EPIAn Ways October 2004

8/9/2019 EPIAn Ways October 2004

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October 2004

NEWSLETTER CREDITS

EDITORS:LYNN BARBSTEVEN M. ARTHUR

ADVERTISINGFLORA KERP

DESKTOP PUBLISHING:S.M.ART SYSTEMS

PRINTING:LYMAN PRINTING

MEMORANDUMS

INVOICES

WARRANTIES

BUSINESS CARDS

PRICE CATALOGSAPPRAISAL CERTIFICATES

COIN ENVELOPES

Lyman CommercialPrinting1201 N. ALVARADO (213) 413-5355

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

(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-46 #577667 lic.#827074

MAKE YOUR OWN ELECTRICITY
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October

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girls teen yoga

Pilates

You are an Echo Park stakeholder if you live, workor are a member of a community organization(Church, Community Group, School, etc.) in the

Echo Park neighborhood. Come out to vote in theGEPENC Elections, December 11 or run for an officeyourself. Echo Park Stakeholders must be 16 yearsor older and be committed to improving their EchoPark Community to be a candidate!

The GEPENC Election, set for Saturday December11 from 10am until 3pm, will be held in theAuditorium of Logan St. Elementary School, 1711Montana Avenue.

One week before the election a Candidates Forumwill be held to acquaint stakeholders with thecandidates and allow for questions and answers. The

Candidates Forum will be held onSaturday December 4 from 12 Noonuntil 2pm in the Community room of theEdendale Branch Library.

If you would like to run for a NeighborhoodCouncil position or simply have questions about ourNeighborhood Council, please call (213) 413-0372

(English) or (213) 487-9804 (Espanol) or write toThe Greater Echo Park Elysian NeighborhoodCouncil at P.O. Box 26514, LA 90026.

Timeline for the GEPENC Election:10/12 Candidate Filing Begins11/22- Candidate Filing Deadline11/22- Vote by Mail Deadline11/23 -Candidates Forum at GEPENC General Board

meeting12/03 Candidate Verification Complete12/04 Candidate Forum - Community Room -

Edendale Library - 12 Noon- 2AM12/10 Vote by Mail Ballot Return

12/11 Candid date Write-In from 10am to 12 NoonDeadline12/11 Election Day - 10am to 3pm - Logan St.Elementary School auditorium

Greater Echo Park Elysian NC to Hold Elections December 11


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October 2004

1911 SUNSET BOULEVARDLOS ANGELES, CA 90026

(213) 484-1265

The steep hillsides and rusticcanyons of Echo Park will serve asthe dramatic backdrop for this

year's Historic Echo Park HomeTour on Sunday, November 14.

This year's tour, themed"Hillsides & Hideaways," will takevisitors to some of Los Angeles'steepest streets, winding their waythrough a dynamic and diverseneighborhood now more than acentury old. The eight homes onthe self-guided tour feature notonly a wide-range of styles buttake advantage of Echo Park's hillyterrain to afford both dramatic ur-ban vistas and intimate canyonscenes.

The homes on the second-annual tour and fundraiser rangefrom a remodeled 1915 Craftsmanbungalow overlooking the Los An-geles River to a restored hilltop

Spanish-Colonial Revival com-pound and a formerly abandonedcabin whose recent transforma-

tion into a postmodern home hasbeen featured in the national me-dia .

The event aims to promote ourneighborhood's past and encour-age preservation and restoration.Some of the homes retain theiroriginal character, while othershave been restored in innovativeways. As the neighborhood contin-ues to lose historic homes, theHistoric Echo Park Home Tour isof special significance in our con-tinuing efforts to protect ourneighborhood's cultural and archi-tectural past.

Last year, the first-ever HistoricEcho Park Home Tour attractedabout 350 people from acrossSouthern California. The tour was

the subject of a 30-minute televi-sion program featuring KCET per-sonality Huell Howser.

To purchase discounted ticketsin advance of the event, downloada copy of the order form in theHome Tour Section ofwww.HistoricEchoPark.org. Youcan also request a copy by [email protected] or bycalling (323) 860-8874.

This year's tour, chaired bymember Mary-Austin Klein, in-volves a large number of volun-teers to perform a variety of tasks.Please volunteer by calling us at(323) 860-8874 or by e-mailing usat [email protected].

