Fighting Failure at Eagle Rock High

by Tom Topping

President of the CEAC committee, Brandi Chavira tries to get a handle on NCLB

It all started out sounding like a good idea. "No Child Left Behind," a federally funded program to do something about our failing school system. (Now say this in your best George W. voice.)
"We're gonna increase accountability."
"We're gonna provide more freedom to determine how education funds are spent."
"We'll be using proven educational methods."
"We'll provide more choices for parents."
Yes, it all sounds like the best thing since sliced bread. It is a national issue, but it is a local one, too.
The funding is there, no doubt about it. 25 billion nationwide for this year. That's billion with a B. Those funds can be used for many things. Tutoring, materials and equipment are just a few items that the funding can be used for.
The local control consists of educators coming up with a plan to increase performance at each school. There is also an avenue for parent involvement. That parent involvement is necessary, to some degree, for a school to continue receiving funding.
But at Eagle Rock High School, it's not really working. (Apparently, it's not really working in most of the country either.)
As the money comes in, it gets budgeted for many items. Some of the money is earmarked for certain programs. The draft budget is neatly printed on white paper. The descriptions are full of abbreviations and acronyms. The Program Coordinator starts the budget meeting, and drones on in a monotone voice. The acronyms are coming fast and furious. It sounds like alphabet soup.
At the end of the meeting, strictly in a matter of minutes, a group of Eagle Rock High School kid's parents are supposed to absorb this. They are supposed to understand this. They are supposed to make an informed recommendation as to where they think the $560,000 of next year's funds would be spent most effectively. (I just spent 6 hours studying the budget materials, and I can say that now, I only have an idea of how much I don't know.)
The parents start to complain. They are unhappy with the way they have been treated. They know the school is not performing. They know that out of a $400,000 budget last year, their kids were refused tutoring services. They know the coordinators, already full time employees, are splitting another $67,000 a year for the coordinator salary. They believe that some positions that should be funded by the district are instead coming out of their Title 1 / No Child Left Behind funding.
They had been asking for the "Data Sheet" (a report of the last few weeks of student performance.) They need that to see how the school is performing. They had been delayed from getting it. They had only three days to study it. They know that student performance is getting worse, not better.
The educators, in contrast, move smoothly and professionally. They are working as a team, practically finishing each other's sentences. There is a marked patronizing tone to their voices. You can almost hear them thinking, "You can't expect mere parents to know anything about their child's education. WE are the education professionals. WE know what's best."
The meeting ends, it seems like nothing was accomplished. The parents at the front of the room are obviously out gunned, out maneuvered and out smarted.
A few days later the parent-president of the Compensatory Education Committee is told she must sign some papers, signifying that she received the budget. Later, she discovers she was misled into signing approval of the budget.

LUCKILY...
There is an enormous amount of information available on the internet regarding Title 1/ No Child Left Behind (NCLB), and related laws. Even in my hasty search, I found out two things rather quickly, though I'm no expert.
1. All states, school districts and schools are given a report card to judge their progress. You can look up every public school in the nation at http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/welcome.asp
2. If your child is enrolled in a school that is failing for two consecutive years, you have the right to transfer your kid to a better performing school- with transportation at the school district's expense! (They didn't mention any of this at the meeting!)
These are all part of the "four pillars of NCLB" You can read all about them by going to: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/4pillars.html
Linked to this site are the FAQs, an executive summary, and the actual text of the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) act is readily available as well.
If you now have more questions than answers, join the club.
I wouldn't worry too much about it though. If you are the type of parent who is intimately involved in your child's education, everything should be fine. And the educators and administrators at Eagle Rock High School seem competent enough to control a budget from which they get paid. In fact, that is the one thing that no one has to worry about. Like all good bureaucrats, these folks are for sure taking good care of their butts, and their needs.
But God help the rest of us.

Here are a few excepts from the various sites I visited:
H.R.1 will empower parents, citizens, educators, administrators, and policymakers with data from those annual assessments. The data will be available in annual report cards on school performance and on statewide progress. They will give parents information about the quality of their children's schools, the qualifications of teachers, and their children's progress in key subjects.
This school, (Eagle Rock High School) designated as a high school for AYP reporting, has not met all requirements for 2005 Adequate Yearly Progress as determined by the California Department of Education.
These results are from the 2005 Accountability Progress Report (APR), released by the California Department of Education in August 2005. Click here for more information about APR.
NCLB lists a series of increasingly serious interventions for schools that remain in Program Improvement. These begin with revising a plan for the school and giving parents the option to transfer their students to schools that are not in Program Improvement, with the district providing transportation.
The second year adds providing professional development and offering tutoring to low-income students. If the school hasn't made AYP in four years, the outcome could be significant restructuring or takeover in the fifth year. A total of 249 schools were at this final stage as of September 2005.

Celia M. Nogueira

(Linda Lopez)

Passed away May 3, 2006 at the home of her beloved son (Michael Nogueira) and daughter-in-law (Eugénie Nogueira) in Eagle Rock, California. Born in El Paso, Texas on May 26, 1922, to Antonia Rodríguez and Vicente Barrera López.
Linda was best known locally for bringing live music to Colombo's restaurant. Her regular spot on every Friday and Saturday night had a huge following. She loved performing and would often play at various local senior events.
She was a true professional and could play anything. She had learned to play piano at the urging of an uncle at a very young age. She made her mark in the music world with her all girl big band, Linda Lopez and her Orchestra.
Linda is survived by her five children; Victor Nogueira (Pixie), Michael Nogueira (Eugénie), Peacha Nogueira (Greg), Yolanda Nogueira (Mark), and Charlie Nogueira (Karen); her five grandchildren; Priscilla, Ferrari, Angel, Danny and Douglas; her brother Rubén López and sister Evangelina Narváez; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, May 9, 2006 at 10:30 AM at St. Bernard Catholic Church, 2516 West Avenue 33, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Grave site to follow at Forest Lawn-Glendale, 1712 S. Glendale Blvd., Glendale, CA 91205

