Cellular Loophole-
Will Utility Pole Cell Antennas Multiply?
Can phone companies now put up as many antennas as they like? What are your electeds doing about it?  

A frustrated and angry call from Sharon who lives down the hill from me on Linda Rosa came in on Easter Sunday. She was upset and relayed her story of a suspicious man in a suspicious van who had talked to her somewhat arrogantly as she questioned his activities across the street from her house. She found out he was surveying the power pole outside her home for placement of a cellular phone antenna, and she was not happy about it.
Sharon exclaimed, "He said he worked for the cell phone company and I asked him 'which one?' And he said 'All of them!'"
It was clear that she found out the suspicious man was checking out the location in order to put up a cellular antenna. I started looking into the concept of cellular antennae on power poles and boy did I open a can of worms. Here's what I found.
Community members from all over southern California are well used to gearing up to oppose cell phone antenna sites, and especially so in politically active Northeast Los Angeles. Neighborhood councils and resident groups have practically written the playbook on opposing these sites, with a great deal of success.
The proposals routinely come before the various community groups and neighborhood council land use committees who routinely advise that conditions be added before the various city departments can approve them. Conditions like beautification of the street or building where the cellular antenna is to be located are routinely requested if the applications are not outright denied.
This scenario may be a thing of the past, however, as the telecommunication companies recently found a way around all this pesky "community input" that stands in the way of them putting up new cell phone antennas.
At least one company that has conquered the problem has expanded from its Chicago home base into the Southern California Telecommunications market, and I'm sure that others have followed their example.
ExteNet Systems, Inc. is a company whose customers are wireless telephone companies. They build and operate networks in outdoor locations where conventional cell tower development is "challenging," as they put it on their website.
Because they hold a certificate of public convenience and necessity, they say they are entitled under Federal and/or state laws to attach their equipment to existing utility poles and other infrastructure. ExteNet provides facilities and services for delivering signals for use by companies who sell cellular service – they do not provide wireless services directly to mobile phone service subscribers.
Their network installations are allowed by Federal and state laws which lets them attach their equipment to existing utility poles and other infrastructure in the public right of way, subject only to limitations of the pole owners, and "reasonable, non-discriminatory local requirements and limitations" as they put it.
By using existing law, they have been able to circumvent the usual public process that used to give community members any say on their cell phone antenna locations. Their efforts are bolstered in another way, too. They, and other wireless telephone companies have joined the Southern California Joint Pole Committee.
The Southern California Joint Pole Committee is responsible for the ownership and sharing of utility poles in Southern California. The history of their formation is fascinating and illuminating.
Around the turn of the century (no, not this one, the previous one!) Los Angeles was experiencing the growth of new infrastructure that involved thousands of utility poles being planted in the ground, with thousands of miles of wires being draped in-between. At that time, two competing telegraph companies, three competing electric light companies, and four electric railroad systems all were working independently and had to set their own poles when they needed to string their overhead wires. You can just imagine the blight this caused!
One citizen wrote to the L.A. Times, saying, "...the "Pole Nuisance" is becoming more and more apparent and the city should, without further delay, take some steps to correct this evil. (Hmm. Sounds familiar. Kinda' like recent complaints about the nuisance of the proliferation of cell towers.) As detailed further in other articles, properties typically had from one to five utility poles in front of each, and the appearance of some streets were likened to forests or giant uneven picket fences.
As pressure mounted to combat this "blight", most of which was likely directed at the railroad companies, popular villains of the time, a committee was appointed by the Railroad Commission to solve this problem. In one article, they publicized their early success of arranging for four telephone companies to cooperatively use space on the Edison electric company's poles. I believe this committee must have been the start of the Southern California Joint Pole Committee (SCJPC).
In 1906, when the committee took formation, each company that used poles was allowed one representative each to sit at the table, and members reportedly were able to work in "perfect unison" according to an L.A. Times article from 1909. Their work occurred street by street, eliminating the numerous and mismatched poles and often installing new green painted "joint use" poles that were uniform not only in appearance but quality of materials, hardware and workmanship. This was a triple benefit for the companies using the poles. They saved money, got the public and politicians off their back and instilled greater reliability into the services they provided. They uniformly organized their pole sharing so that the highest voltage for power and street lighting was at the top and the lower voltage telephone and telegraph lines were closest to the ground. The LADWP has been a member since 1918. Thirty one companies currently make up the SCJPC.
The SCJPC came up with an "intricate" system of bookkeeping to keep track of how much each company has to pay for the amount of pole space it uses, which it still maintains today out of its offices in San Dimas. Today, it keeps track of about 1.5 million poles.
But now, with the new telecommunications players who are combining their certificate of public convenience or necessity with membership in the joint pole committee, which most all the wireless carriers now have, they can put up cellular antennas on almost any pole that has room to hold their equipment- without a bit of public notice or input.
With these developments, all hope of the public ever having a say on cell antenna locations is severely diminished if not lost entirely.
According to John Bacon of the L.A. DWP, the cell companies have a right to install their antennas on the utility poles, but the DWP does not have to provide them with the power to run their equipment, and the DWP has their own process of approval for that. Also, when the equipment will not fit on the poles it must be placed in the medians or under the street or sidewalks which... (see next page >>>>>>)
requires the permission of L.A. Dept. of Street Services and probably the Dept. of Building and Safety as well. This seems to indicate that elected officials, who definitely have some say over the actions of city departments, can exercise some discretion on behalf of their constituents.
Janice Hahn, sister of former Mayor James Hahn found out how little authority a councilperson has, when a cell antenna went up on a utility pole without warning in her San Pedro district last year. She found she could do practically nothing about it, and asked for a review of the LADWP's participation in the Joint Pole Committee. The report said it would not help the situation to leave the Joint Pole Authority and could lead to excessive poles proliferating on L.A. streets like in 1906, because telecommunication companies have the right by state law to put up their needed poles and wires along a public right of way.
And indeed this is happening in Cypress Park at this moment. Cell Phone company representatives used their "loophole" to put an antenna on an existing pole, which they can do by right now. However, the equipment that runs it was being installed under the sidewalk which requires city permits and notifying property owners immediately adjacent. The community did find out and quickly put together a public meeting resulting in CD1 councilman Ed Reyes having a stop order issued on the construction at that site. However, it is unlikely that the City Attorney will uphold that action. Luckily, recent court decisions have bolstered the right of municipalities to regulate such antenna installations, but the city must create an ordinance to match the latest law- a slow process if you judge it by the time that they took to create the Medical Marijuana Ordinance.
To do other wise risks entering into a legal war with national communication companies that measure their income in hundreds of millions- and when you are a city in a budget crisis, that does not sound too smart.
But lets take a step back for a second. Breathe... ... ... OK.
If you have ever gone to public meetings regarding cell phone antennas, you may have heard the word co-location mentioned. If so, you may also have heard that the city has no master list or map of cellular antenna sites. Considering that no one is giving up their cell phones or their 3G wireless network access, and that cellphone antennae will be with us for a long time to come, wouldn't it be nice if the companies could cooperate and work together instead of having a separate antenna and pole for every company that provides cell service?
If only there was a organization or maybe a committee that would have cell providers sit down at the same table and figure out ways to work together to reduce the impacts on communities from all those separate antennas and keep a current database of all the antenna locations. Hey, it could be called the Joint Antenna Committee or maybe the Joint Pole Committee. What was that? They already have a committee where all the wireless companies are sitting down at the same table? OH THAT'S RIGHT! THE JOINT POLE COMMITTEE!
Q & A - Here are a few questions I sent to Councilman Huizar regarding the DWP notifying the community when a cell providers want power to run their antennae, and his press deputy Rick Coca sent me these responses.
Q Will the councilman require the DWP to notify him when a cell provider wants power hooked up to their antenna?
A "Councilmember Huizar is Chair of Public Works and strongly believes that the community has a right to know and is working to change the DWP's current policy.
"One of the possibilities he is considering is to require automatic notification by the DWP to the Bureau of Engineering (BOE) for new applications for cellular antennas, since BOE already handles outreach for Above Ground Facilities (AGF) and monopole permits.
"While the City Attorney representing DWP has told us that there have been some legal issues around what kind of information the DWP can release, Councilmember Huizar does not think that there is anything significant enough, from a legal standpoint, to keep the DWP from releasing basic information on companies looking to add an antenna to an existing pole.
"The Councilmember has asked the City Attorney for a written response laying out that office's concerns and opinions so that we can take action. Again, Councilmember Huizar does not think there is any legal reason whatsoever that would keep us from implementing this policy."
Q Will the councilman notify neighboring constituents of such permit applications?
A "Yes. As a policy, we have interceded whenever possible. While federal law gives these companies a lot of leeway and local jurisdictions cannot outright ban them, we can and do routinely ask for conditions to lessen the effects on a neighborhood during the permit process.
"As Chair of Public Works, Councilmember Huizar wants automatic notification to be the policy Citywide. Another idea we're exploring is having the cellular companies pay a small fee to fund outreach by the BOE to local Neighborhood Councils, Business Improvement Districts and local residents."
Q By when will the city have a process in place to do that?
A "The Councilmember's goal is to take up the matter in Public Works this summer. But again, we need a City Attorney report first. We might also ask representatives from the industry to come in and see what we can get them to agree to ahead of time. The end goal is to create safeguards to implement a more consistent and open public notification process for these antennas, regardless if they go through the permitting process or not."
I asked Jennie Corella, manager of operations of the Southern California Joint Pole Committee about the combining of antennas onto the same poles, and she said that the poles can only hold so much equipment, but I didn't think to ask if the companies could share the use of the same antennas or if the joint pole committee could keep track of all the cell antennas.
Maybe we should ask her to find out about that. It seems a natural that a committee that worked together to solve the "pole nuisance" 100 years ago would be the perfect choice to come up with ways to solve the cell tower nuisance today. Or do they prefer solving it by crushing anyone who might dare to complain about it?
Jennie Corella, Manager of Operations (909) 592-4001 Ext. 12, jennie@scjpc.net
You local councilman probably needs a push to speed up the legislation that would make use of the recent Sprint vs San Diego Federal Court decision affirming the right of municipalities to regulate these installations. So just in case you want to contact them...
José Huizar CD14
(213) 473-7014 councilmember.huizar@lacity.org
Ed Reyes CD1
(213) 473-7001 councilmember.reyes@lacity.org
Eric Garcetti CD13
(213)-473-7013 councilmember.garcetti@lacity.org