More information about the touris available on our website:www.HistoricEchoPark.org
http://www.historicechopark.org/http://www.historicechopark.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.historicechopark.org/


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October

LAUSD MOVES INAt least one site reviewed by the school district had a dozen fewer

homes. School officials said it was too close to the freeway and wouldinvolve moving too many businesses. One neighborhood council memberpointed out that there is a willing seller for a 2.5-acre property on SunsetBoulevard. No response has come from the district on that suggestion.

The proposal would be somewhat easier to grasp if three Echo Parkelementary schools -- Mayberry, Elysian Heights and Clifford -- were notcurrently experiencing declining enrollment, or if the district could ex-plain why that phenomenon is occurring and how that development isbeing factored into its demographic analysis. Instead, the district hasprovided only basic data while moving toward taking these homes.

(Continued from page 1)

Located at 2011 W. Sunset Blvd. our new Library will have it's first Com-munity Open House on Saturday, October 16th from 10am until 5pm! Therewill be refreshments, live music, computer workshops, displays, book read-ings and much more, running throughout the day!

At this Open House we hope to involve the entire neighborhood. Schoolsand businesses, community groups and Neighborhood Councils, parents,residents, book lovers, history buffs - this Library is an amazing asset to boththe Echo Park and Silverlake community!

The Edendale Library Friends Society (ELFS) is organizing the OpenHouse and will be publishing an event program to help raise funds for thisnew organization to support the librarys programs.

You will love the new Library - and don't miss seeing local artist's Ernestodel la Loza's amazing mural inside!

Neighborhood Open House for Our New Edendale Library!


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October 2004

Event Date Location Comments

EPIA Meetings 1st Thursday, 7:00 p.m.Nov. 4, Dec 2

Williams Hall at BarlowHospital, 2000 StadiumWay in Elysian Park

Call EPIA message phonefor additional information

EPIA SteeringCommitteeMeetings

3rd Tuesdays, 7:15 p.m.Oct. 19, Nov. 16

Call (323) 882-4835 forlocation

Take an active part in EPIA.Join the Steering Committee

Chamber ofCommerceGeneral Meeting

Echo Park C of C informa-tion/message 213-630-3032

Citizens Commit-tee to Save Ely-sian Park Mtg.

1st Wednesday,7:30p.m., Nov. 3, Dec. 1

Williams Hall at BarlowHospital, 2000 StadiumWay in Elysian Park

Call 213-666-9651 for meet-ing location

Greater EchoPark ElysianNeighborhoodCouncil Meeting

4th Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Oct. 26, Nov. 23Logan Street SchoolAuditorium, 1711 W.Logan Street

Call (213) 413-3196 for infoor visit www.GEPENC.org

Deadline forDecember

EPIAn waysNewsletter

Friday, Nov. 19 Send submissions to EPIA,Attn: EPIAn Ways Editor

SPECIAL EVENTS

Edendale BranchLibrary GrandOpen House

Saturday, Oct. 1610a.m. to 5p.m.

Edendale BranchLibrary

2011 W. Sunset Blvd

There will be refreshments, livemusic, computer workshops, dis-plays, book readings and muchmore, running throughout the day!

GEPENCCandidate Forum

Saturday, Dec 4,Noon 2p.m.

Community Room -Edendale BranchLibrary - 12 - 2

To run for a Board position or sim-ply ask questions about ourNeighborhood Council, call (213)413-0372 (English) or (213) 487-

9804 (Espanol)GEPENCElections

Saturday, Dec 11,10a.m. to 3p.m.

Logan Street SchoolAuditorium, 1711 W.Logan Street

UPCOMING EPIA TOWN HALL MEETINGS

Development at Delta & Echo Park Ave Two Libraries

ECHO PARK CALENDAR


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October 2004

October Library Computer Classes7 & 21;Thu. Computer Comfort Learn to use theLibrarys electronic catalog to search for materials, renewitems, and place your own holds. Learn the basics ofsurfing the internet. Introduction to various databases andsearch engines. Bring your library card. Adults only.Familiarity with the keyboard and mouse is recommendedbut not mandatory. Call 213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch,4pm.18 & 25; Mon. Introduction to Basic Web Design Learnabout HTML codes to create a simple web page.Computer experience is mandatory. Call 213/250-7808.Echo Park Branch, 6pm.