Hundreds Protest Drug Rehab

A crowd of about 200 showed up last month to protest a local apartment owner's plan to convert an Eagle Rock apartment building into a "drug rehab" facility. The meeting, arranged hastily by Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce leaders, was held at the historic 20th Century Women's Club on April 11. Invited and attending were representatives from the office of State Senator Jack Scott, Assemblymember Carol Liu, County Supervisor Gloria Molina, the County Alcohol and Drug Program Administration, the Los Angeles City Housing Department and in a surprise move, Councilman José Huizar himself attended.
The meeting got off to a somewhat embarrassing start as one after another government official questioned whether reports of the owner's plans were accurate, reinforced by the fact that no permits have been applied for or issued.
Ernistine L. Moore, district director for State Senator Jack Scott, said, "We have checked with the State. As you know, the drug rehab facilities have to be licensed by the State. We have determined that they have no record of any application submitted." She continued, "At this time we cannot comment on ony of this because they have not submitted an application, so we don't know what the person is going to do." She then outlined the process and commented that if they did apply they probably could get a license, adding, "That's all I can say to you, I don't have any other knowledge about this."
Her statements became a repeating theme amongst the panelists as they were explaining why they could not help, which contrasted with the one who promised to do what he could to help.
Neighborhood Prosecutor Donna Wong said, "We only work on a complaint application from law enforcement... there is no pending complaint application."
City Councilman José Huizar cleared all that when he said, "I will unequivocally oppose a drug rehab center in my district. From the City perspective, any application for zoning or any other requirements that will be discretionery approval ... if any of this comes to the city I will oppose it." For that statement, he received a huge applause.
He continued by saying, "Let's keep an eye on this, let's continue to inform ourselves, I'm very interested myself to see exactly what's being planned, so that then we can see what we can do."
The audience then had a chance to participate, and started off with reasonable questions. Concerns were raised about the proximity of a facility like this to schools and places that sell liquor or on known routes where children walk to school.
Maxine Maclearn advised that there was nothing anyone was able to do about the drug rehab that moved in next door to her. "I sent letters to all the representatives and I never heard a word!"
Eagle Rock resident Jane Goldman spoke for the drug rehabs saying, "Why is there this fear of the unknown? I work in a sober living facility... I have heard of no incidents in all of these."
Local activitst Chris Grove asked if there was any criteria for placement of such a facility, and if there was any requirement for community input about the appropriateness of a proposed location.
Inevitably, parallels were drawn between the proposed rehab patients and the residents of the nearby Alma Lodge, a local board and care existing over thirty years.
The Alma Lodge patients are often seen panhandling and wandering around. A resident living near that facility said, "I have to be careful which boots I'm wearing, they assess my wealth and ask me for money."
Referring to the Alma Lodge, and calling it abusive, another resident worried about more of the same, and called the new proposal, "Not well done."
In a bit of back and forth, a man who said, "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know what kind of people would be living there," got in an exchange with Ms. Goldman, the sober living worker.
"Where do you live?' he asked.
"I live in Eagle Rock," she replied.
"Then tell us what street you live on and we'll put the godamned thing next to you!" he yelled.
Another less confrontive exchange was between Assemblyperson Carol Liu's representative, Talin Mangioglu and a local woman. The rep. told everyone that direct contact needs to be made with the landlord, and community members took that to mean they were being told they should do the contacting themselves.
The local woman answered by saying, "You're saying we need to speak to the landlord? I mean, that's what we're asking you guys to do, we want you to help us. That's what you all were elected to do is help us. If we're supposed to do it we should've been elected."
Of all the folks working for various levels of government, only Councilman Huizar stood up and stood out when he said, "I will make it an attempt to meet with the owner."
The final concluding remarks were also made by the councilman. He said, "I will take the responsibility to keep the community informed. It's not that we're opposed to people being rehabilitated, but this is not the best location to place this facility."
Since the meeting, more information has been received from confidential sources. It seems that it was never the intention of the owner to convert the apartment to a proposition 36 funded drug rehab facility.
New information paints a picture of man, the landlord, an immigrant from Mexico, who apparently thinks he is still south of the border. His record of ignoring American norms of law and culture is documented within past legal fights with his Hill Drive neighbors. It indicates that he may in fact be thinking he can open a lock-down type of facility where an experimental drug will be used to privately help addicts kick the habit, as easily as one could be opened in Mexico.
Whether or not the proper Federal, State and local regulations will be followed concerning the experimental testing of non F.D.A. approved medications remains in question for everyone. Everyone that is, apparently with the exception of the owner.

DAVID MARTIN KINNEY

David was born January 14, 1940, and passed away April 6, 2006. At age 66, he still loved to hunt, fish, go camping and water ski.
David lived life to the fullest and leaves behind a very loving family. He had been married to his wife Bonnie for 38 years and had two grand children, Cynthia and Steve. He also had a son-in-law Tom Lambakis, sister Jeannie and husband Bill Ryan. He had a sister-in-law Tina and husband Neil MacDonnell. He left behind nieces Shelley Askins and husband Michael, niece Kyle MacDonnell and nephew Michael and wife Kathreen. David also had a large number of uncles and aunts. He was preceded in death by his Mom Martha, and Dad Chester Kinney.
David was born in Glendale, but lived all of his life in Eagle Rock. He went to Dahlia Elementary, and Eagle Rock Jr. High & High School. In the early 60's, he graduated from Cal State L.A. with a B.A. and went to work in 1964 with the County Health Department as an Health Inspector. He retired in 2001, after working for 37 years with the county. He belonged to the Eagle Rock Sportsman's Club for over 30 years, and just recently joined the American Legion.
A "Celebration of Life" was held at this daughter's house in Altadena on April 23 at 2:00. There was a large turnout of about 150 people, for an Irish Wake in David's honor. The family even had a man that played Amazing Grace on the Bagpipe. There were family, friends and business associates who shared many stories of David and all the many pranks that he played on everyone.
He was cremated, and his ashes will be scattered at sea in the near future. David had a lot integrity and was a true patriot. He spent six years of his life as a reservist in the Naval Air Reserve. He was always trying to right a wrong. He will be truly missed by his family, and all the friends he made throughout his life.