Northeast L.A. Neighborhood Council Elections

Vote Early and Often (oops! Steve Early lost)

by Tom Topping
I spent Thursday afternoon voting in Neighborhood Council Elections. I voted in five of them. I am entitled to do that because I have a vested interest in all five of the Northeast L.A. Communities I serve with the Boulevard Sentinel. I thought it might be interesting to see everyone along the way- to see which community has the greatest interest in Neighborhood Councils, and to see if any of the election workers would give me a hard time about voting outside of the council where I live.
I started in Eagle Rock. Just as I arrived, the Paulsons were also arriving to vote. I had a nice chat with them and with the election team leader, who explained what I would need to show in order to vote outside my home council area. With only one contested seat, I voted for one person only, dropped the ballot in the slot and went on my merry way.
At the Glassell Park Community Center, the parking lot was empty, so I was surprised to see about 25 people were in line ahead of me. It was all young men, approximately in their 20's, and a few looking a little rough around the edges. They confirmed my guess, that they were from the Victory Outreach Church, which specializes in housing and rehabilitating young men who have been in some trouble. One offered me a flyer on the upcoming "Peace in the Northeast March." Again I only voted for the contested seats.
Next stop was Highland Park. Ooo! Finally something interesting! A hundred feet away on both sides of the polling place, were the competing camps set up with tables and their slate flyers of the candidates they were recommending. I lingered and lilstened as Ms. Tricia Gosset was telling a young woman not to vote for candidate Stan Moore. She also told about the folks she was backing- and it sounded like she was stretching the truth a bit. Just a bit. After I introduced myself I got the pleasure of seeing her "deer in the headlights" look.
"You're the legendary Tom Topping?" She must have heard about me from my girlfriend.
Diane! You told me you'd keep that confidential!
I headed for the poll, and stopped when I saw a line of 40 students. I knew that a Mr. Sean Holiday from CORO had been connecting with Franklin High School Students about them participating in the election, and he did a great job. Highland Park had the highest turnout of the five local neighborhood councils. I reckoned instead of standing in line, my time would be better spent going to vote in the ASNC and the GCPNC, and by the time I got back the line would be shorter.
I headed down to Ramona Hall for the Arroyo Seco election. There was no waiting here. Another election with but one contested seat. Yawn! No wonder no one is showing up to vote. But that wasn't the worst.
When I reached the Cypress Park Recreation Center, I was all alone. It was 3:38 pm and I was only the tenth person to vote that day, and when I saw the ballot I didn't even bother. Out of the fifteen seats up for election, only three people had registered to be a candidate, and only four registered as write-ins. I don't think the Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council can do anything with only seven people on its board because they won't have a quorum. That is really sad, as this was a council that was above average in its productivity. Well, maybe they'll get some volunteers at the first meeting to fill in a few of those spots.
I headed back to Highland Park and I got right in this time. Here, the election worker took the longest to accept me as a voter, so I guess someone at least was trying to do a good job.
Elsewhere in this issue, are the unofficial election results. They were not supposed to come out for seven days, but somebody put them up on the City Clerk website on Friday night before they were taken down on Saturday morning.
It looks to me like the state of Neighborhood Councils in Northeast L.A. is weak.

