Category: 2019

Proposed facilities for the homeless would be near this encampment under the 134 Freeway in Eagle Rock. Photo by T.A. Hendrickson

City to Evaluate Parking Lot on Figueroa for Homeless Services

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By T. A. Hendrickson An effort in Eagle Rock to create safer, more sanitary conditions for the homeless advanced on November 15, when the Los Angeles City Council told city agencies to study the use of the parking lot at 7541 Figueroa Street as a homeless-services staging area. Among the potential uses: Installing mobile showers […]

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The Groundbreakers - From left: LADOT Centrol District Engineer Mehred Moshksar, Public Works Board Commissioner Teresa Villegas, Councilmember Jose Huizar, Streets LA Executive Director Adel Hagekhalil, TERA President Greg Meredith, ERNC Board President Jesse Saucedo \ Photo by Bill Hendrickson

Improvement Project Underway for Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock

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Groundbreaking both literal and ceremonial for the Take Back the [Colorado] Boulevard Improvements Project took place Nov 14 in Eagle Rock. Read more here about who was present for the ceremony and what has already started out on the Boulevard.

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Opening night at the Highland Park Independent Film Festival: From left, Mark Reitman, Alessandro Gentile and Marita De La Torre (Co-founders of the festival); Danny Trejo (Humanitarian Award winner); April Ibarra (Associate Producer), Kris Bicknell (Graphic Designer/Branding for the festival) - Photo by Tim Karau

Highland Park Filmfest Winners

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Winning an award in the 6th annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival was not easy.

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Part of 45 acres burned in the NELA fire of August 25 | Photo by Bill Hendrickson

No Charges Filed in Fire Arrests, District Attorney Asks for Further Investigation

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The Los Angeles County District Attorney has not filed charges against either of the two men arrested on August 31 in connection with the hillside fire in Eagle Rock and Glendale on August 25.

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The actor, Danny Trejo, will accept the top award of the 6th annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival

The Highland Park Independent Film Festival Honors Danny Trejo

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The Humanitarian Award of the 6th annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival goes to Danny Trejo for his strong faith, his art of reinvention and his ability and willingness to use film and fame as tools to help others.

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Logo for the 6th Annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival - October 3 - October 5, 2019

Your Guide to the 6th Annual Highland Park Independent Film Festival

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With 50 films over three days, this year’s Highland Park Independent Film Festival is the largest and most ambitious in the festival’s six-year history. The screenings, at the Highland Theater (5604 N. Figueroa St.) include six world premieres, four Los Angeles premieres and an Academy Award-nominated short. There are films in virtually every genre: animation, documentary, sci-fi, action/adventure, noir and foreign. Here’s a moviegoer’s guide to festival:

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Advocates for rent control and housing for the homeless get support from Sacramento

State Loosens Grip on Housing for Homeless and Tightens It on Rent Control

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State bills take aim at Longstanding Problems in NELA easing controls over using City property for homesless housing and extending rent control to thousands of apartments. Read the details here.

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Hilda Solis, L.A. county supervisor and Metro board member, spoke with attendees at a recent Metro meeting in Eagle Rock. Other top officials also attended. Photo of Hilda Solis provided by Supervisor Solis’ office.

Metro Debate In Eagle Rock Enters New Phase

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As County Supervisor and Metro Director Hilda Solis and Metro leaders and staff come to Eagle Rock to hear what the community has to say about Metro’s proposed BRT route on Colorado Boulevard, political decisions on Metro’s plan take center stage.

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The new fountain was a refreshing backdrop to a day of service by community members who put finishing touches on the landscaping at the refurbished Veterans Memorial in Highland Park | Photo by Bill Hendrickson

Date Is Set for Re-dedication of the Highland Park Veterans Memorial

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Dozens of volunteers, including many veterans, gathered on Saturday, August 24, to put finishing touches on the plaza and landscaping of the newly refurbished Veterans Memorial at the intersection of York Boulevard and Figueroa Street in Highland Park. The centerpiece of the Memorial is the fountain. There’s more to be done.