Events23 Sat. Tarot Reading Program Come and receive shortmini-tarot readings. Sign-ups are required. Adults only.Call 213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch, 3pm.

Fun for KidsDailyGrandparents and Books For days and time call213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch.30 Sat. Halloween Storytime Need something to chillyour bones? Come hear creepy Halloween stories. Call213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch, 3pm.

November

Exhibitions1 - 8Echo Park Community Dia de los Muertos AltarLive flowers and community mementos grace this festiveDay of the Dead altar as part of an important Latinotradition.

Library Computer Classes2 Tue. Computer ComfortLearn to use the Libraryselectronic catalog to search for materials, renew items,and place your own holds. Learn the basics of surfing theInternet. Introduction to various databases and searchengines. Bring your library card. Adults only. Familiaritywith the keyboard and mouse is recommended but notmandatory. Call 213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch, 4pm.

16 Tue. Introduction to Basic Web Design Learn aboutHTML codes to create a simple web page. Computerexperience is mandatory. Call 213/250-7808. Echo ParkBranch, 4pm.

Events4 Thu. Consumer Rights A legal professional will

discuss recent changes in the law that effect your rightsas a consumer. Call 213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch,3pm.

13 Sat. Tarot Reading Program Come and receive shortmini-tarot readings. Sign-ups are required. Adults only.Call 213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch, 1pm and 4pm.

20 Sat. Tarot Reading Program Come and receive shortmini-tarot readings. Sign-ups are required. Adults only.Call 213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch, 1pm and 4pm.

Fun for Kids

Daily Grandparents and Books For days and time call213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch.

2 Tue. Dia de los Muertos Face painting Comecelebrate Day of the Dead with local artist Luiza Padilla-Mavropoulos who will do calavera (skull) face painting.Call 213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch, 3pm.

23 Tue. An Indian Thanksgiving Chiricahua ApacheBryan Brightcloud discusses Native American traditionand culture. Call 213/250-7808. Echo Park Branch, 3pm.

ECHO PARK LIBRARY HAPPENINGS

Library HoursMondays

10:00am - 8:00 pmTuesdays 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Wednesdays 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 Address1410 W. Temple StreetLos Angeles CA 90026Phone 213.250.7808FAX 213.250.3744World Wide Web Address

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


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October

Jeepers Creepers, tis comin round the hauntingtime. Some of the older youth have already started

practicing their own scare tactics so when thatmysterious, frightening, dark, spooky night comesat the end of October, the younger kids will surelybe surprised. I even saw Captain Rollo the otherevening. He, of course, is more visual during themonth of October.

The end of summer CCAC took off-track kids on alonger camping trip. The campground is not farfrom Echo Park, yet far enough for some of the kidsto be away from home. The campground has asandy beach area, fishing, bicycle rentals, and anindoor pool. The pictures looked so beautiful, I evencontemplated trying camping. I still like the idea of

staying in a motel and visiting the campers duringthe day. Our camping trips are funded by the youthhaving rummage sales. Each track that has time offfrom school makes an agenda for events they wouldlike to attend. The longer the track the morerummage sales and the more places they can go. Abig group went to Magic Mountain for the day.

Amusement park trips are always popular.This season also is the beginning for our in-house

basketball teams. Now they are practicing and play-offs will begin later this month. I was downstairs the

other day and almost joined in the game. They hada little half wiffle (or is it waffle) ball they werehitting. It was the cutest little ball I had seen in along time. I started to pick it up but was prevented

from doing so by all the kids hollering at me.We have a policy that the kids cannot play sports

if they do not do their homework. I just lovecorrecting the papers. Arturo Espinosa draws adifferent state each week and picks out the statecapital. He colors the map with bright colors. Thekids seem to know which staff member they want tocorrect their homework. Jesus came in one day andhad Maryanne correct his paper. By the time hefinished correcting it, Maryanne and I werelaughing. He had to correct all his sentences, eachand every 15 of them. Its good for all our staff tointeract with the kids both academically andphysically.

Remember, everyone is invited to stop by andsee us anytime. Donations are wanted for ourrummage sales. We will even come to your houseand pick up items.