Politics Rules in Cypress Park Church Noise Controversy

Divine Savior Church tries for Restraining Order on Rocha

by Tom Topping
An ongoing dispute between the Pastor of Divine Savior Church and Susan Rocha who lives across the street resulted in legal proceedings about a month ago when the church filed for a restraining order against Ms. Rocha. Stating in the request for an order that Rocha honked her horn, made obscene gestures, said insulting words, removed signs advertising future events, intimidated people coming in and out of religious services, and caused diminished attendance and loss of revenue at their fundraisers, Father Marco Ortiz asked for an order that Ms. Rocha stay away from the church property, church personnel and not disrupt religious services there.
The dispute started after Father Ortiz became Pastor at Divine Savior about five years ago, and had bullhorn loudspeakers installed on the bell tower. From those bullhorns, the church broadcasts electronic chimes- reportedly 6 times a day. Ms. Rocha, who lives across the street from the church with her son, made repeated attempts to have the speakers volume lowered and the frequency of the broadcasts reduced without success.
First District Councilman Ed Reyes, attempted to mediate a solution, but controversy reached its peak after Rocha responded to a call from local ABC channel 7.
"What's bugging you?" was the call that channel 7 put out, and Susan contacted them right away. Channel 7 included what's bugging Ms. Rocha and broadcast the video and the audio of the electronic chimes in their news report, and a few days after, she was served with the request for the restraining order.
Common practice is to ask for an temporary order in an ex-parte hearing, and Susan did not attend the hearing or know about it. Even at that, the temporary order was denied, and the hearing is scheduled for May 13 at 8:30 am, dept. 75 at L.A. Municipal Court, 1945 S. Hill Street.
It is an interesting story, especially since Ms. Rocha is an activist community member, and even just got elected to the Neighborhood Council there. She maintains that all she wants is the same degree of peace that she had when she bought her house, before the electronic chimes were installed. It sounds reasonable. Of course, honking her car horn and yelling and flipping the bird to church personnel sounds more like the actions of a crazy person than a community activist, but I have to say I've had times when excessive noise that goes on too long has made me a little crazy, too.
Ed Reyes' office attempted to help solve the dispute, but eventually sided with Father Ortiz against Rocha, and even provided written encouragement for the church to apply for the restraining order against her.
I was curious about the bells because although I have heard church bells before, I can't remember hearing any for a long time. In Eagle Rock there are about two dozen churches and I never hear any bells or electronic chimes at all, so my thought is that that's not necessary. In fact, the noise ordinance in the city of Los Angeles seems pretty clear. Noise that is excessive is against the law.
As the councilman in the area of Cypress Park, Ed Reyes, I'm sure, tried to find a solution. The Pastor, however would not lower the volume of his chimes, so there was nothing for Ms. Rocha to compromise with. He eventually had to pick a side.
Latino Councilman Reyes faced a choice of siding with a Spanish speaking Latino Pastor, in a predominantly Latino area, with a congregation of perhaps hundreds of Latinos, or a Caucasian woman with a teenage son who sometimes acts like a crazy person. Sometimes when you're a politician, it just comes down to, "What's the political upside or downside?" You figure it out.
At the April Greater Cypress Park Neighborhood Council meeting, Rocha, who is a member, had an item on the agenda to send a letter to the church on behalf of the council, chastising them for their legal action against her. You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief when the meeting dragged on just long enough to be adjourned before they reached that agenda item.

College Trustees Refuse Outside Investigators in Bond Misuse Scandal

LACCD Board Votes To Investigate Itself – As Soon As It Hires An Inspector General And Its Own Attorneys

from Van De Kamps Coalition

The Los Angeles Community College District ("LACCD") Board of Trustees, at its April 28, 2010 meeting, ducked a public call to ask the State Controller's Office and other state and local law enforcement officials to investigate a piece of a growing scandal in which District officials, by some estimates, may have illegally expended between $50 to $100 million of voter-approved bond funds.
"A recent memorandum of the District's bond counsel suggests that the Board has violated the California Constitution for the last nine years in an orgy of self-promotional public relations spending on slick marketing of its "green" and "sustainable" $5.7 billion capital building program," said Miki Jackson of the Van de Kamps Coalition.
"We put a resolution on the Board's agenda that called for bringing in outside investigators on a well-documented scandal involving the brand new buildings at the historic Van de Kamps Bakery on Fletcher Drive. We are trying to help the District get its financial house in order, but the Board refused to seek professional help," she said.
The Van de Kamps Coalition, using a little known right of citizens to put items on the agenda of public school districts, brought forward a resolution that detailed alleged violations of public contracting law and the Constitutional spending limits on construction bonds approved with only 55% of the vote.
Among the allegations, the Van de Kamps Coalition has produced e-mails, change directives issued by LACCD employees, construction contract change orders signed by District officials, and other evidence that establishes the LACCD expended approximately $7.1 million in unlawful tenant building improvements in a scheme to hand off the still-under construction $72 million Van de Kamps Bakery campus to outside tenants. The District's bond counsel has already informed LACCD Trustees that such tenant improvements are illegal.
At the April 28th Board meeting, the Coalition submitted to the LACCD Board e-mail evidence that it claimed showed that the District's employees evaded the competitive bidding requirements of the Public Contract Code on the Van de Kamps project. That law mandates that public officials reduce each contract change to a written change order and price it. It also mandates that if the costs of change orders exceed 10%, the public agency must competitively re-bid the work to save taxpayer money.
E-mails show that on July 9, 2009, one District employee proposed a re-bid schedule to implement tenant improvements in the historic Van de Kamps Bakery Building for the benefit of the Mayor's favored tenants. On July 30, 2009, Vice Chancellor Marvin Martinez, who is politically linked to Villaraigosa's Deputy Mayor Larry Frank, sent an e-mail to Facilities Executive Director Larry Eisenberg asking for his help to find an "exception" to the 10% rebidding rule. Martinez and others were concerned that re-bidding would delay by two months handing the new college campus building over to unemployment programs funded by the City under the supervision of the Mayor's office. Martinez was fearful that Villaraigosa would pull out of the Van de Kamps leasing deal.
By October 2009, instead of competitively bidding the more than $3 million in changes to the building, District officials were telling the architect that the construction contractor must be instructed that he would construct re-designed tenant plans of the Van de Kamps Bakery Building out of the money left in the construction contract.
As a result, the building's original classroom designs were gutted and replaced with administrative offices for the Mayor's favored tenants without competitive bidding. According to the VDK Coalition, Public Contract Code section 20569 makes these actions shown in the District's e-mails illegal.
"Our community spent almost a decade working to bring the benefits of educational opportunity to the young people of Northeast Los Angeles," observed Netty Carr. "I thought to myself once I saw the construction started, what could possibly go wrong now? And sure enough, the Machiavellian manipulators at LACCD figured out a way to steal these brand new buildings away from their purpose intended by the voters," she said.
Daniel Wright, an attorney for the Van de Kamps Coalition, told the LACCD Trustees at the Board meeting that he understood how scary it is to ask for a Special Audit by the State Controller, and seek the help of LA County District Attorney Steve Cooley or California Attorney General Jerry Brown. The Van de Kamps resolution sponsored by the Coalition called for the securing of District records to prevent a cover-up of wrongdoing and bringing in the outside law enforcement officials.
"The lesson of the Watergate scandal is that the cover-up is often worse than the initial wrongdoing," he told the Board. "Eventually, all of this is going to come out, and you have to ask yourselves if you will be remembered by the voters as having been decisive in investigating staff misconduct, or having accepted the invitation of your staff to participate in a cover-up," he said.
Rather than vote to allow outsiders to investigate the wrongdoing, the Board voted to investigate the wrongdoing itself. The District's motion called for the Inspector General to investigate the legality of bond expenditures at Van de Kamps. However, the District has never had an Inspector General in the nine years of its multi-billion dollar bond fund construction program.
The resolution therefore called for the Inspector General to make the investigation of Van de Kamps a priority in the first two months of his or her tenure after the Board hires the Inspector General. It is unknown when the Board will hire the Inspector General.
Signaling that the LACCD Board and staff is poised to "whitewash" the investigation process, the alternate resolution adopted by the Board went on to state that the only portion of the Inspector General's report that will be made public will be portions that do not "need to be privileged" to protect the District's interests in an marginally related environmental lawsuit.
The Coalition's attorney, Wright, said he has never heard of such a privilege based upon a public agency's self-determined need for it to be confidential. "Almost all of the documents that show the unlawful actions are found in non-privileged orders and communications among construction staff," he said. "I have never heard of a public agency claiming in advance a privilege to censor an Inspector General's report based upon some amorphous 'need' for the information to be privileged," he observed. And he added, "… especially before the Board has even hired an Inspector General."
Laura Gutierrez, a Van de Kamps Coalition leader, says her 83-year old mother understands what is going on. She recounted that, "My mother just paid her tax bill to the LACCD. When I told her what happened at yesterday's Board of Trustees meeting, she just shook her head and said, 'They don't want to tell the truth in the documents they wrote."