Will Trash Fee Mean
Better LAPD? NO!
by Jim Perry,
Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council
The problem with the Los Angeles Police Department is NOT too few officers, but rather a complete lack of resources, infrastructure and equipment for the existing police force in Los Angeles. Adding more police officers will only serve to exacerbate the existing problems. Instead of having two police officers using obsolete and malfunctioning phones, cars, computers and offices, LA Mayor Anthony Villaraigoisa proposes to double the police force, yet offers no additional support mechanisms in place to make the existing staff a viable police department for public safety.
Add to this mix, the fact that the City Attorney office and Los Angeles Superior Courts will not prosecute the majority of criminal activities to any substantial degree even if the LAPD were actually willing to arrest and prosecute crimes against property or persons. Only well publicized crimes or fatal injuries get the attention and resources of the public prosecutors. The LAPD will usually ignore most citizen's crime reports, because the officers know that a one hour response will lead to two hours of paperwork, and four hours of court time to testify. Too much work for the volume of non-violent cases reported daily.
This band-aid approach that the City of LA is about to launch will likely prove to be an expensive exercise in futility for the thousands of LA residents who recognize that the LAPD is a dis-functional organization in dire need of funding, equipment and facilities to manage their existing workload and staff.
Hiring more firemen without giving them more trucks, stations, equipment and fire hydrants is a more obvious example of the LAPD staff situation. We need to first fix the support problems of the existing police force before attempting to hire more people to accomplish less efficient work given the existing resources. Doubling or tripling the cost of garbage collection to pay for more police services is a good idea in theory, but bad in practice.
In simple terms, we are putting the garbage cart before the horse.
What can be done to solve the situation? How about listening to what the public is demanding to be done about the vandals, graffitti, gangs etc. Throw the book at the perpetrators of crimes and stop the revolving door policy of the LA Court System.
Stop putting drug rehabilition houses in the middle of residential neighborhoods that attract more crime and drug dealing.
Stop distributing the homeless out to each community to "share the misery" of downtown Los Angeles. How can the Los Angeles Police Department become more efficient is the real issue to resolve? How about implementing a police crack-down instead of a Police crack-up?
Start funding functional equipment and communications systems for the existing LAPD staff so that they can operate at 100% efficiency instead of the present 40 to 50% coverage.
Start installing community wide surveillence cameras in higher crime report sites so that incidents can be captured for evidence and crime prevention. One police officer using remote cameras connected to the internet can see 10 different locations at one time instead of trying to physically be in 10 different places reporting criminal activities. If all the Police do now is record keeping why not streamline the system to track trouble spots. Such reports are easily traced with specific source IP addresses, so even if a report is bogus, a false report can be identified down to a specific computer address or phone line.
We need to repair the cart rather than adding another horse to drag the broken vehicle down the street. If LA City garbage costs increase it won't be the end of the world, but Mayor Villaraigoisa needs to reallocate and rethink how those funds will be spent to make LAPD a more effective organization. Bigger is not better.
Sincerely, Jim Perry

Felicia's 30th...
Finding Success at $4 a Head
Once I heard Felicia's story, I learned it's a typical immigrant success story.
She said, "In Mexico no one cares about you. One time my mother was having problems supporting her kids and the government told her, 'how come you had so many kids if you can't afford them?'"
Thinking that there must ba a better life in America, she came to this country illegally in 1968. She was only 16 years old. She didn't speak any English and sometimes had to take food out of the trash to survive.
Luckily, she had a sister living here and she got a job at a grocery store for $1.25 an hour.
She started going to school to learn English and soon made friends at class with other immigrants learning English. She had tried to apply to become a nurse but was rejected because of her poor English skills. Her new friends suggested she try Beauty School and she started gong. She had to scrape to get by on her grocery store wages and still afford to pay the $10 per month at beauty school. She could only go part time and it took five years to finish the program.
She met her husband Manuel, married and had 4 children.
She later went to ELA College to take advanced English classes. She and a friend somehow got together $5000 and bought a beauty shop business at the corner of York and Figueroa. Five years later she had to move out and found another location up the street. She is still there and going strong.
But providing beauty services is not the only work she does.
"Every holiday we used to sell outside in the parking lot." One Mother's Day, she bought too many imitation flowers, and had a lot left over. She had observed people driving in, looking at the flowers and pulling right back out again. Felicia had discovered that people wanted fresh flowers, and soon found a small refrigerator to keep the flowers in her shop.
One day she was contacted by a man from "Teleflora." Soon she was taking and sending orders all over the country. Now she's joined FTD as well and business is good.
One thing Felicia has learned, is to come up woith ideas and give it a try.
When her daughter grew up and went through beauty school, she wanted to do something to generate business. Trying to think up specials that they could sell, they started $4 haircuts, on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
The idea was a winner. "We had too much business," she said.
They discover they were getting much more than $4 however.
"A lot of people appreciate it," she said. "Especially families with 4 or 6 kids. It makes a big difference for them."
And so, even though the ten cent cup of coffee is long gone, the $4 haircut lives on.
"One day I was near the door and I heard two ladies talking to each other. They were saying they didn't think they would get a good job for $4. Three weeks later they were back wanting haircuts. I told them I had heard them talking the few weeks before. The lady told me her sister had gotten a haircut and it was good so they came."
Today, she still gives the $4 haircuts, although most people pay 6, 8 or $10 for her service. It is available by appointment only- no walk-ins are allowed.
She has found a way to give back to a community and country that has given her so much.
She says, "I'm very grateful for this country- there's all kinds of opportunities here. If you're willing to work hard here you can make it."
I asked her about the big boycott, would she be staying closed on May 1?
"Because I have Teleflora and FTD, I can't," she said. "I joined their service- If I get orders I have to make them."