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Artist Paula Lopez, seen here, is repainting the SW Museum mural | Photo by Jesus Sanchez for The Eastsider

The Mural on Marmion Way – Lost and Found

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The prep work for re-painting of the 170′ mural on Marmion Way near the Southwest Museum has been completed and the re-painting has begun, Both the preparation work and the re-painting are creative adventures in their own right. See the work in process on the Boulevard Sentinel.

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California Governor Newsom announces moritorium on death penalty on March 12, 2019.

US Constitution – Amendment VIII

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The Boulevard Sentinel published the Constitution itself and now continues publishing the Bill of Rights as amended to our Constitution.  We are doing this to remind you of the core values and rights which are at the foundation of our Country and to provide you with a refresher of the baseline from which to evaluate the interventions of our enemies as well as the allegiance of our elected officials, at every level, to their oath of office.

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Gov. Newsom presenting his state budget | Photo by Rich Pedroncelli / AP

Making It Easier to Attend and Finish Community College

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Tuition and fees will be waived in the first two years of community college for first-time, full-time students, thanks to provisions in California’s new state budget. Want more? How’s this: Nearly half of students earning a bachelor’s degree from a UC in science, technology, engineering and mathematics transferred from a California community college. And, there’s more in this report by Matthew Reagan for the Boulevard Sentinel.

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Ana Serrano inside her installation, Homegrown, which has been acquired by the L.A. County Musuem of Art | Photo by John S. Rabe

Artwork by Ana Serrano Acquired by L.A. County Museum of Art

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From the College of Art and Design to the LA County Museum, Ana Serrano evokes the look and feel of front-yard, window-ledge spaces in Latino neighborhoods. Read on for a view of the creative expression of what we pass by every day in NELA.

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Robert Swan Mueller III is an American lawyer and government official who served as the sixth Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2001 to 2013. Mueller headed the DOJ investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and President Trump's attempts to thwart it.

US Constitution – Amendment VII

Bill Hendrickson2909Leave a Comment on US Constitution – Amendment VII

The Boulevard Sentinel published the Constitution itself and now continues publishing the Bill of Rights as amended to our Constitution.  We are doing this to remind you of the core values and rights which are at the foundation of our Country and to provide you with a refresher of the baseline from which to evaluate the interventions of our enemies as well as the allegiance of our elected officials, at every level, to their oath of office.

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Overflow Crowd at the Eagle Rock Plaza Metro meeting | Photo Bill Hendrickson

Eagle Rockers Weigh In on Metro’s Bus Plan for Colorado Boulevard

Bill Hendrickson62646 Comments on Eagle Rockers Weigh In on Metro’s Bus Plan for Colorado Boulevard

About 350 Eagle Rockers showed up at the Eagle Rock Plaza today to hear what Metro and their fellow residents had to say about Metro’s plan for Bus Rapid Transit on Colorado Boulevard.  About 70 people spoke up. Here’s how things came out.

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The proposed North Hollywood to Pasadena bus rapid transit line would run through Eagle Rock on Colorado Boulevard

Four Questions for Metro on Bus Rapid Transit in Eagle Rock

T.A. Hendrickson73577 Comments on Four Questions for Metro on Bus Rapid Transit in Eagle Rock

Attention Eagle Rockers: Bring your comments and questions on Saturday, July 13, to a meeting with Metro about its Bus Rapid Transit plan for Eagle Rock. Here are four questions the Boulevard Sentinel is submitting for the record. The meeting will be at the Eagle Rock Plaza from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

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Glendale demonstration against fossil fuel power generation at Grayson facility in Glendale. | Photo by Bill Hendrickson

Protests in Glendale Over the Grayson Power Plant Hold Lessons for NELA on Scholl Canyon

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Protests in Glendale Over the Grayson Power Plant Hold Lessons for NELA on Scholl. Read here about the power of resident advocacy.

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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

US Constitution – Amendment III

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  Amendment III No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. Per Cornell Law School: There has been no Supreme Court explication of this Amendment, which was obviously one guarantee indicating […]

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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

US Constitution – Amendment II

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      Amendment II  A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.    

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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

US Constitution – Amendment I

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  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.    