Ryder Responds to Larsen

Well, it's really interesting that Mr. Larson took some of his precious time to denigrate the invitees at my educational community meeting last month. As a concerned citizen of Eagle Rock, I have put on three of these educational Medical Marijuana events now and Mr. Larson, our so called "public safety director," has not attended any of them. You would think that the most important member of our neighborhood council would jump at the opportunity to know more about the Medical Marijuana Collectives who, according to him , pose the greatest threat to our "public safety. " But no, he can only throw more slanderous stones from the safety of his living room.
I invited all the important people in Eagle Rock to my event. Jose Huizar's representatives were there, Sergeant Orange was there, the Collectives were there, the medical marijuana patients were there, Tom Topping, our esteemed local newspaper publisher was there, and many other community members were there. But not Mr. Larson? Hmm? Maybe he doesn't really care about what's going on in our community? Maybe he doesn't really think the local Collectives are a threat to his "public safety." Maybe he is just afraid he might hear the truth?
The whole purpose of the event was to hear from the Collectives and their patients about who they are and what they are doing in our community and also to answer some questions about their operations and their true impact on 'public safety' in our area. I never got to hear this side of the story at the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council so as a member of this community I coordinated this event to become more fully informed of this relatively new business phenomenon and if the negative slander that I heard at the ERNC was in any way accurate. Are these Collectives truly this great threat to our 'public safety' as Mr. Larson rails on about?
If Mr. Larson would have attended the meeting instead of holing himself up in his comfortable armchair, he would have heard that actually there has been absolutely no increase in criminal activity around the Collectives. That, in fact, the Collectives are extremely diligent about respecting their neighbors and the other local businesses and try to keep a very low profile. Alert staff at one of the Collectives even saved the life of pedestrian who had been hit by a bus. Also, contrary to Mr. Larson's claim that they are all 'illegal drug profiteers' these collectives are not operating illegally at all. He would have also heard from the Eagle Rock residents who use Medical Marijuana for relief of a variety of conditions and how they greatly benefit from the medicinal use of this amazing herbal remedy. But of course I don't think Mr. Larson wanted to hear what these community members had to say.
Finally Mr. Larson accuses one of the guests at the meeting of lying about his treatment from somebody at the ERNC. I can attest myself that after one ERNC meeting last year, I personally tried to talk to one of Mr. Larson's planted shills who told me, with a threatening posture, that he was a member of the 'Teamsters.' I decided not to talk to that nut job any further for fear that both my legs may be broken in short order. There is definitely somebody lying about Medical Marijuana in this community, Mr. Larson, and it certainly wasn't any of my guests at this informational event.
Anyway, my grass roots organization, "Cannabis Clubs United with the Community" will continue to put on educational events concerning Medical Marijuana and attempt to seek the truth as well as expose the vicious lies, overblown fears, irrational assumptions and negative propaganda of the few prohibitionists that have hijacked our neighborhood council. According to the latest polls in our democracy, the vast majority of citizens are for personal liberty and against prohibition of Medical Marijuana so it's probably a good time for some people to grow up and accept it as part of our society and respect those fellow citizens of ours who find relief in using it as a harmless remedy. Mr. Larson, I invite you once again to show up at my next event and educate yourself a little more about Medical Marijuana. We won't bite, I promise.

Looking Back

by Joe Walker

85 years ago this month-1925 - Eagle Rock
    LAUSD Superintendant Susan Dorsey announced the purchase on May 25, 1925, of 5.89 acres from the Eagle Rock Villa Tract to be used as the site for the new Eagle Rock High School. Two years earlier, Glendale High School had over 200 Eagle Rock students attending their school, but when Eagle Rock annexed itself to the City of Los Angeles, those students were forced to attend Franklin High School. The plan was for the new high school to cost about $350,000 to build, with the monies coming from a 25 million dollar bond approved by the voters in 1923.

65 years ago this month
1945 - Eagle Rock
    Marine Private First Class Robert G. Andersen of 1580 1/2 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock, was killed in action in the Pacific in May, 1945. While the war in Europe was about to end, the war against Japan raged.

1945 - Highland Park
    Not all tragedies in 1945 involved soldiers killed in action. Heartache came to the Moeskops family at 1118 Glen Arbor St, Highland Park, as seven month old Martin Mosekops was found choked to death on a toy rattle his mother, Kathleen, gave him. The Fire Department Rescue Squad attempted to revive him, to no avail.
    On May 5, 1945, a one hour parking limit was announced for York Blvd from Ave 51 to Ave 52. 65 years later, parking continues to be a problem on this same stretch of street!

1945 - Mt Washington
    Mrs Lulu Cropsey, an 82 year old widow living at 3440 Glenalbyn, Mount Washington, should have spent her final years collecting rent on the rooms she rented in her spacious hillside three story home and the rear cottage she rented out to Robert Marlar and his family. Instead, in a possible dispute over unpaid rent, a violent attack took place against Mrs. Cropsey, sending her to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Marlar was arrested for the assault on May 5, 1945, but he claimed that he had interrupted the attack himself, saying he was hit from behind and knocked out cold. Cropsey never recovered from the attack, dying several months later. The house was torn down and an apartment was put up in its place in the mid-1960's.Marlar took the true story to the grave when he passed away in 1989.

60 years ago this month 1950 - Eagle Rock
    Bagley Electric at 5055 Eagle Rock Blvd advertised the RCA Victrola "45" which for a small price of $29.95 could play up to 10 45 records one right after each other. Called the "Golden Throat" sound system, the record player came with 10 albums, (24 tunes) to start you off on your record collection. Billboard Magazine listed the top song for May, 1950, as "The Third Man Theme" by Guy Lombardo.

55 years ago this month
1955 - Highland Park
    Next time you are zooming past 4722 York Blvd, take a minute and see if the garage is still there. Then take a minute and pay your respects to two widowed sisters, Mrs Anna Mallory and Mrs Elsie Vierra. They lived together at that home after their husbands died, and their health was declining more and more and the years went on. Together always, they parked their car in the garage on May 18, 1950, sealed the door, and started the engine. Soon, the carbon monoxide overtook them, and they died as they lived-together.

50 years ago this month
1960 - Eagle Rock
    Termite Snyder, an Eagle Rock resident, won three hot rod races at Gardena Stadium on May 1, 1960. One of the races was a 30 lap event. The California Jalopy Association ran the program.
    Dr John McAnally, a professor at Occidental College, was awarded a $30,000 grant in May, 1960, by the National Institutes of Health to study the relationship that Vitamin C has on plant and animal growth. McAnally served on the faculty of Oxy for many more year, evening signing a letter from a group of professors to President George W. Bush in 2001 laying out their concerns for forest protections and environmental positions of the Bush administration.
    Scott Hutchinson of 1527 Oak Grove Dr and Joseph Roe, of 5450 Hartwick St, Eagle Rock, were awarded their Eagle Scout Badges on May 28, 1960. Mostly likely members of Eagle Rock Troop 188.Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America. Notable recipients of the Eagle Scout honor are former US President Gerald Ford, Astronaut Neil Armstrong, and film director Michael Moore.