MOTHER EARTH

by Robin Robinson
Welcome to a column discussing ways that we can take care of our ultimate Mother, the Earth. We just celebrated another Earth Day this past Sunday, with an annual event than began back in 1970 to generate awareness of how we humans are impacting our beautiful planet. We need to be aware of how we can minimize the negative effects of our being here, how we can "tread lightly" on the land.
Eagle Rock is a wonderful home to us all, and we can show our appreciation for this comfortable and beautiful living space by doing many small things to minimize our impact. Here is a brief list of 20 things that will cost you little or nothing, might even save money, and you can start today:
* Take you own bag(s) to the market to carry home your groceries.
* Rake or sweep up leaves for mulch instead of using a gasoline or electric blower.
* Buy locally grown produce at the Farmers' Market, Friday evenings on Caspar.
* Catch rain water in a pot or pan to give to your house plants.
* Take a walk to someplace local like the video store you normally drive to.
* While you are walking, pick up clean paper trash and take it home to recycle.
* Take your commuter mug to Swork/Starbucks instead of using their paper cups.
* Park and stand in line with your body instead of idling your car at the drive-thru.
* Spend an "Amish" night at home reading by candle light, talking, or singing.
* Order one less entrée at dinner out with a group, and don't bring containers home.
* Spend one week without generating any non-recyclables for the black trash bin.
* Use organic fertilizers like fish emulsion and steer manure.
* Use organic cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda.
* Car pool just one day a week (Thursday) and see if you might want to do it daily.
* Turn off your cell phone charger and computer when you're not using them.
* Buy some re-chargeable batteries and a charger.
* Check your tires to make sure they are properly inflated, and save gasoline.
* Put on a warm sweater instead of turning up the heater.
* Make the next book you read a library book.
Stay tuned for more tips and more discussion about earth-friendly living. And remember, when we say Mother Earth, "Mother" is a verb. Take care of your mama, she gave us life.

New Soccer Field Dedicated in Glassell Park
Councilmember José Huizar, along with Councilmember Eric Garcetti, US Soccer Stars Landon Donavan and Brandi Chastain (in photo) joined with Nike and the Amateur Athletic Foundation (AAF) of Los Angeles to celebrate the dedication of a new Soccer Field in Glassell Park.
The Joga Bonito Soccer Field was donated by Nike in partnership with the Amateur Athletic Foundation and is important to the community of Glassell Park because it encourages area kids to stay active through sports.
Nike announced its commitment valued at $1 million this week to fuel U.S. soccer in 15 communities throughout the U.S.
Nike will donate three Joga Bonito soccer fields in Los Angeles, three fields in New York and four fields in Chicago, as well as provide soccer equipment for 12 additional cities.
Each of the 10 fields is made from FieldTurf synthetic grass, and is designed to introduce the Brazilian futsal-style of small-field soccer that emphasizes ball control and foot skills to youth recreation and club teams.
The Joga Bonito field will be used primarily by the local Anahuak League and its 1,500 kids. The Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles (AAF) partnered with Nike to provide funding for the field.

Local Man Appears on Armenian TV
Local businessman Ray Patel, owner of the Welcome Inn on Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock, appeared on ABC-TV Live (Armenian Broadcasting Network) last week to inform the Glendale Community about the broken promises of developer Rick Caruso. Caruso, a former L.A. Police Commission President, developed the Grove near Fairfax, and is the developer for the Americana Mall at Brand and Colorado as well as another contentious development across from the Santa Anita Mall in Santa Anita.
The Glendale development sits right next to Mr. Patel's other property, the Best Western Golden Key motel. Patel feels that the proximity of the trash transfer facility directly across from his motel, will hurt his business as his patrons may be awakened in the early morning hours by the trash pick-up activity.
Early in the process, Patel had expressed his concerns to Caruso, who promised in writing that no trash loading would occur adjacent to the motel. Patel accepted that promise and did not oppose Causo at the public hearings. When final design plans were unveiled, the trash pick-up was still there, causing great dismay for Patel.
"All I want is for the man to keep his word," said Patel in a recent interview.
Glendale City leaders were not concerned about the broken promise and have ignored Mr. Patel's complaints. The interest of the Armenian media was piqued, as Mr. Vrej Agajanian, termed the most influential man in the four city area, (Glendale, Burbank, Montrose and La Cañada) was interested in telling the story. He invited Patel and his Lawyer, Jeffrey Springer, to appear and tell their tale on camera. It was broadcast live on Charter Cable channel 26, and is scheduled to repeat many times.

José Huizar and Hathaway Sponsor Easter Egg Hunt at Yosemite Rec.
City Councilmember José Huizar and the City of L.A.'s Department of Recreation & Parks, in conjunction with Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services, AEG, AT&T and Megatoys held their 1st Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Yosemite Park in Eagle Rock on Saturday, April 15, 2006.
Here, a a troop of kids descend on the sand box as Huizar and his Eagle Rock Deputy Frank Aguirre try to referee.
Nearly 600 Easter Baskets were distributed to children in the community and Huizar awarded 12 brand new children's bicycles to kids who found the golden eggs. The Egg Hunt was followed by arts & crafts, face painting, a visit from the Easter Bunny and a coloring contest.