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Dorothy Brewer, of Highland Park, retired recently after 40 years as a crossing guard

Crossing Guard Retires after 40 years on the job – Applause for Dorothy Brewer

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Someone you may know – Dorothy Brewer, 86 – retired recently after 40 years as a school crossing guard in Northeast Los Angeles, mostly in Highland Park. Here’s more about Dorothy and her last day as a crossing guard.

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Another Attempt to Keep Bars Open Until 4 a.m.

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Bars open until 4am coming to NELA? Not so fast, legislation has cleared the state Senate before but didn’t get passed the Governor. And, the politicians who represent Northeast L.A in Sacramento – state Senator Maria Elena Durazo (D) and Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D) – are going different ways on the issue. There’s more here. Read on.

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Enjoying a "Taste of Eagle Rock" are, from left, Dr. Ralph Boyd, Dottie Boyd, LaDell Stapp and Lani Stapp | Photo by Bill Hendrickson

Taste of Eagle Rock – A Fund Raising Success

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The expansive lawn at the Hill Drive home of Michael and Eugenie Noguiera was the site of the 5th annual Taste of Eagle Rock on June 23 where some 300 visitors sampled specialties from 25 local restaurants.

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Two tent communities—one on Broadway, above, one on Figueroa—are home to mostly local people with diverse backgrounds and stories. Many want help, some don’t. | Photos by Joel Sappell

Homeless in Eagle Rock: Life in the Encampments

Joel Sappell79903 Comments on Homeless in Eagle Rock: Life in the Encampments

Encampments Expose Harsh Realities for People on the Street and Those Trying to Help. Read about it in this report by Joel Sappell for the Boulevard Sentinel.

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Grant for Rock the Boulevard Is Denied – Project on Hold

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Rock the Boulevard, a public/private effort to transform Eagle Rock Boulevard into a safer, more beautiful thoroughfare, has been unable to secure the public grant money needed to move forward as originally planned.

There were high hopes for the project last year. Launch money was raised from City Council District 14 ($23,000), Occidental College ($13,500), the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council ($2,500) and The Eagle Rock Association improvement group (an unspecified amount)

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Wildfires are getting scarier – NELA at “high risk.”

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Wildfires can occur anytime, not only in the typical wildfire season of mid-summer to early autumn. Northeast Los Angeles is at high risk: The Boulevard Sentinel recently reported on data showing that nearly half of the buildings in Eagle Rock are in a very severe hazard zone; in Highland Park, 40% of the buildings are in a very serve hazard zone. In Mount Washington, all of the buildings are in a very severe hazard zone.

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Jack Goldberg addressing supporters

Jackie Goldberg Wins School Board Election. Voter Turnout Was Poor.

T.A. Hendrickson3000Leave a Comment on Jackie Goldberg Wins School Board Election. Voter Turnout Was Poor.

Jackie Goldberg, a veteran local politician, won a decisive victory on May 14 over Heather Repenning, a former city commissioner, for the Board District 5 (BD 5) seat on the Los Angeles School Board, which includes Northeast Los Angeles. The task now before Goldberg, who was endorsed by the L.A. teachers union, is to find the money to deliver on her promise of smaller class sizes and more counselors, nurses and teachers aides.

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Settlement Is Reached in the Case of the Missing Scholarship Money

Mary Lynch3319Leave a Comment on Settlement Is Reached in the Case of the Missing Scholarship Money

A settlement has been reached in a long running case that set Forever 21 and Arroyo Vista Family Health Foundation against the Lincoln Heights Chamber of Commerce (COC).

The case involved donations made in 2011-2013 by Forever 21 and the Arroyo Vista foundation to a scholarship fund established by the Lincoln Heights COC. The money raised, about $30,000 in all, was supposed to go to college-bound students from Abraham Lincoln High School in Lincoln Heights, but as far as everyone could tell, no scholarships were ever awarded.