35 years ago this month
1975 - Eagle Rock
    The Foursquare Church at 2424 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock, opened its doors on May 11 of this month. Officially known as the Christian Assembly, it traced its roots to 1907 when the famed Azusa Street Revival took place under the late Rev. William Seymour. The 1975 dedication was lead by Dr. Rolf McPherson, the son of the famed evangelist, Aimee Semple McPherson. McPherson had a long career in the ministry, passing away in 2009 at the age of 96. When he died, the church that his mother founded and which he was closely associated with had over 8 million members in 144 countries.

30 years ago this month
1980 - Eagle Rock
    Eagle Rock resident Ethel Cannon Sherard, 84, published her book, "The Double List Word Book" her reference book     for how to score better in the game of Scrabble. Sherard started playing 50 years earlier when the game was called "Criss-Cross" and continued to be a diehard player past 1948 when it changed the name of the game to Scrabble. The book, self-published by her daughter, was purchased via a post office box in Eagle Rock for $9.95.After her death in 1991, her daughter organized Scrabble tournaments that continue to this day.
    Incumbent congressman Carlos Moorhead looked to be sailing to an easy re-election bid in the 29th congressional district, roughly the same district now occupied by Rep. Adam Schiff. The conservative congressman was widely blasted by local democrats, two of whom, Stanley Saparo and Pierce O'Donnell, were vying for the Democratic nomination. O'Donnell, a lawyer, was relatively new to the district and considered "too liberal" for Eagle Rock and Glendale. O'Donnell won the Democratic nomination but lost in the general election. He went on to be involved in Los Angeles politics for many years, representing Hurricane Katrina victims, getting fined by the Fair Political Practices Commission for illegal contributions to the John Edwards Presidential race, and writes regularly for local political blogs to this day.

1980 - Highland Park
    Hollenbeck Vice Office John Petievich, the brother of author Gerald Petievich who wrote several police novels that were later made into movies, arrested two local residents who he said controlled illegal bookmaking in Northeast LA and the San Gabriel Valley. Jack Loma, AKA Jack Brandy, 68, of San Gabriel, and John "The Greek" Basaites, 50, of Los Angeles were arrested in the parking lot of a Highland Park restaurant . Officers found $10,000 cash and dozens of pay and owe sheets commonly used for illegal betting. The two men had longstanding ties to organized crime in Los Angeles, Petievich said. Petievech went on to his own career in Hollywood, acting as a technical advisor to the 1988 film "Cop" with James Woods, bit also in bit acting roles in the 1985 film "To Live and Die in LA" and "Patty Hearst"

1980 - Northeast LA
    Tragedy struck the office of Councilman Arthur K. Snyder as his office arranged to donate a surplus L.A. city ambulance. Norma Tripodi, chief of staff of his staff, and Greg Cirillo and Robert Quevado, were driving to the Mexican town of Zamora to donate the ambulance when a strong gust of wind blew the vehicle off the road near Cabroca in Sonora, 100 miles south of the border. Tripodi, a Highland Park resident was killed when the vehicle went out of control and flipped over numerous times. Cirillo and Quevado were injured but survived.
Questions or comments?
E-mail me at
joe_walker_2000@yahoo.com

CRUISIN’ WITH MARY

    Greetings, Eagle Rock, and welcome to the finest journalism this community has to offer... just kidding! The Eagle Rockin' Rodders cruise-in for April had moderate attendance with successful raffles towards our charity efforts for 2010. We again cleaned up the lot at American Tire, after taking photos of the garbage in the lot as well as the numerous unwelcome homeless people, vendors, and swap meeters who refuse to be good neighbors and clean up as they go. Our club has a small amount of charity money from the end of 2009 as well as what's been collected so far this year. It appears we may be using some of that money to co-sponsor the first of this year's Concerts in the Park (CIP) in July.
    This is a little change from usual club protocol as we usually make charity donations in November. As most of you know, the July kick-off event has for well over 10 years, included a custom car show presented by the Eagle Rockin' Rodders, in conjunction with the live 50's rock concert. Due to City budget problems this year, the future of CIP is uncertain. At the very least, the summer schedule may be reduced from 5 or 6 concerts to possibly 3 - if enough support can be generated. The worst case scenario would be that the whole series gets cancelled.
    (Yes I will beat this horse again...) Our motto as "The Club that Gives Back to the Community" now rears its pretty head again, with our generous offer to help off-set some of the expenses with the July CIP. Funds are needed to pay park staff, get permits, and pay the band. Our usual charity work in November is usually directed towards needy individuals or local organizations (which we will continue to do), but this time this will directly benefit everyone who attends this free concert. As of this writing, the entire concert series is on hold, but I will keep you posted in my June article about the future of the Eagle Rock CIP. Anyone who wants to contribute should contact Sir Michael's Limousines and Party Rentals. A big thank you to all of our generous sponsors and raffle participants who make this possible.
    Most of the club participated in the Trompers first cruise-in at Carrow's in Highland Park on Apr. 3. They had very good attendance. Some of us will be participating in the Burbank Road King's Picnic and Car Show at Johnny Carson Park on June 13 and the bravest of us will attend Glendale Cruise Night on July 17. Cruise Night is one of the most fun, intense, and horrible car shows ever, depending on how you feel about it. Personally, I love it! Until next time, Happy Memorial Day and keep on cruising!

About that Oil Change...

from One Stop Auto Care

Debunked: The Myth of the 3000 Mile Oil Change

    Many of my customers think they need to change their car's oil every 3,000 miles. But actually, this is a myth that adds to the environmental impact of automobile transportation. Most cars today can go longer without adversely affecting engine wear. The fact is that automakers are recommending oil changes at 5,000, 7,000 or even 10,000 miles based on driving conditions.
    Yet, research conducted by the California Integrated Waste Management Board shows that nearly three-quarters of California drivers change their motor oil more often than the automaker recommends. Erroneously following the 3,000 mile myth generates millions of gallons of unnecessary waste oil every year that can add to the pollution affecting California's natural resources.
    Always check your vehicle's user manual for guidelines on how often to change your oil. If you can't find it, we at One Stop Auto Care can check the manufacturer's recommended oil change interval for you and your car. Let us help you help keep California green. It will save you money, save you time and save you from the wrath of Al Gore and his disciples as you pitch-in to help the environment. It’s time to let go of the 3000 mile myth, and that's a fact you can bank on.

ATO Update

    In January, the Boulevard Sentinel shared the tragic saga of the house across the street from me that used to house the Occidental College chapter of a national fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega (ATO). I've had a number of inquiries from people interested in knowing what has occurred with the house and whether the city did the right thing and closed it down.
    To briefly recap the tragic history of the fraternity and its house, for many years it served as "party central," hosting large parties that disturbed the entire community and resulted in property damage to neighbor's property, drunken fights, drunk driving, trash and frequent disturbances into the wee hours of the morning – any night of the week and usually multiple nights in any given week. In January 2002, an 18 year old pledge of the fraternity was killed during an illegal hazing event while the fraternity was already under sanctions by the college and the national. After continued misconduct, the fraternity was finally kicked out by both the college and the national. Neighbors hoped that would be the end of the many years of incessant, drunken partying and bad behavior by the fraternity. By 2006, the property was vacant and boarded up and remained vacant until early 2008.
    The owner of the property, a corporation whose board of directors and members are all alums of the fraternity, decided to reopen the house in 2008. The use of the house as a fraternity had been "grandfathered" in when the comprehensive zoning plan was implemented and the house was designated as R-2, single family use. After more than a year of being vacant and unused, however, under LA's zoning code, the property lost its "grandfathered" exemption and was required to comply with current code.
    The City of Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety issued a notice to the property owner in January, ordering it to comply with current zoning regulations and convert the house to single family use by March 7th. So far that hasn't happened. The owner is now in violation of lawful orders of the Department of Building and Safety, and the department has begun the process of enforcing the law. Neighbors support the effort and continue to hope that this blight on our community will finally be closed down permanently. E-mail me if you have questions or you'd like to help make that happen: alumni-ave-watch@sbcglobal.net