4th Annual Optimist Career Day
At-risk teens served by Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services (OYHFS) get the chance to look into their futures by learning about various business opportunities that await them at the 4th Annual Career Day Thursday, May 11 (10 a.m. – noon) hosted by the non-profit agency at its Highland Park campus.
As Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services celebrates its 100th anniversary, nearly 30 companies and businesses representing a universe of career choices will participate in the half-day event.
With approximately 200 at-risk youth from various OYHFS programs attending, Career Day is designed to provide the youth with valuable and insightful information that will help them prepare for career and life goals when they strike out on their own.
Organizations and businesses scheduled to attend include The Art Institute of California, Chase College, Los Angeles City Fire Department, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Forestry Division, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles Fire Department Bureau of Emergency Services, Port of Los Angeles, Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel and Spa and the U.S. Navy. Representatives from the professions of real estate, architecture, accounting, communications and law will also participate.
"We are extremely excited to have so many talented people from our business community involved in this event," said Silvio Orlando, executive director of Optimist Youth Homes & Family Services. "It gives our kids an enriching experience that will help them choose the right career path."
Founded in 1906, Optimist Youth Homes & Family Services annually cares for hundreds of abused, troubled and neglected youth and juvenile offenders on probation from around California and is one of the largest such private centers in the region. It operates a residential program at its main campus for 100 adolescent boys, six group homes for boys and girls, a private high school, a foster care and adoption agency and multifaceted programs for community youth and parents. It is accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Children and Family Services.

57 years ago in front of Eagle Rock High:

“on Jan 11, 1949 it snowed six inches” It is very unusual to see snow in Eagle Rock. Well on Jan 11, 1949 it snowed six inches. I skipped school that day and used my sled on the hill in front of my house. By the time I took this picture much of it had melted. The Line 45 bus on Yosemite Dr. skidded in the ice and snow and ended up on the front lawn of Eagle Rock High School. The buildings have all been replaced since then. You can see the wrecker pulling the bus back to the street. The bus was a 6600 type 36 passenger. Alan Weeks (Photos) Boys to be Leaders of Men Last Year’s Boys State Participants: Lt to Rt. front row: Student Evett Rivera, Evelyn Zepeda, Jessica Navarro and Rosio Lopez, Professor Monica Whalen and The American Legion's Department Chairman of the Children & Youth Commission, Thomas Walsh. Lt. to Rt. back row: Dr. Stanley W. Moore. Professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University, Student of Franklin High School: Pablo Gutierrez and Brandin Engersbach 17th District Boys State Chairman Richard Ledesma is looking for a few good boys of high character and academic achievement that will take part in the 69th Session of the California Boys State 2006 at California State University-Sacramento. It will be a week of learning State Government by taking part in establishing a state as well as learning the political process by running campaigns to elect members in their assigned political party. The trip will be from June 17th through 24th, and all cost for fees and transportation will be paid for. The boys will join 800 other delegates to Boys State who on arrival will be registered and assigned a room. The room will indicate the City assigned and a political party, either a Whig or Federalist Party member. Each delegate will also be given a room key, material to study for the Bar Exam, a Manual of California Government, one t-shirt, and an identification badge. Objectives and Goals To develop civic leadership and pride in American citizenship. To arouse a keen interest in the detailed study of our government. To develop an understanding of American traditions and belief in the United States of America. To arouse in the young citizens a determination to maintain our form of government. The Boy will have an intense study of the function and operation of government in California for the City, County and State Levels. In order to obtain the maximum benefit from the Program, delegates selected and attend must have demonstrated skills in leadership, citizenship, intelligence, character, and scholarship, and must be self-motivated. The delegates that attend the California Boys State program will have an experience and make friends that will be remembered for a lifetime. For those who are upward bound to higher education, having Boys State on their resume is a major plus when applying for college as well when applying for employment. Any Highland Park Student who is a Junior in High School with one final year remaining as a senior who is interested, contact Richard Ledesma 17th Dist. Boys State Chairman at: (323) 257-9600 x120 or email: richardledesma@hathaway-sycamores.org The deadline is May 10. For further information on Boys State: http: //www.calegion.org/html/boys_state.html Museums of the Arroyo Day May 7, 2005 Event Will Feature Exhibits, Special Events, Crafts and Family Fun; Free Shuttle, Free Admission to Five Area Museums Free day offers one of the last chances to tour all galleries at the Southwest Museum before it closes in July for renovation. Here's a recipe for a memorable Sunday: great art, architecture, music and family fun with some historical discoveries thrown in for good measure. The best part? It's all free. On May 7, 2006 the 17th annual Museums of the Arroyo (MOTA) Day invites the public to tour five museums located along the celebrated Arroyo Seco in Los Angeles and Pasadena for a free day of music, storytelling, art, crafts and entertainment. MOTA Day museums are open for free tours from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m and festivities are scheduled at each museum throughout the day. Special events at this year's MOTA Day include: The Gamble House. Visitors can enjoy a performance by Grammy-awardingR winning musicologist Ian Whitcomb and his Bungalow Boys; children can do crafts in the backyard. Heritage Square Museum. Guests can observe a Spanish American War encampment, watch traditional woodcarving demonstrations and listen to historical storytellers as well as enjoy music and traditional dancing. Children can play with Victorian toys and do crafts while adults can check out vintage vehicles. The Lummis Home and Garden. Folk singers Gigi and Mike will lead family sing-alongs with tunes from the turn-of-the century. Daniel Lewis will present a historical characterization of Charles F. Lummis and kids will make and take home miniature versions of the Lummis home. The Pasadena Museum of History. Guests can tour the museum's current exhibition "Tiny Perspectives: A History of Miniatures" as well as watch a puppet show from the Conservatory of Puppetry Arts. Later kids can make their own puppets; miniatures will also be available. The Fenyes Mansion and Finnish Folk Art Museum will be opened for tours. The Southwest Museum. Visitors can hear tales from Native American storyteller Robert Greygrass and listen to children's book readings. This will be one of the last chances for the public to tour The Southwest Museum in its entirety -- the museum is scheduled to close in July for a 3-1/2 year renovation project. Getting to MOTA Day is easy --- take the Gold Line to MOTA Day and jump off at either the Southwest Museum or Heritage Square station, where free shuttles will escort you to MOTA Day. Or park your car once and shuttle to the museums of your choice. For more information call the MOTA hotline (213) 740-TOUR (8687) or go to www.museumsofthearroyo.com. THE MOTA MUSEUMS THE GAMBLE HOUSE (4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, 626-793-3334) An internationally recognized National Historic Landmark, The Gamble House is the most complete and best-preserved example of the work of renowned Pasadena architects Charles and Henry Greene. HERITAGE SQ MUSEUM (3800 Homer Street, Los Angeles, 626-796-2898) Through guided tours, changing exhibits and special events, Heritage Square Museum takes its guest back in time to eras where electricity was a novelty, a trip to the beach was often a full-weekend activity and manners were distinctly different from those of today. THE LUMMIS HOME AND GARDEN (200 East Avenue 43, Los Angeles, 323-222-0546) A turn-of-the century home built over a 12-year period with stones from the arroyo by Charles Lummis, early activist, author and civic booster. Lummis also founded the Southwest Museum and was the first city editor of the fledging Los Angeles Times. PASADENA MUSEUM OF HISTORY (470 W. Walnut Street, Pasadena, 626-577-1660) A museum and research library/archives focusing on the history of Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley, the museum is on the grounds of one of the few remaining grand homes on Pasadena's former "Millionaire's Row." The 1906 Beaux Arts Fenyes Mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. SOUTHWEST MUSEUM (234 Museum Drive, Los Angeles, 323-221-2164) As the nationally renowned and the oldest museum in Los Angeles, the Southwest Museum houses one of the most significant collections of American Indian art and materials cultures in the country. Ranging from prehistoric to contemporary works, the museum's exhibitions represent the diversity of American Indians with special attention to cultures of the native people of California.

