD

LOS ANGELES, CA 90026

SUCCESSFUL BOOK SALE FUNDRAISER FOR ECHO PARK BRANCH LIBRARY

by Margarita Fernandez, epVolunteer Co-ordinator

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The Silver Lake-Echo Park Community Plan is a part ofthe General Plan of the City of Los Angeles. The CommunityPlan is a policy document that expresses the goals for

envelopment in an area. The existing plan for the area wasadopted in 1984. It is currently being updated. Following isa summary of the recommendations in the draft plan thatwill affect the Echo Park neighborhood.

The draft plan:

1. Promotes the preservation of stable single and multiplefamily neighborhoods by retaining existing residentialzoning, in compliance with the Citys General Plan.

2. Identifies areas where development is encouraged tolocate by designating areas as Community Centers andMixed Use Boulevards, in compliance with the CitysGeneral Plan.

3. Designates the area of Glendale Blvd and Sunset Blvd.,

Sunset Blvd. and Echo Park Ave. and Alvarado St. fromSunset Blvd. to Temple St. as Community Centers, wherenew development, particularly projects combining bothresidential and commercial uses, are encouraged to enablepeople to live along corridors served by frequent busservice.

4. Designates Sunset Blvd. from the Pasadena Freeway toFountain Ave., Temple St. from Glendale Blvd. to Silver LakeBlvd. and Fountain and Hyperion Avenues as Mixed UseBoulevards where mixed commercial and residentialdevelopments are particularly encouraged.

5. Permits, through specific individual review andapproval, a greater ratio of building to lot area (Floor AreaRatio) for projects combining mixed commercial and

residential uses, where specified. With individual approval,only mixed-use projects would be able to build 3 square feetof building for every 1 buildable square foot of lot, insteadof the 1.5 square foot of building to 1 square foot of lot areacurrently permitted. The recommended areas are:Sunset Blvd. from the Pasadena Freeway to FountainTemple St. from Glendale Blvd. to Silver Lake Blvd.Alvarado St. from Sunset Blvd. to Temple St.

6. Recommends changing the commercial zoning onSunset Blvd. to [Q]C2 to allow uses not currently allowed insome areas such as vintage/second hand stores, antique

shops and restaurants with outdoor dining. The QualifiedCondition [Q] prohibits certain uses (automotive andrecycling uses and drive-through windows) and requires newdevelopment to build buildings to the sidewalk to encouragea more pedestrian friendly environment.

7. Through the recommended zone changes on SunsetBlvd. and by identifying Community Centers and Mixed UseBoulevards, the plan aims to promote land use patternsthat allow people to live within walking distance of shopsand services they use on a daily basis and.near bus serviceand other transit opportunities; reduce dependence onautomobiles; and create a built environment that is friendlyto pedestrians.

8. Identifies Echo Park as a future study area aimed atpreserving the areas distinctive neighborhood characterand architecture. Future study will investigate the suitabilityof Supplemental Use Districts (overlay zones) or the use ofother implementation tools that may assist in theconservation of the character and architectural resources ofthe area.

9. Recommends the development of future overlay plansthat will enhance design, aesthetics and further help createa livable, pedestrian friendly environment. The followingoverlay districts are recommended:

Community Design Overlay Districts and StreetscapePlans for a) Sunset Blvd./Echo Park Ave. (roughly SunsetBlvd. from McDuff Street to Waterloo Street and Echo ParkAve. from Morton Ave to Sunset Blvd.) and b) TempleStreet (roughly from Glendale Blvd. to Benton Way) - toencourage design of private development and in the publicright-of-way that makes the area more attractive andpedestrian friendly. Commercial Artcraft and Overlay District for Glendale

Blvd. from Glendale Freeway to Sunset Blvd. - to encouragejoint live/work uses as a reuse of industrial structures andunderused buildings along commercial corridors.

Los Angeles City Planning Department

Silver Lake-Echo Park Community Plan Update: Plan Recommendations affecting Echo Park


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HELLO FELLOW ECHO PARKIANS AND VISITORS

There are many active people involved in making

sure our beloved ECHO PARK is taken care of andmaintained. We would like to say "GRACIAS CONTODO CORAZON". Our high Latino population keepsthe park very occupied and very well used and knownby the youth of the community and their families.Those who know the park can enjoy games of loteriaor domino, un razpado, un elote, las pelotas, elsenior clown who only speaks espanol and can walkon stilts, oh and the most relaxing boat ride in thewhole city of L.A..UUMMMM

Knowing our love of ECHO PARK, we, the EPYEC,with a grant from the L.A.F.D-SERTOMA Club, held

our annual "Easter Games and Easter Egg Hunt" onSaturday, April 19th, 2003. With toys, skateboards,dolls, scooters, etc. as prizes, we ran a series ofgames and the community children colored eggs, hadarts and crafts tables, balloons and an Easter egghunt. All for a full day of fun.