City's First Bike Corral in Highland Park

Council supports Councilmember Huizar's plan to create a bike corral on York Boulevard – Pilot program could become City model

    As the number of bicycling enthusiasts continue to grow in Los Angeles, the City Council voted unanimously today to support Councilmember José Huizar's legislation to create the City's first bike corral in Highland Park.
Bike corrals are widely used in cities like Portland and allow 12-14 bicyclists to park their bikes in a space that would normally hold one automobile. The pilot bike corral will be located on York Boulevard, between Avenue 50 and Avenue 56.
    A common complaint among those in the City's growing bicycling community is that there are not enough bike racks throughout Los Angeles. Councilmember Huizar introduced this legislation to address the problem.
"The City of Los Angeles has to do more to meet the needs of the bicycling community," said Councilmember José Huizar. "Bike corrals maximize space while giving bicyclists a clearly identifiable parking option, which also helps increase our City's green footprint. I fully support expanding the bike corral program throughout the City."
    Councilmember Huizar's legislation also asks the City's Department of Transportation, which will oversee the implementation of the program, to coordinate with the City's Planning Department, to identify local, state and federal funds to implement non-motorized transportation projects, such as bike corrals.
    Councilmember Huizar's legislation enjoyed widespread support from the City's bicycling community. Café de Leche, a coffee shop on York Boulevard, is financing the bike corral along with the Highland Park Neighborhood Council. Councilmember Huizar thanks them all for their help in getting this motion passed.

Dog Fancy Mag. Names Hermon Dog Park in Nationwide Top Ten

Joins Off-Leash Facilities with Pools, Lakes, and Doggie Showers on Annual List

    What makes a dog park one of the "best" in the United States . . . acres of grass? . . . expensive play equipment? . . . lakeside locations?
    Maybe -- but in the case of 2010's list of the "Top 10" Dog Parks in America, DOG FANCY, "the world's most widely read dog magazine" says the "best parks offer opportunities for socialization and exercise, but also strive to create a special bond and a sense of community" – just one part of the mission of the Friends of Hermon Dog Park (FHDP), a Northeast Los Angeles-based non-profit organization formed by volunteers in 2006, which hosts the award winning dog park's many popular events.
    Named to the magazine's annual list for the first time in its June 2010 issue, and debuting as the nation's #7 dog park out of the hundreds considered, Hermon Dog Park also now holds the distinction of being the first of the nine off-leash dog parks operated by the City of Los Angeles to be included with the Dog Fancy "Top 10," since the annual list was first introduce in 2005. Many of the other leading parks in the nation – which range from #1 Jackass Acres K-9 Korral in New River, Ariz., to #10 Bow Wow Beach Dog Park in Stow, Ohio – have been featured in the list in previous years.
    The full list of "top 40" in the nation, compiled in honor of the popular Orange County-based magazine's 40th anniversary, is in an issue just reaching newsstands. It can also be read online at: http://www.dogchannel.com/ dog-magazines/dogfancy/dog-fancy-amusement-bark.aspx
    Of L.A.'s newest – and now apparently highest regarded dog park – located in the Hermon community, Dog Fancy writer Maureen Kochan noted that Hermon Dog Park's "secret" has been to embrace "social networking."
    Hermon Dog Park understands that dog parks are important not just to dogs, but also to people," wrote Kochan, a former Dog Fancy editor who prepares the "top 10" list annually and now freelances from Oceanside, Calif. While noting some of the park's regular social events organized by FHDP volunteers, she also suggested that Hermon Dog Park is "great at organizing dog lovers online via a regularly updated website and Facebook page."
    The Friends of Hermon Dog Park is a registered non-profit organization formed after the park's opening in Summer 2005 by members of the dog park's original formation committee, which had lobbied L.A. elected officials to build the facility in Hermon. Hermon Dog Park is a one-plus acre fenced-in area in a separate portion of L.A.'s Hermon Park in the Arroyo Seco, located between El Sereno, Highland Park and the City of South Pasadena. To find out more -- or link to the Dog Fancy list of top U.S. dog parks -- visit www.HermonDogPark.com

Dodgeball Society Launches New Eagle Rock League 

    The World Dodgeball Society (WDS), the premier co-ed sports and social organization based on nostalgia and camp of the 80s, has grown exponentially in 2010, tripling in the amount of participants from the previous year. Now, WDS will be expanding its increasingly-popular sport to the city of Eagle Rock.
    "Our popularity has rapidly spread to Eagle Rock residents and now they can have a local league to call their own," says Michael Costanza, the head of WDS.
    On May 12, 19 and 26 (Wednesdays), the League will host "open gyms" from 8-10pm at the Eagle Rock Recreation Center, allowing all players to test out skills and get to know the way to play. New-to-dodgeball players will receive a welcome introduction and rundown of rules. Cost for the two hour "open gym" is $5 and anyone over the age of 18 is welcome to drop by. The league is played with soft no-sting balls and is great for dodgeball beginners; no experience is necessary, making it a fun adult sport for all skill levels.
    "More and more adults in the Los Angeles area are catching the dodgeball-fever. Pretty much everyone has played dodgeball when they were kids. The only thing that really changed is most folks have gone through puberty. We play the best/worst music of all time; and bad dancers often translate to great dodgeball players. Our biggest objective is to have fun. The motto is: Winning is for losers."
    Team play will start the beginning of June – games every Tuesday. Cost to play in any of the leagues is $55 per person and includes a sweet league shirt. All leagues are co-ed and last 9 weeks. Individuals as well as teams are encouraged to join. The Eagle Rock Recreation Center is located at 1100 Eagle Vista Dr. 90041.