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Hillside Ordinance Delayed-
Planning Commissioner Chastises Council Offices
by Tom Topping
The L.A. Planning Commission President openly chastised Kimberly Yu, the CD 14 council office planning deputy last month, after she asked for a delay in the public hearing of the hillside development interim control ordinance. Noting that dozens of hillside ordinance protesters had waited all day to tell their side in the proposed ordinance, Commission President Usher was visibly showing her anger when she said, through gritted teeth, "I'm very disappointed. We have had people waiting for hours and hours and hours."
The proposed interim hillside control ordinance will limit a property owner's ability to develop their property. It is controversial because it pits the rights of people wanting to develop their private property against the rights of current residents to protect their scenic views, and open space.
It is not an unusual tactic for city hall operators to slant the proceedings to forward the process in the direction they prefer. Asking for a continuance to thwart the voices of protesters is just 'business as usual' for L.A. City officials.
On this day, however, the thwarting was on the other foot.
Ms. Usher said, "This is what we're going to do, ladies and gentlemen; We have a councilman that in very good faith is asking for a continuance. There is no doubt in my
mind that the right thing to do is grant the continuance. However, we're going to conduct the public hearing."
She then addressed the people who had been waiting all day to be heard. "Here is your option- as one of our guests you're more than welcome to stay and you're more than welcome to put testimony on the record.
"We will hear you again the next time we consider this matter... You are also welcome to leave at this point and know that we will hear your testimony the next time we meet, and I do apologize sincerely- very disappointing"
She then gave each person two minutes to have their say. She didn't like what she had heard.
Protester after protester told a story of un-returned telephone calls, and being on the losing end of a game, with the council office playing keep-away with public documents.
The protesters also described a very un-open and un-public process by which the "map" was created. (The "map" defines which properties in the ICO area are to be designated as protected or restricted as far as the issuance of new building permits is concerned.)
They said, "Those maps are not the result of any planning process from the city planning department. The way these maps were generated was through a private process. A certain staff, a certain council district and a certain key activists, including the chair of a city commission." They were saying that no objective process was used to identify these properties, but open space preservation activists chose which properties to include arbitrarily, by purely subjective methods.
If this seems a little hard to understand, look at it this way. Some people have probably been busting their butts to pay the mortgage on a property they expected would be their nest egg for retirement. If their buildable rights are taken, so is their retirement and years of their labor.
Others have been living in a rustic hillside environment for years, and are fighting to keep their "quality of life" which possibly includes unrestricted scenic views, and uncrowded neighborhoods. They don't want to give up any of it.
In ending the meeting, Commission President Jane Usher let everyone know that when they come back, she didn't want to hear that phone calls were not returned, or that copies of documents were not provided. She also did not want to hear anyone say, "You can't tell me what to do with my property."
"It is our job," she said, "To balance the rights of both sides."

Summer Concerts In The Park 2006
Come join the community during the warm summer months in the atmosphere that fosters fun, community spirit and the love and celebration of music. Your Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce hosts the event and with the generous financial support of the local businesses as well as the local government. Bring the family and just relax! The Concerts in the park are held at the Eagle Rock Recreation Center 1100 Eagle Vista Dr Eagle Rock, CA 90041-1602. The fun begins at 5 p.m. with a concert pre-show.
July 9
Summer Concerts in the Park opens celebrating it's 10 year. Ronnie & the Classics 50- 60's, sponsored by E. T.Y. Parts Imports, Inc & Sir Michael's Party Rentals. This is a big day which will include the Rockin' Rodders Cla.ssic Car show and the Summer Arts Festival with local busi- nesses participating. For further information on the festival please cat! Michael at 323 - 225-5466.. Pre-Show with the Patsy Metzger Dancers prior to every Concert at 5:00 p.m.
July 23
Soto - Latin Band, sponsored by Coldwell Banker, David Stevens - all concerts are from, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Eagle Rock Recreation Centers out door stage area. Food items will be available for purchase or pack your own picnic.
August 6
Hard Days Night - remember the Beatles! Sponsored by Jack Tunzi D.D.S.
August 20
Country Western, sponsored by S&W Hill Country. Put your Boots and Stetsons on and come stomp with us, instructors will get you going.
August 27
Jack Lantz - Big Band music will close our summer concerts. Sponsors will be acknowledged and a raffle will be held. This concert is sponsored Glendale Adventist Medical Center and Frank De Pietro and Sons