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Vielka McFarlane

Prison Time for Charter School Founder with Ties to NELA

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Vielka McFarlane, who founded the Celerity network of charter schools located in Eagle Rock and other parts of Los Angeles, was sentenced on May 20 to 30 months in prison for misspending public education money on luxuries for herself, including first-class plane travel, fine dining and high-end shopping.
McFarlane pleaded guilty in January to one count of conspiracy to misappropriate and embezzle public money. The plea followed an investigation, starting in 2012, by the inspector general of L.A. Unified School District and federal authorities.

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Bill to Allow Multi-Family Housing in Single Family Areas Is Delayed

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Action on Senate Bill 50 (SB 50) — a measure to address the state’s housing crisis by rewriting local zoning codes — was put off until 2020 by the state Senate Appropriations Committee on May 16. The delay undercuts the Senate Housing Committee and the Senate Governance and Finance Committee, which passed the bill in April. The bill would let apartment complexes be built in areas deemed “job rich” or “transit rich” and would permit fourplexes in neighborhoods zoned for single-family homes.

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School Libraries in NELA Escape the Budget Ax

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Applause and tears of joy erupted at a School Board meeting on May 21, when Austin Beutner, Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), announced that the district’s elementary school libraries would be fully funded for the 2019-2020 school year. The announcement reversed an earlier decision by LAUSD that would have cut library funding.

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Ramona Sierra, 90, and Suzanna Bermudez, 65, went to City Hall on Wednesday to ask for help to avoid being evicted from their bungalows in Eagle Rock. Photo by: Bill Hendrickson

Elderly Women Face Displacement, Community Tries to Help, Odds Are Long

Bill Hendrickson49533 Comments on Elderly Women Face Displacement, Community Tries to Help, Odds Are Long

Ramona Sierra, 90, and Suzanna Bermudez, 65, are bracing for eviction from their rent-controlled bungalows at 4542-4544 Eagle Rock Boulevard in Eagle Rock. Sierra has lived in her bungalow for 40 years. Bermudez and her husband, who are both disabled, have lived in the bungalow three doors down from Sierra for seven years.
This particular eviction story starts in 2017 when . . . . . . . . .

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The Battle over Buses on Colorado Boulevard

K. D. Dunleavy524511 Comments on The Battle over Buses on Colorado Boulevard

The Metro Board of Directors recently advanced a plan that would put bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes on Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock.

Under the plan, the Colorado Boulevard corridor would be one segment of an 18-mile BRT line connecting North Hollywood and Pasadena (NoHo-Pasadena). Various routes were considered for the line, including one that would use the 134 Freeway to traverse Eagle Rock, thus bypassing Colorado Boulevard. But Metro staff determined that a route along surface streets would attract more riders and provide better connections than a freeway-based route. The Metro Board accepted the staff’s finding and on May 23, voted to begin a draft environmental review

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Ramona Sierra, 90, and Suzanna Bermudez, 65, went to City Hall on Wednesday to ask for help to avoid being evicted from their bungalows in Eagle Rock. Photo by: Bill Hendrickson

Elderly Women in Eagle Rock Face Eviction

Bill Hendrickson46865 Comments on Elderly Women in Eagle Rock Face Eviction

Ramona Sierra, 90, and Suzanna Bermudez, 65 and disabled, are on the verge of being evicted from their rent-controlled bungalow homes at 4524 Eagle Rock Boulevard in Eagle Rock. Ramona has lived in her bungalow for 40 years; Suzanna for seven. Neither wants to move, much less out of Eagle Rock. But the owner, Randy Stevenson of Allegro Capital Partners, LLC, plans to renovate and sell their homes and the other three bungalows on the property.

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Founders of the Eagle Rock Dog Park in the Park they created (standing from left): Carlos Buenfil, the construction project manaer, Matt Harrington, the advocate representing thousands of local dog owners, Craig Raines, the landscape architect of LA Rec and Parks and Lucy Aparicio, representing Councilmember José Huizar. (front row): Scruff and Buddy, Matt Harrington's dogs.

THOUGHTS ON A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE EAGLE ROCK DOG PARK

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The Eagle Rock dog park is the result of special efforts and it shows it. It was an honor for me to be invited to a sneak preview of the park on Wednesday and I’m happy to share some thoughts and images of what I got to learn and see.

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