Central City Action by Gloria

DROUGHT TOLERANTgarden to look its best, I still recommend thoroughsoakings once or twice a month.

Is a drought tolerant garden the same as a nativegarden? No, not really. While most California nativegardens are drought-tolerant, not every drought-tolerant garden will contain native specimens. A goodexample of non-native xeriscaping can be found at thesouthern end of Echo Park Lake.

What if Im not a big fan of cacti and succulents?Then dont use them. The list of drought tolerant

plants is a long and diverse one. Granted, a drought-tolerant garden can be one with cacti and succulents,but it can also be a garden with deciduous trees, for-mal trimmed hedges, and fragrant herbs. And, if you

want colorful flowers, just plant a few cistus x pur-pureus. (Its the plant with the pink flowers.)

If you have any other questions regardingdrought tolerant gardens, garden design, or plantswith pink flowers, you can reach Brian athttp://www.geocities.com/elysiangardens/

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CCAC campers take a tree shaded break on warm summer day


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October 2004

Most gardeners think of fall as the end of the grow-ing season. Fall is considered harvest time. It is whengrapes are crushed for wine, when wheat is threshed,a time for the last fresh fruits of the year. But here inSouthern California fall is different. We can plant atthe same time that we pick. Best of all we can stillrelish spending time out of doors. Most of the sum-mer heat is over, but it is still warm out even well intothe night. This is a great time of year to work in thegarden or just to enjoy dinner al fresco.

There are many things to do in the garden thistime of year. This is a great time to plant trees andother perennials. You want to wait a few months be-fore planting bare root fruit trees, but put in othertypes of trees before our short rainy season comes.Trees and other perennials will thrive if they can es-

tablish some roots before the cold and the rain arrive.This is also a great time to start a fall vegetable gar-den. You can plant peas, broccoli, cauliflower, cab-bage, lettuce, chard, beets and carrots. Even if youdont have a garden most of these plants do well incontainers. So take advantage of the season and growsomething wonderful.

Your Fall Garden by Lora Hall

SERVICE

ENTHUSIASM

EYE FOR DESIGN

RESULTS

The number of people showing an interest inhaving an environmentally friendly garden is grow-ing. This is a good thing. As a landscape designer, I

know that xeriscaping, or the use of drought-tolerant plants, is easier on our environment thantraditional lawns. As the one people come to whenthey have questions about gardening, it is often eas-ier to answer questions regarding drought-tolerantgardens, than, What is that plant...you know, withthe pink flowers? So, as a proponent of makinglife easy, lets start with drought-tolerant gardensand take it from there.

Does a drought tolerant garden need regularirrigation? Yes, at least initially. Drought-tolerantrefers to the mature plants ability to survive longerperiods without water, usually accomplished by es-

tablishing very deep root systems. It can take up toone year with deep, regular irrigation for a plant tofully establish its root system before it is ready tohandle drought conditions. However, even after ithas become established, for the drought-tolerant

(Continued on page 9)

By Brian Kitchens


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October

Extreme Teen You want food, friends and music.

You want some excitement. You want to get out of thehouse! Your wish is our command. Join our teen club to

plan trips and help the community. Youll have fun as a

bonus. Community Service, Adventure Program

Activities, Youth Employment Internship Programs and

College/ University Tours are planned continuously.

Adventure Programs are scheduled throughout the

year. Requirements need to be met in order to qualify

for the Adventure Program component of the club.

Fall: Surfing, Rock Climbing, Skateboarding, Mountain

Biking, Horseback Riding and HikingWinter: Rock Climbing, Mountain Biking, Skiing and

Snowboarding

Spring: Skateboarding, Hiking, Youth Leadership and

Camping

Summer: Fishing, Surfing, Snorkeling, Kayaking and

Sailing

(Ages: 1117. Thursday. 5:306:30 PM. Fee: Free)

Little Angels Academy Working in conjunction with

Kindergarten teachers in the local schools, trained

staff prepare our tiny tots and their parents for their

first day at school. Our program integrates parent

participation, field trips and parent training. All

materials covered are presented in the best way a tiny

tot can learn --- through play. Give your child and

family a bonus advantage at school through the Little

Angels Academy. (Ages: 35. Tuesday through Friday.

9:00 AM12:00 Noon. Fee: $20.00 per week plus

$25.00 yearly registration.)