Memorial Day Observance at Cypress Park
The Friends of Cypress Park Community Improvement, Association will again host a special Memorial Day observance, on Saturday, May 27 at the Cypress Park Veterans Memorial in tribute to local members of the armed forces, present and past.
The Memorial Day ceremony begins 11 a.m. at the intersection of Cypress Avenue and Pepper Avenue. Guest speakers and participants are expected to include Los Angeles City Councilmember Ed P. Reyes and Father Marco Ortiz of Cypress Park's Divine Savior Catholic Church. Local veterans will also lead and take part in the observances.
Memorial Day 2006 marks the third anniversary of the dedication of the Cypress Park Veterans Memorial, a product of volunteer community work organized by the Friends of Cypress Park Community Improvement Association in 2002 and 2003 and paid for by a Los Angeles Neighborhood Matching Funds grant with assistance from Councilmember Reyes' office. The project converted a blighted concrete traffic median at the center of Cypress Park into a neighborhood garden and memorial site with new trees and ground covering, flagpole and an engraved bronze plaque honoring all who have served their country.
The May 27 Memorial Day weekend event is open to all and Northeast Los Angeles area veterans are especially encouraged to attend.
The Friends of Cypress Park group welcomes new volunteers and meet at 6:30 p.m. the first Monday of each month in the Los Feliz Room of the Los Angeles River Center (570 W. Avenue 26, Los Angeles), to oversee community improvement efforts.

Spin a Yarn Night 5/24
Join fellow word enthusiasts and raconteurs and share favorite stories (fictional, non-fictional, or in-between,) jokes and poems while hanging out and knitting, crocheting, spinning or just listening in That Yarn Store's comfy relaxed atmosphere. That Yarn Store is a new neighborhood knitting and crochet shop with unusual yarns and community events. There is also a monthly Men's Night (May 10) and a workshop on crocheting hyperbolic planes.
Eagle Vista Seniors Calendar for May
On May 2nd, the Board Meeting will be at 9:00 a.m. followed by a members meeting at 10:00. Birthday Cake will be served. Our speaker from "Curves " may wish to give suggestions. (on having your cake and eating it, too often.)
May 9th, Dr. Yee, pharmacist, will be our speaker. His topic will also be useful on health problems regarding "medications."
May 16th, members are celebrating the 17th anniversary of the Eagle Vista Seniors Club with a special luncheon at the Elks Club, 120 E. Colorado in Glendale. The cost is $12.50. To sign up see Ann Eaton.
May 23rd, will be a lively entertainment to enjoy with Harry Scott, Jazz Singer and Tap Dancer.
May 24th, the Hollenbeck Palms Retirement Home is hosting an open house with a tour and luncheon at 573 S. Boyle Ave. Admission is $13, no charge is you are a first time visitor, or if you bring a first time 70+ year old guest, in which case you both get in free. Transportation will be provided.
On May 30th... BINGO!
6th Annual LA River Ride
There's still time! Come join us for the The L.A. County Bike Coalition presents the 6th Annual Los Angeles River Ride, scheduled for 05/21/06. If you have not yet registered for this event, the registration fee will increase on 5/01/06 (with registration officially closing on 05/12/06) so move fast and register today at:
http://www.active.com/event_

detail.cfm?event_id=1286966

SW Hill Country Dance
Another reminder to mark your calendars for Saturday, May 13 for the Western Round up Dance at the Eagle's Hall in Eagle Rock. We are really happy that our best buddies, those crazy, fun loving Groovy Rednecks will be the band for the evening. Admission is $5.00 and includes BBQ dinner. The Eagle's Hall features a full bar and pool table. For more information call us at 323-256-2500. Bob and Patty, SW Hill Country, 1412 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock CA 90041, 323-256-2500, www.swhillcountry.com.
 

Congressman Becerra Responds to Immigration Reform
"I continue to be optimistic that this Congress will finally take up and pass comprehensive immigration reform before the year's end. Momentum continues to build for a comprehensive immigration bill and eyes are beginning to open to the idea that an enforcement-only approach is not workable or effective.
"Much has been said of late about the Senate compromise and the reasons for which it was not brought up for a vote. Well, it is my belief that Senator Reid was absolutely right to do what he did to ensure the integrity of the Republican-crafted compromise that was embraced by an overwhelming number of senators including nearly the entire Democratic Caucus and Majority Leader Bill Frist. Democrats were ready and eager to vote for the language that was crafted by Sens. Martinez and Hagel. Unfortunately, Senate procedural practices got in the way of bipartisan progress when countless amendments were filed in order to kill the bill. If Sen. Reid had not stood his ground, the immigration debate would have come to a screeching halt.
"Fortunately, the issue remains very much alive. The American public is anxious for Congress to act. The blame game must now come to an end as partisan bickering will do no good in what must be a bipartisan debate. I would encourage the Senate leadership to revisit comprehensive immigration reform immediately upon returning from recess."