Museums of the Arroyo Day May 16

Free Admission to Participating Museums

Including Heritage Square, the Los Angeles Police Historical Society Museum and the Lummis Home and Garden in Los Angeles as well as the Gamble House and Pasadena Museum of History in Pasadena
Free event will include ongoing shuttle service between the 5 participating museums
    Los Angeles has long been described as "the Entertainment Capital of the World," and rightly so, considering the leading role it plays in the television, film and recording industries. But those who are seeking a unique form of entertainment – one that will allow them to experience the diverse mixture of art, architecture and history along the Arroyo Seco areas of Los Angeles and Pasadena – may find "Museums of the Arroyo Day" on Sunday, May 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. especially intriguing.
    Five history-based museums that focus on preserving and perpetuating early Los Angeles life will remain open, free of charge, throughout "Museums of the Arroyo Day." Participating museums include Heritage Square, the Los Angeles Police Historical Society Museum and the Lummis Home and Garden in Los Angeles, plus the Gamble House and Pasadena Museum of History in Pasadena.
    "Our theme for this year, our 21st anniversary, is 'Women in Early Los Angeles,'" explains Jessica Maria Alicea-Covarrubias of Heritage Square, whose museum is premiering an exhibit celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Women's Suffrage movement this June and who plans to have suffragettes take part in Heritage Square's festivities for Museums of the Arroyo Day.
    In addition, the LA Police Historical Society Museum will pay tribute to the first policewoman in the United States – Alice Stebbins Wells, who joined the LAPD on September 12, 1910 – while the Pasadena Museum of History will present "Pasadena Patron: The Life and Legacy of Eva Scott Fenyes," an artist and arts patron who arrived in Pasadena in 1896 and has been likened to Isabella Stewart Gardner in Boston and Peggy Guggenheim in New York. Exhibition highlights will include items from the Fenyes collection never before on public display.
    A number of the museums will also present an array of events and festivities developed especially for Museums of the Arroyo Day. These will range from a vintage doll display, blacksmiths working at their craft and frontier reenactments courtesy of the Western Educators, Shooters and Troopers at Heritage Square to a performance of music from the 1900s by Ian Whitcomb and the Bungalow Boys – plus a program, led by Cultural Historians in Residence, Walter and Sheila Nelson, called "Mind Your Manners" on etiquette and social customs of the era – at the Pasadena Museum of History.
    "A big favorite with kids of all ages, from two to 92, is our police helicopter, which is on permanent display," adds Glynn Martin, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Police Historical Society Museum. John Buntin, bestselling author of LA Noir, will appear at the museum during MOTA Day as well.
    With free and continuous shuttle service running between museums, visitors have the option of parking their cars once and then shuttling to the museums of their choice.Visitors can also take the Gold Line, exiting the train at the Heritage Square stop then catching shuttles to the other museums.
    "You can read about Los Angeles' history in books," concludes Alicea-Covarrubias. "But there's nothing quite like attending Museums of the Arroyo Day and feeling like you've traveled back in time to be part of it."
    For more information on Museums of the Arroyo Day, visit www.museumsofthearroyo.com or call the MOTA hotline number at 213.740.TOUR (8687).

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Future Studio:

Artist Michael Gullberg Juxtaposes Trees, Wood, and the Human Form

    Trees have inspired legions of artists, from Anselm Keifer to Ansel Adams. But Michael Gullberg takes his inspiration in new directions, creating a forest of images in oil paint and graphite that are framed in intricate hand-hewn wood creations. The new works will be featured in Gullberg's solo show, "The Air that I Breathe," at Future Studio Gallery in Los Angeles.
Opening: Saturday, May 8, 7 – 10 p.m. (Part of NELAart.com Second Saturday Gallery Night)
Studio hours: May 16, 23, and 30 from noon to 4 p.m. The artist will be present during these hours.
Address: 5558 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
    "Trees are an endless fascination and inspiration for me," says Gullberg. "It is the human characteristics of trees that draw me in."
    Indeed, Gullberg's trees are meditative in their humanity, reflecting the artist's spiritual connection to nature. These aren't cliched wood nymphs and trolls, but rather sensual torsos and limbs that invite viewers to linger almost voyeuristically to absorb the implied forms and shapes. Gullberg tips his trees on their sides and inter-twines branches and roots. The stoic foliage so many take for granted becomes gratifyingly alive through Gullberg's command of tools and mediums.
    Gullberg is one of those rare Los Angeles artists who eschewed formal art school in favor of blazing his own trail. Instead, he has read books, conversed with fellow artists, shared studio time in live painting sessions, and opened himself to a variety of learning opportunities--including the chance to study woodworking with the late Sam Maloof, one of the greatest furniture makers of our time. Gullberg had a solo exhibit at the Southwest Museum in 2008, and his work has been shown at several Los Angeles galleries including The Pod Gallery and the Cactus Gallery. He has been featured in Create:Fixate shows in Los Angeles and has had work at the Lisa Coscino Gallery in Pacific Grove.

EAGLE ROCK NEWS

What's for Breakfast? Omelets!

