Latest Moves, Next Steps in the Battle over Buses on Colorado Boulevard
The Battle Over Buses on Colorado Boulevard has heated up. Read about the latest developments here.
Continue ReadingCategory: 2019
Grant for Rock the Boulevard Is Denied – Project on Hold
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)
Continue Reading
Wildfires are getting scarier – NELA at “high risk.”
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.
Continue Reading
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.
Continue Reading
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.
Continue Reading
Prison Time for Charter School Founder with Ties to NELA
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.
Democratic Infighting, Resolved for Now
An intraparty feud among local Democratic groups has come to a can’t-please-everyone kind of resolution.
The dispute began in late January, when Democrats in State Assembly District 51, which includes Northeast Los Angeles, voted to select 14 delegates to the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento from May 31 to June 2.
Continue Reading
Crime and Punishment in Northeast L.A.
This month focuses on a conviction for burglary in Eagle Rock, a sexual preditor also in Eagle Rock, a hearing for a a person know for harassing and threatening women and the bomb threat at Franklin High School.
Continue Reading
Bill to Allow Multi-Family Housing in Single Family Areas Is Delayed
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.
Continue Reading
School Libraries in NELA Escape the Budget Ax
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.
Continue Reading
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 . . . . . . . . .
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
Continue Reading
Most of the Area’s Graduates Are College Bound
The high school graduates of 2019 in Northeast Los Angeles have earned the pomp and circumstance that surrounds Graduation Day.
The highlights are in our story . . . . . . .
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.
Continue Reading
THOUGHTS ON A SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE EAGLE ROCK DOG PARK
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.
Continue ReadingLocal Democrats at Odds with Each Other
As of April 25, when this edition of the Boulevard Sentinel went to press,10 of the 14 delegate slots for AD51 were unfilled. If all goes according to plan, the vacancies will be filled in time for the convention. But the fact that it has taken so long reflects rivalry and tension within the local Democratic party.
Continue ReadingWill Voters Approve Proposal EE Tax to Fund Schools?
Known as Measure EE, the proposal is for a 16-cents per-square-foot parcel tax on “habitable structures” within the L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD), including houses, storefronts and commercial buildings. The tax would fall most heavily on businesses and corporate landlords
Continue Reading
Crime and Punishment in Northeast L.A.
This month focuses on a couple of scary adults that have plagued the neighborhoods and two juveniles arrested for armed robbery in Eagle Rock.
Continue ReadingNeighborhood Councils: Watering the Grassroots
The Grand Opening of the dog park at the Eagle Rock Recreation Center will take place on Saturday, May 11 at 10 a.m. This will be the first new dog park in Northeast Los Angeles in 13 years.
Continue ReadingGrand Opening for the Eagle Rock Dog Park
The Grand Opening of the dog park at the Eagle Rock Recreation Center will take place on Saturday, May 11 at 10 a.m. This will be the first new dog park in Northeast Los Angeles in 13 years.
Continue Reading
Private Property, Public Space: An Update
There are no completion dates in sight for some of the area’s most prominent developments, both private and public.
Continue Reading
Countdown to the 2020 Census
By T. A. HendricksonAt a recent rally downtown in Los Angeles to urge everyone to be counted in the 2020 census, city and county officials did not mince words: The obstacles to participation in the census are high, they said. But failure to get a full and accurate count would be devastating, financially and politically.
Continue Reading
Young Violinist from NELA Excels
Ten-year old violinist, Cordelia Rachbach, of Glassell Park, is on her way to Walt Disney Concert Hall, where she will perform on June 19 in the intermediate ensemble of the Los Angeles Youth Orchestra (LAYO).
Continue Reading
Election Results 2019 for NELA Neighborhood Councils
Here are the results for those NELA neighborhood councils which help elections in April 2019. We are posting tthe results for Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Cypress Park and Lincoln Heights. The neighborhood councils for Glassell Park, Arroyo Seco and Hermon did not have elections.
Continue ReadingCrime and Punishment in Northeast L.A.
Here’s the follow up on some of the NELA’s recent crimes:
Continue Reading
Electric Scooters All Over NELA? Not So Fast.
Councilmember Gil Cedillo recently filed a motion to exclude CD 1 from a one-year pilot program to test widespread use of electric, dockless scooters in Los Angeles.
Continue ReadingSafe Parking in Glassell Park Clears a Hurdle
The academic decathletes from Franklin High School in Highland Park placed sixth among 68 schools in the recent California state finals of the Academic Decathlon.
Continue ReadingFranklin High Competes with Distinction in State Academic Decathlon
The academic decathletes from Franklin High School in Highland Park placed sixth among 68 schools in the recent California state finals of the Academic Decathlon.
Continue Reading
Environmentalists Blast Glendale Water and Power over Scholl Canyon
The Coalition for Scholl Landfill Alternatives (CSLA), a local group of environmental activists, has issued a press release saying it “strongly suspects” Glendale Water and Power of trying to manipulate an upcoming environmental review at the Scholl Canyon landfill . . . . . .
Continue Reading
Southwest Museum Up for Grabs
The Coalition for Scholl Landfill Alternatives (CSLA), a local group of environmental activists, has issued a press release saying it “strongly suspects” Glendale Water and Power of trying to manipulate an upcoming environmental review at the Scholl Canyon landfill . . . . . .