Glassell High Goes Forward
Last month, the LAUSD Board of Education unanimously adopted a Resolution of Necessity which authorizes the district to begin eminent domain proceedings to acquire Parcel F of Taylor Yard for Central Region High School #13 in Glassell Park.
For about the past three years, many Northeast L.A. Community members have contributed to the effort to make certain a fully- comprehensive high school is built on this parcel. You can read more about this at the GPIA's web site, http://www.gpia.org

Cruisin’ with Mary

The Eagle Rockin' Rodders Car Club really cleaned up with awards at the Glendale Kiwanis Car Show on Apr. 2 at Verdugo Park. This year we took home, count em', three awards: Michael Rickman won 3rd place with his '76 Corvette, Vice President Tom Amrhein took 1st place for his '31 Plymouth in the "Under Construction" category, and Anita Gonzales took home a large, impressive trophy for "Ladies Choice' for her vintage black Barracuda. (In racing families, we call those trophies "dust catchers"). The club entered 7 vehicles total, and it was a lovely warm day in the park, the kind that makes car clubbing fun- nice cars, fun people, and good weather. Ah, life is good.
Congratulations to club member Bradley Cook, who recently married his sweetheart, Sachiyo Niikura. Live long and prosper!
Now, most of you know I work in downtown L.A. and spend a lot of lunch hours haunting the garment and jewelry district, and have perfected the art of shopping in one hour. The problem I often run into is finding a space at a meter so I don't have to pay $6-$12 in a lot. If you can find a metered space, and have change, you can park for an hour for about $1. I had a huge battle with Parking Enforcement last year over a ticket received downtown for a meter that was broken and would not accept any money. The $35 ticket eventually turned into $185 including late charges and penalties, and they threatened to turn me over to a collection agency. I disputed the ticket, and eventually won after about 10 months, but what a hassle.
Which brings me to my next item: I recently read that new parking meters have been installed in the cities of New York, Las Vegas, and Oklahoma City which are called mPark. These accept both coins and credit cards, and if you register for an additional service, they will text-message you on your cell phone 10 minutes before your meter expires so that you can get back and move your car or add more money. A great idea, but since the City of L.A. so depends on parking ticket revenues to supplement the budget, I can't really see L.A. doing this in the near future (just my opinion...)
The Eagle Rockin' Rodders will again be hosting our annual car show at Concerts in the Park, to be held Sun. July 9 at Eagle Vista Park. Hot rods, 50's rock and roll, and picnics on the grass. More info next month.
Now for my pick of the month: Like most of my picks, I don't know who the owner is, but maybe if he sees this, he'll bring it to out cruise-in sometime. This past week I saw an interesting customized Hummer in Highland Park on my way to work. It was one of the newer, "smaller" Hum-V's but it was lowered like a low-rider, and had a customized tribal flame paint job on the doors and side panels. Some people might think it's silly to customize a Hummer, but I think it looks really cool, plus it's got to be a lot easier to get into! Until next month, keep on rockin'!

"An Evening With Charles Lummis"
Will Help Underwrite Lummis Day Festival
"An Evening with Charles Lummis," a celebration, in music and spoken word, of the Arroyo communities' historic cultural traditions, will feature a "chautauqua" presentation with Dr. Daniel Lewis enacting an historical characterization of legendary author/adventurer Charles Fletcher Lummis, readings by poet Suzanne Lummis and live classical music by guitarist/composer Kenton Youngstrom.
In his "chautauqua" presentation, Dr. Lewis will take on the role of Lummis as a pioneering Los Angeles author, journalist and adventurer, presenting a living interpretation of his voluminous works and groundbreaking ideas. Dr Lewis developed his Lummis "chautauqua" with the sponsorship of the Museums of the Arroyo and the California Council for the Humanities.
Actor and community activist Troy Evans will host the event, to be held at 7:00 pm on Saturday, May 13 amid the historic homes and buildings at Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer Street in Los Angeles.
Admission, priced at $40 in advance and $50 at the door, includes wine, cheese, hors d' oeuvres and soft drinks. All proceeds will help underwrite the June 4 "Lummis Day: The Festival of Northeast Los Angeles."
To purchase tickets, email LummisDay@yahoo.com or phone 818-535-9178.

LADOT Audit Finds Millions Unused
Citing millions of public dollars earmarked for transportation, sitting unused, City Controller Laura Chick is calling for, "An effective integrated strategic plan that links together all of these valuable resources to keep the people of Los Angles moving."
Chick released an audit of the City's Transportation Improvement and Mitigation Funds as well as the Special Parking Revenue Fund. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation oversees 81 special revenue funds with a total cash balance of $365 million (as of June 30, 2005).
"The City has created special traffic mitigation funds, through the collection of developer fees, to build projects to ease traffic in the most congested areas. My audit found that several of these funds, totaling over $5 million, are just sitting there, gathering dust. There is something very wrong with this picture," said Chick.
"In the Special Parking Revenue Fund (with an account balance of $90 million) we again discovered unused monies totaling $7.8 million, designated for projects that have already been completed or eliminated," said Chick.
"We have a traffic crisis in this city that will continue to get worse if we don't utilize every dollar available to us to improve traffic in a dramatic way," said President Pro Tem Wendy Greuel, Chair of the City Council's Transportation Committee. "Controller Chick's audit asks the tough questions and provides a roadmap for us to seek the solutions that will get this city moving again."
The audit found:
· Several traffic mitigation funds, with an available balance of $5.4 million, have been inactive for several years and there are no specific plans to utilize the monies in these funds.
· LADOT continues to re-appropriate money to projects that have already been closed with a balance of $7.8 million.
· LADOT does not budget for each of its mitigation funds.
· LADOT field offices do not make timely deposits.
· LADOT's contract with the Grand Central Parking Garage contractor is unclear with respect to the City's obligation for parking related expenses. The contractor may have been over-reimbursed by as much as $472,000.
· LADOT continues to re-appropriate money to projects that have already been closed.
Overwhelmingly elected to a second term in March, Chick has worked diligently with the mandate of the City Charter to save taxpayer dollars, improve City services, eliminate waste and open the City's books. The audit of the Department of Transportation can be accessed on Chick's website at www.lacity.org/ctr.