We would like to thank the L.A.F.D-SERTOMA Club,your grant made it possible for our communitychildren to enjoy a day that memories are made of."MUCHAS GRACIAS SERTOMA". Thank you PIONEERMARKET and TAIX RESTAURANT for your mostgenerous donations, we sincerely appreciate yourfaith in our efforts to provide outlets for our

community youth. Thanks to our faithful volunteersBessy Hernandez, Sara Galvan, William Mavropoulos,

Romelia Ibarra Sanchez, Casper and Letty Torres,Lucy Rodman, Geronimo Rose and Albert Giron, and

all the ladies who offered to help throughout the day.Our next community endeavor took us to the Mark

Taper Forum on Wednesday, May 14th for thepreview of "CHAVEZ RAVINE" starring our vato loco'sCULTURE CLASH--celebrating 19 years of thoughtinvoking humor. We received an invitation from theMark Taper Forum to see the play and were given100 seats. Thank you Corky Dominquez for makingour dream come true. Such a thought provoking play,yet so humorous. The Dodger Dog girl, FernandoValenzula, Richard Neutra, the people of ChavezRavine coming alive before our very eyes. The youthlearned a lesson in history that will not soon be

forgotten and has been a topic of discussion amongthose who attended the play. Thank you CouncilmanReyes office (LETTY) for our bus transportation;without you this would not have been possible.

We would like to start up our summer arts andcrafts workshops again. We work with ages 7 and up,so if your interested please call us at (323) 662-2081leave a message. I will call you back..

Gracias a todos.Till we meet again,Luiza Padilla-Mavropoulos-ECHO PARK YOUTH EMPOWERMENT

SI SE PUEDE

What: Grand Opening celebration of a new playground in downtown Echo ParkWhen: FRIDAY, July 25th, 12 noon - 3 pmWhere: Lemoyne Street, just south of Sunset, west side of the street, and behind El Centro del PuebloWho: You and City Councilmember Eric Garcetti, State Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg, CityCouncilmember Ed Reyes, and more.

The new playground includes facilities for basketball, volleyball, handball courts and other recreationalactivities. It will be open to the public Monday through Friday 2pm to 8pm and Saturdays from 10am to 6pm, as

a result of negotiations with the community when the project was proposed.The approximately 25,000 square foot playground was built on a portion of a City owned parking lot and

adjacent alley. El Centro del Pueblo, who leased the parking lot prior to it's conversion, developed theplayground as part of $2.6 million dollars raised from a combination of TNI grants, Prop K funds, CDBG funds,Prop 12 funds and private donations.

Portions of these funds were also used for El Centro's purchase and remodel of the 1157 Lemoyne Streetbuilding it is located in. The initiative for the playground was spearheaded by State Assemblyperson (then LACity Councilmember) Jackie Goldberg.


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On any given day, at CCAC, you will see about 30-50 kids involved in all sorts of innovative projects.Let me give you the rundown on our latest.

When the kids come after school, they are askedif they have homework. Some need a little extra helpbut almost always the homework is completedbefore we start any projects. There is always roomfor tutoring volunteersanyone interested?

The new STUDIO LAB is working with 7 kids on athree-week project. Each youth is given a cameraand is instructed to take pictures of meaningfulitems and events in his or her life. At one point, Itook Jenny, on a field trip around Echo Park. Wetook pictures of the bus she takes to school, theAmerican Flag, the firehouse, her house, her favoriteChinese restaurant, Pioneer Market and Echo Park.Jenny and I had a great time. The pictures are thendeveloped and put into a computer digitalscrapbook. After each group is finished we willhave the best life stories of youth in Los Angeles.

Flag Football has ended with both girls and boysvictorious. We held a banquet with the youth whowere on the teams. Pizza, soda, a cake, and let usnot forget the trophies for each youth who were partof the festivities. Thanks toMike, Ivan and Doris for all

their hard work. Mike and Ivan are now leading theway to a basketball league within CCAC. There areenough kids for 7 teams. For the past few weeks we

have been having basketball clinics with the teamsin order to prepare them for the tournaments.

We had a wonderful Easter party the Saturdaybefore the holiday. Early that Saturday, I was seentaking off my shoes and getting into the big bouncerwith Mike and Ivan. All I had to do was sit in themiddle and let them bounce me all over the place.This was my first time and everyone had a goodlaugh. The kids played in the bouncer, ate foodprepared by Chef Paul and made whirly-gigs withme. The most enjoyable part of the day was theinteraction of our staff with the families of our youthwho attend CCAC.

Many events are scheduled for the summer.Fishing, camping, trips to amusement parks, rides

on the Blue line,cookou t s andwhatever else wecan dream about.