Halloween Carnival Start off the holiday season

with a thrilling weekend of roller coasters, cotton

candy and stuffed animals. While youre having a great

time, you will be supporting the quality programs

offered to the community of Echo Park.

Open to all. Friday. 5:00 10:00 PM. Saturday and

Sunday. 1:00 10:00 PM. October 29 31, 2004.

Boo-Day Party Be sure to call for other Halloween

activities to be offered on Sunday, October 31.

Basketball (Girls Play LA)It is the goal of Echo

Park Recreation Center to provide quality sports

opportunities for everyone. Girls Play LA offers a

league for middle school age girls who are looking for

non co-ed athletics. (Registration starts Saturday,

September 18, 2004 @ 10:00 AM. Fee: $10.00)

Saturday

SpecialTypicalHaitian

Food

Mon Sat

11 am 7 pmSundays Group of 10or more byReservation Wood Burning Rotisserie

309 N. Glendale BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90026

www.tigeorgeschicken.comEmail: [email protected]


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October 2004

IT ALMOST DIDNT SEEM like it was real. Afterthree years of on-again, off-again struggles, thecorner storefront at Echo Park Avenue and DeltaStreet turned into a lovely coffeehouse to meet theneeds of its caffeine deprived neighbors. Changoopened up right next to beloved neighborhood tiendaEl Batey, serving up caffeine and baked goods asearly as 5 a.m.

Changos opening seems to come at just the righttime, coinciding with the arrival of other newbusinesses. Masa, at Sunset and Lemoyne, hasalready wowed customers with its array of bakedgoods, from rosemary bread to berry tarts. And ElCompadre, the sibling to a restaurant of the samename in Hollywood, took over the former Saratogarestaurant at Sunset and Sutherland.

JUST NORTH OF CHANGO, developers of a 38-unitaffordable housing project are moving forward withtheir development plans for Chicken Corner. InsiteDevelopment received its funding from City Hall inlate September and is hoping to meet with thecommunity in coming weeks.

Neighbors immediately surrounding the site aremore than a little anxious about the projects affecton the notoriously difficult parking situation that

exists on and around Echo Park Avenue.Preservations, in turn, are bummed that Insite wantsto raze a 1911 farmhouse to make way for its multi-story project.

There seems to have been a civic hangoverfollowing a gay and lesbian Latino pride festival that

took place at Echo Park Lake in August. Stafferswith the citys Recreation and Parks Departmentreported to the neighborhood council that organizersof the festival still owe the department $3,000 tocover beer sales revenue, a damaged irrigationsystem and other costs.

Organizers charged $10 per ticket for the event atthe park, although parade viewing on SunsetBoulevard was free.

IS EVERYTHING OLD NEW AGAIN? Youd thinkso after walking into 33 and 1/3 Bookstore onAlvarado Street. Lefties across Southern Californialamented the demise of the Midnight Specialbookstore in Santa Monica. As it turns out, theshelves were saved and now grace the interior of 331/3, an establishment on the Eastside that isdecidedly anti-establishment.

THE SAD SAGA surrounding Pioneer Market took adisappointing turn last month, with Trader Joesreporting that they have no interest in occupying theas-yet-unleased space in the old Pioneer building.

Because Walgreens plans to occupy only half thePioneer building, neighborhood volunteers hadcontacted Trader Joes about leasing the other half.Echo Park residents had been hoping for a market toremain at Sunset and Echo Park and have longcomplained that Trader Joes Hyperion store is anightmare of traffic and parking woes.

Neighborhood volunteers, who received littlelogistical support from City Hall, were told of Trader

Joes decision just before Labor Day.COULD THE SCHOOL BOARD BE BIGGER JERKS?

Thats the question after some Echo Park residentstried to testify about a plan to demolish their homesso that a new elementary school can be built.

The school, which had been proposed for a stretchof neighborhood extending west from Alvarado Street,would take out at least 40 homes. The school board,in its wisdom, allowed only seven people to speak and those comments had to be arranged in advanceby telephone reservation.

Echo Park rarely if ever sees its school board

members, David Tokosfky and Jose Huizar, but weassume they would be irritated by such a process iftheir family home was on the chopping block.

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

EPIAn Ways October 2004

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