by Tom Topping
After receiving an enormous amount of positive feedback on my previous food articles, I've been getting a nudge lately to add another to the series. After burgers, tacos and submarine sandwiches, I did not have to think long to come up with a new subject. Sweets are not my thing and my weak spot is for the savory. Just the thought of cheese, chilis, salted meats and the various condiments that can be applied to foods like potatoes always makes my mouth water. What better choice then, but to sample the breakfast fare at a variety of local eateries.
In Northeast L.A. we have a huge number of choices when it comes to breakfast. The choices range from croissants to chilaquiles and there isn't really any level ground to compare the two. To solve the dilemma, I chose the omelet. Not just any omelet, mind you, but the Denver omelet in order to get a good sampling of the savory and sumptuous fillings that make breakfast fun.
According to Webster's New World College Dictionary, the word "omelette" comes from the french, and earlier from the latin "lamella," for small plate. It is often confused with the fritatta, which has the fillings mixed with the eggs instead of being wrapped by the eggs. This was apparent as I began my search for the best omelet breakfast in town, as only four of the nine places I went to actually serve an omelete and not a fritatta. (And one served neither!)
The Denver, or Western omelet as it is sometimes called usually has ham, cheese, mushrooms and green bell pepper. I soon discovered that not everyone knows what is supposed to be in a Denver omelet, and had to order the fillings separately in a couple of places.
I also discovered that unlike my burger and taco tours, it helps to have an associate when you're sampling omelets, because most are just huge. I decided to add that as an extra rating on my critique as to how many people one omelet would serve, the highest being 4 to 5 at two restaurants, and all of them serving a portion that would feed at least 2. All of the restaurants included at least one side with the meal, that being potatoes of one variety or another. I always opted for the home fries with peppers and onions if given the choice, or the closest thing to it, as I include a critique of the potatoes as well.
Finally, I did not announce that I was doing a test of local breakfasts. I wanted to get only what would be served normally to anyone stepping in off the street.
1) Fraternal Order of Eagles Men's Breakfast-
Third Sunday of every month-
1596 Yosemite Drive (corner of Townsend)
323-257-8869
9 am to 12 pm
$6.00
Though not actually a restaurant, the Eagles put on two breakfasts a month, one by the ladies auxiliary on the first Sunday of the month and one by the men's club on the third. (Omelets are available only at the men's) The dining room is bright and noisy, but the bar is open and the Bloody Marys are tops. You have your choice of eggs and sides, and I order all of the sides (except pancakes) and go for the works omelet. If you get there before 10:30 or so you get to add Dave and Sheryl's famous breakfast beans (before they run out) along with breakfast fruit and serve yourself coffee and Mimosa's- all included at the price. The omelet is not an omelet at all but a fritatta. Not overdone, though, and pretty tasty. The potatoes are cooked with onions and are seasoned pretty well. Your choice of toast all but completes a meal that is topped off with and various condiments and hot sauces (habanero!) along with some decent pico de gallo (pee-ko-day-guy-o) mild salsa as well. It easily feeds two to three normal eaters. I always bring plenty home to share with Mom, and still have some left over for later.
2)
Pete's Blue Chip Burgers
Open Every Day
1701 Colorado Bl., Eagle Rock
323-478-9022
Breakfast 6:15 am to 11:30 am
Saturday and Sunday 'til noon.
$5.65 plus tax
One of the oldest eateries in town, Pete's Blue Chip evokes a good memory from every Northeast L.A. high schooler since about 1960. Adding to their venerable Blue Chip burgers and fries are a full line of breakfasts and salads as well, and all for very cheap prices. The denver omelet is on the menu and was entirely satisfying. The potatoes were without onion or bell pepper, but the buttery smell filled my car as I brought the package home to share. And share and share I did for two days. If you are a big eater or need to feed a family of four from one order, you won't be disappointed, but if gigantic potions turn you off, you won't be happy. The omelet was delicious and the potatoes tasty albeit a little too greasy. The overall appearance is very good, and your choice of toast is included.
3)
Pat and Lorrain's
4720 Eagle Rock Bl., Eagle Rock
(323) 257-7926
Open 6:30 am to 2:30 pm
$11.95 plus tax and tip
Yes, you read that right. The most expensive breakfast by far at $11.95 had the dubious distinction of being the hugest portion as well. The Denver Omelet was on the menu, and this baby would easily feed four to five people. But it wasn't pretty. It not only wasn't pretty, it wasn't an omelet and it wasn't a fritatta either. It could have been an omelet or fritatta or the last half hour of chef mistakes that fell apart and were stirred, mixed and mashed together and served up on a giant platter with a layer of melted swiss cheese to hold it together that looked like a coating of turkey gravy. It might have been a mistake but I believe the cook meant it to be that way- because he's the same person who owns the restaurant. When the waitress brought it, I asked, "This is an omelet?" It tasted OK but by far was the ugliest and most expensive breakfast of the nine that I tried. That huge portion of leftovers I took home finally had to be thrown out. No one wanted it. I was not satisfied with the food, but hey, the waitresses are cute there and it is a comfortable and quiet place to meet with someone if you want to talk. It is a great location and very busy on the weekends, though I don't know why.
4)
Colombo's Italian Steak House
1833 Colorado Bl. Eagle Rock
323-254-9138
Breakfast from 8 am to 2 pm daily
$8.95 plus tax and tip
This was the best surprise of my week of omelets, and the best kept culinary secret in town. Familiar to many for it's great steaks and pasta dishes as well as it's seven nights a week live music, Colombo's only recently started serving breakfasts. Though undeniably dark and a little too sullen a room for a morning jump-start, their customary quality saves the day. The basic omelet is $6.95 and each filling is 50 cents extra. I made my own denver by ordering ham, cheese, onion and bell pepper (I forgot the mushroom) and got it to go. Courtney, the breakfast server, is a morning person, but thankfully not overly cheerful (I hate that). I chose the Italian potatoes (sautéed with green and red bell pepper and onions) over the hashbrowns and selected an English muffin at no extra cost. The order was ready to go in ten minutes (I timed it) and when I unwrapped it at home I had the pleasantest of surprises when I saw the fresh fruit cup that was included. All included for one price. I shared it with my 85 year old mother, and she so pleased she let out an OH! of approval at what was the best appearing breakfast we had shared yet. The properly folded over omelet looked perfect with the slice of bright orange cheese melted on top. The chunks of ham were the biggest of any of the omelets I tried. The flavor was no disappointment either with neither the omelet or potatoes requiring any salt or pepper or hot sauce, while still not being either greasy or salty. If the weather's nice, you'll want to make use of the outside seating to start your day, or sit at the bar and maybe add to your meal the hair of the dog that bit you the night before. The portion is big enough to feed 3 to 4 people and you better watch out if you're on a diet- it is so good you won't want to stop eating until it's all gone. THE CLEAR WINNER!
5)
Cindy's Restaurant
1500 Colorado Bl. Eagle Rock
323-257-7375
Open 6 am to 7 pm
Breakfast served all day
$7.50 plus tax and tip
A nice Denver fritatta that comes without cheese and does not need it. The route 66 architecture and the light airy dining area will help make your meal a pleasant one as well as the experienced and friendly wait staff. The potatoes, which can be most accurately described as "smashed browns" are lacking any luster but acceptable. A solid breakfast value.
6)
Troy Drive In No 8
4738 York Bl. Eagle Rock
323-259-8060
Open at 6 am
Breakfast til noon.
$4.65 plus tax
This, the most inexpensive omelet, is in competition with the most expensive for portion size. It's almost as big. And the proper ham and cheese omelet (the closest they have to a denver) is tasty with an appetizing appearance that wins hands down over it's 11.95 counterpart. The smashed brown potatoes are OK, but the prize here is when you ask for the pico de gallo on the side. It's always fresh, attractive and delicious and serves to dress up the most boring potatoes with the spark of fresh and spicy vegetable goodness. You have a choice of toast- but they won't ask- so you have to tell them or else it's toasted white bread for all. This omelet can serve 3 to 4 people and the 80's era hamburger stand architecture lends well to watching the locals and OXY students as they come and go. A great place to start your day or meet an old friend for a great meal for a low price. (A word of caution here: Unless you are fluent in Spanish, additions or substitutions are tricky. I tried to order the closest thing to a denver omelet by asking to add the onion and bell pepper to my ham and cheese omelet. They did not understand what I meant by bell peppers, so what I got was a ham and cheese omelet stuffed with about two cups of chopped raw onions, which I had to remove. lol!)
7)
The Coffee Table Eagle Rock
1958 Colorado Bl. Eagle Rock
323-255-2200
Open 7 am to 9:30 pm
$8.95 plus tax
I had high hopes for the famous Coffee Table of Eagle Rock. They did an awesome job of decorating the building that previously housed Williamson Auto Supply for about 60 years, and by all appearances, the resulting atmosphere welcomes a more stylish and discriminating crowd. They have the specialty coffee/mocha/latte/expresso beverages and I expected something really special from my denver omelet that was on their menu. It was a disappointment. Notwithstanding the decor and ambiance, this denver fritatta was over browned and just not appealing to the eye. The "smashed brown" potatoes were tasteless and dry. I even had to remove two black rotting spots from the potatoes on my plate. I don't know why they didn't remove that before cooking like I do at home, but it kinda killed the experience for me. The fritatta tasted fine, but you only get one side: potato, toast, fruit OR salad. At least there was some good news because I love salad and think that would go great with an omelet - or a fritatta. Judging by all the really attractive and appetizing looking dishes I see folks eating there, the Coffee Table should not have finished last, but it did. (portion will feed 2 to 3)
8)
Armon's Restaurant
5056 Eagle Rock Bl.
(323) 478-1440
$8.15 plus tax and tip
Described as a "Classic Diner," Armon's is an other old school diner that is neat and clean with booths that fill up fast on weekends especially. The smashed brown potatoes are just average and don't come with onion or bell pepper and substitutions like an English muffin costs extra. Another denver fritatta instead of an omelet, it was somewhat appealing and acceptably tasty, but here, the best news is the home made salsa that really saves the day. Sit down and eat- then get on with your day- you're at Armon's. (will feed about three)
9)
Le Petit Beaujolais
1661 Colorado Bl., Eagle Rock
$7.75 plus tax and tip
The French inspired and created breakfast and brunch cafe is a family operation. The decor and atmosphere is lovely. They got the coffee/mocha/latte/expresso thing going on. The omelets here are real omelets- (of course, they have quiches and all sorts of other great offerings but we're talking omelets today, right?) The potatoes are 1/4" sliced, sautéed and really delicious. The omelet is perfect and costs $5.50 plus 75 cents per filling. I should have stuck with just ham and cheese because the green peppers were ortega chilis, not the green bell pepper I expected. I got mine to go, but was disappointed that no toast or bread was included. I checked later and was told that was no accident. "It's standard," the waitress said. The only other drawbacks are the street parking that can fill up quickly, and big dogs that often accompany their masters at the outdoor tables. Sorry! I'm not a dog owner! I can't help that it makes me uncomfortable! The portion was the smallest of all I tested, but was more than enough for my mother and me.

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by Eagle Rock Historian Eric Warren

Take a walk this May

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