At the LotusFestival you cancome to visit us onFlower Island. Wewill be makingflower leis as usual.Hope to see all ourfriends.

As the summerdays grow longer,I hear thelaughter of thek ids play ing

outside and knowthat CCAC is agood place forkids.

We are alwaysopen and inviteeveryone to stopby and see us.

Central City Action by Gloria

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Echo Park Extreme Teen Club You want food, friends and music. You want some excitement. You want to getout of the house! Your wish is our command. Join our teen club where you will plan trips and help the commu-nity. Youll have fun as a bonus. (Meetings are on Thursday 5:00 PM6:00 PM. FREE.)

Hip-Hop Movement Project Youth are educated about hip-hop history and culture through creative work-shops, discussions and performance opportunities. Teens who complete at least twenty of the thirty workshopshave the opportunity to create and participate in a culminating event sponsored by hip-hop music and apparelcompanies. Workshops include hip-hop dance (locking, popping and breaking); spoken word and emceeing; anddeejaying.

Camp Sunchasers We are accredited by the American Camping Association. Camp schedule is Mondaythrough Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM ($60.00 weekly). Extended supervision is available 7:00 AM 9:00 AM and4:00 PM6:00 PM ($10.00 weekly plus regular fee). Registration Fee is $30.00. Price of weekly trip is not in-cluded. Registration will be accepted at a mandatory parent meeting on Thursday, June 5, 2003 @ 7:00 PM.Space is limited.

Character Counts Session - Youve got a special camper who sleeps with sports equipment under his/her pillow. Weve got a special summer of games that will never be forgotten. This summer your

camper will learn that Character Counts along with special sports skills. Sports has never been somuch fun! (July 21 through August 15, 2003)Sunflower Session Schools out! What are you going to do with the kids? The best place for summerschildren is Camp Sunchasers, a unique and quality camp where they will be singing camp songs Mon-day; looking through a telescope Tuesday; swimming Wednesday; water-sliding down a pyramid Thurs-day; and riding a paddle boat Friday. Sound like fun? It is becauseCamp Sunchasers is Where KidsJust Wanna Have Fun. (July 7 through August 29, 2003)

Three on Three Basketball Sunday warriors compete against each other for first and second place trophies.Each team must have at least one female player and is allowed a maximum of four players on the roster. Aminimum of four games will be played. YOU CAN SHOOT HOOPS KNOWING THAT ALL THE PROFITS OFYOUR GAME GO TO SPORTS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE KIDS OF ECHO PARK! The fee is $15.00 per player.

PAB If you have a desire to serve the community of Echo Park in the most positive role possible, please

consider volunteering for the Park Advisory Board. The Department of Recreation and Parks is looking forhard-working, generous and civic-minded individuals to work with the full-time staff to deliver quality recrea-tion for all patrons of Echo Park. You can make a difference.

LA KIDS These classes are free!

Guitar When the radio plays your favorite song, are you strumming along on your air guitar? Join theguitar class today and exchange it for a real one! These are private and semi-private half hour lessonsassigned by appointment. This class is very popular and registration is limited. Additional classes arealso available for $30.00 a month.

Piano Do you want to add more to your next party? Learn how to play the piano. These are private andsemi-private half hour lessons assigned by appointment. This class is very popular and registration islimited. Additional classes are also available for $30.00 a month.

Violin Whether you are an Itzhak Perlman or a Jack Benny, you will make beautiful music under theguidance of our master musician. These are private and semi-private half hour lessons assigned by ap-pointment.

Go Girl Go Team With your Go Girl Go girlfriends you will learn about healthy lifestyles and leadership.You can do it!

Chess, Checkers and Dominoes What did kids play for fun before computer games existed? Stop byand find out.

Summer Lunch Program Calling all hungry kids. Get a free lunch during the summer. Sandwiches, juice, fruit,treats, m-m-m-m-good! From June 23 to August 22, 2003. Monday through Friday at 12:30 to 1:30 PM. Free.

Contact Rosa G. Manriquez at (213) 847-0096


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Echo Park, California May 10. It came as shocking and sad news yesterday to learn that Sue Nelson, longtime Echo Park resident and dedicated community activist, died last Saturday, May 3, reportedly from inju-ries suffered when she was hit by a car crossing Sunset at McDuff, here in Echo Park.

I met Sue as a neighbor during the seven years I lived on Sargent Place. She came to some block meetingsand functions, and hosted a meet-and-greet for political candidates at her home. It was during these years asI began my community activity, I garnered that Sue was dedicated to several environmental causes. Most re-cently, I know that she was among the leaders of the local branch of the Sierra Club, and active with theSanta Monica Mountains Conservancy as well as the Green Party USA.

Sue was renowned for being a fighter, and from my point of view, was in a league of community leaders

a generation ahead of me who I know are all Fighters. Over the years, I saw her in action many times. Any-one who ever witnessed the wrath of Sue at community meetings and functions, would never forget her. Ifyou were on her wrong side, either as an individual or on an issue, she was brutal and relentless.

Regardless of whether you loved or hated her, the loss of Sue is a blow. A void in the community's land-scape has been created that will never be filled, like loosing a color in the rainbow. And her legacy is one thatshould be recognized and celebrated. During their peak in community leadership, Sue and her cadre of Fight-ers broke ground for all of us who are contemporary community activists.

They proved, in the 60s and 70s that the community COULD beat City Hall, defeating the City of Los An-geless attempt to put a Convention Center in the middle of Elysian Park. They proved they could stop a free-way from plowing through a neighborhood. The brought to the attention of the world that mans progressionof unmitigated growth needed to stop, and be rethought, if there was going to be a sustainable and diverseecology for future generations.

These were huge, revolutionary battles. They broke conventional wisdom of what a community led move-ment could do. We still need to fight, but thanks to the likes of Sue Nelson - our angry fighter, we can fightour opponents on a much more level playing field.

A Eulogy for Sue Nelson by Andrew Garsten


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DOWNTOWN DECISION-MAKERS have been gettingan earful from Echo Park activists. But these days,they're hearing about downtown Los Angeles -- notjust Echo Park.

First there was an appearance before the Board ofSupervisors to protest the removal of two rows ofdecades-old ficus trees on Grand Avenue, where asidewalk reconstruction project is under way. Theboard ignored the protests and did not even respondto the public.

Then several Echo Park activists spoke out againstthe demolition of the 1887 Giese house on Sunset

Boulevard dubbed the only Victorian left on BunkerHill without a permit. (It was razed just as cityofficials were working out the final details ofrelocating it to another site). Echo Park's active setwas more successful with the City Council, convincingthem to apply the seldom-used "scorched earth"ordinance against the property owner.

ADOPTING THE SCORCHED EARTH strategy wasthe brainchild of Councilman Ed Reyes, who hopes touse it to bar the property owner from developing hislucrative Sunset Boulevard property for five years.Still, Reyes did little to stop City Attorney RockyDelgadillo from tearing down two 1930 Spanish-style

apartments on Laguna Street, which stood near apublic staircase. Delgadillos strategy for fightingnuisance houses is to tear them down completely leaving streets looking like they've had a toothknocked out.

ECHO PARK'S WHITE-HOT REAL ESTATE MARKETreached another bizarre milestone last week. For thefirst time, Echo Park made its way into the "HotProperty" column in the Los Angeles Times theweekly feature that reveals which stars are movinginto which homes. Hot Property revealed what someof us have heard weeks ago: that the Victorian Grace

E. Simons house was purchased by AlessandroNivola, star of Jurassic Park 3 and more recently,Laurel Canyon.

There are also some newcomers to Echo Park'sbusiness scene. As we briefly mentioned in our last

column, the apothecary known as Le Pink has openedon Echo Park Avenue between Ojala and Show Pony.The nifty little storefront offers a whimsical mix ofwares, from bubble gum and assorted candies toItalian shaving creams and toothpaste. Definitelyworth a visit.

On the western edge of Echo Park, it appears thatSunset Boulevard's Antique Row will soon be gracedwith another lively shop. Although it hasn't openedyet, it's been cleverly dubbed "The Kids Are Alright."Are children's books and toys in its future?

Some businesses are just settling in. The DownbeatCaf on Alvarado Street celebrated its secondanniversary with lovely hors d'oeuvres and hours ofterrific music.

ECHO PARK LOST ONE OF ITS MOST VOCALactivists last month. Sue Nelson, the tirelesschampion of open space, was killed as she wascrossing Sunset Boulevard near McDuff Street. Suehad been ferocious in lobbying for the creation andprotection of park space, from her early days inBrentwood in the 1960s to her more recent battles

surrounding the creation of an AIDS memorial inLincoln Park.

SUSPICIOUS CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN posing asDWP employees in the Echo Park area, forcing theirway into at least one home near Baxter and Valentinestreets. According to police, a men and a womandriving a heavily oxidized red Toyota Corolla went tothe home of an elderly woman, asked her numerousquestions , made their way inside and went throughdrawers and closets. Anyone who sees similar activityis urged to call LAPDs senior lead officer SoniaGrace at (213) 509-6297.

SPEAKING OF ALVARADO STREET, the busyintersection of Sunset and Alvarado will likely lookmighty different by this time next year. Developersare digging a huge pit for their planned 11-unitapartment building next to the Sunset Car Wash andcity workers are moving full steam ahead in erectingthe Edendale Branch Library. Whether a 62-roommotel will go up on the other side of the car wash isstill before the city.

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

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EPIAn Ways June 2003