Continue Reading
Runoff for School Board
The runoff election for School Board District 5, which includes Northeast Los Angeles, is underway between Jackie Goldberg and Heather Repenning.
Continue Reading
One LA River, Many Park Interests
With so many different ideas about what an L.A. River park should include, it can be hard to see how to accommodate them all. One example of working together to advance various interests involves Anahuak’s Raul Macias and Jon Christensen, a UCLA adjunct assistant professor specializing in the environment and a board member of the non-profit Los Angeles River State Parks Partners.
Continue Reading
Playing Fields Envisioned for NELA
The push is on to build two new athletic fields in Rio de Los Angeles State Park in Cypress Park and to upgrade the park’s existing soccer fields. The price tag: An estimated $6 million . . . .
Continue Reading
Eagle Rock Elementary Faces Budget Cut
Eagle Rock Elementary School (ERES) is facing a budget cut of $125,000 in the coming school year and possibly much more in subsequent years. The looming cutback, disclosed at a parent meeting in March, has the school community “highly alarmed,” said ERES Principal Stephanie Leach, adding, “I share their concerns.”
Continue Reading
New Group Forms to Save the Southwest Museum and Lummis House
The Lummis Legacy League, a grassroots organization to preserve the legacy of Charles Fletcher Lummis, will hold a kick-off reception and presentation on March 17 at the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens in Cypress Park. Suzanne Lummis, the granddaughter of Charles Lummis, will be a guest of honor. The group hopes to draw more […]
Continue Reading
Where’s Huizar? His Vanishing Profile Raises Questions for Constituents
José Huizar has become the invisible man.
Before FBI agents served search warrants at his Boyle Heights home and city offices in November as part of an apparent “pay-to-play” corruption probe, the councilman was an impressive practitioner of retail politics and photo ops.
Continue ReadingSchool News: Renaissance Arts Academy Is Honored. Another Area School Needs Improvement.
Renaissance Arts Academy, a K-12 charter school in Glassell Park, has been designated a “California Distinguished School” by the California Department of Education. The school is one of 162 middle and high schools in the state to receive the honor, which recognizes exceptional student performance or consistent progress in closing the achievement gap. It is […]
Continue Reading
Frank Romero Mural Coming to Highland Park
By T. A. Hendrickson
When Frank Romero painted the mural “Going to the Olympics” for the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, he was already famous as a founding member of Los Four, the artist collective that put Chicano art on the art-world map.
Continue Reading
Overnight Parking for Homeless People Is Coming to Glassell Park
This story was updated on March 8, to include reactions by the Glassell Park Seniors to the overnight parking plan. The story was updated on March 9, to include follow-up to address the seniors’ concerns planned by CD-1 following their receipt of a petition from the Senior Group.
Safe Parking is coming to Glassell Park. A part of the city’s Homeless Strategy, Safe Parking uses parking lots that are secure, well-lit and available at night to provide overnight parking for people who live in their vehicles.
Continue Reading
Franklin’s Best and Brightest to Compete for State Title in Academic Decathlon
By Mary Lynch
A team from Franklin High School in Highland Park is on its way to Sacramento this month to compete in the California state finals of the Academic Decathlon, a prestigious educational competition for high schools.
Continue Reading
Special Report: Break-Ins Steal a Sense of Security Along Colorado Blvd.
The Boulevard Is a Vulnerable Target, Business Owners Want More Police Presence by Joel Sappell and Laura Brady-Allen UPDATE: May 29, 2019, 6:25 p.m. Three men arrested for a one-night spree of burglaries on Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock and Pasadena on Jan. 5 pleaded no contest to the charges on May […]
Continue Reading
Your School Board, Your Vote
Election Comes at a Critical Time by T.A. Hendrickson Every election is important. But the special election on March 5 for Los Angeles school board is especially important to Northeast L.A. At stake is the open seat to represent Board District 5, which includes NELA. The person who fills the seat will take on […]
Continue Reading
Two Suspects Arrested for Burglaries on Colorado Blvd. A Third Suspect Is Sought by Police
January 24, 2019 Here’s the press release from the Pasadena Police Department: PASADENA POLICE STOP COMMERCIAL BURGLARY SPREE PASADENA POLICE ALSO SEEK THE PUBLIC’S HELP IN IDENTIFYING A THIRD ARRESTED: Juan Manuel Morales, male, 19-years old, Los Angeles, CA resident Kiyonte Levell Sowell, male, 18-years old, Los Angeles, CA resident PASADENA, CA – On Friday, […]
Continue Reading
Photo Album – L.A. Teacher Strike 2019, Day Four – Jan 17
Teachers and their supporters were out in force again today, in the rain, again. In Eagle Rock that meant a noisy demonstration, not a celebration. The teachers I spoke to said they would rather be in the classroom — with an acceptable contract — than on the picket line. They have been working without a contract […]
Continue Reading
Pregnant Woman Robbed in Daylight at the Glassell Park Rec Center
An assailant used bodily force to rob a pregnant woman of her cell phone at the Glassell Park Recreation Center on Friday, Jan. 11 at 10:20 a.m. Officers with the LAPD have arrested Marlon Bugtong Mata, a 29-year old transient, for the robbery. This information was provided by Captain Arturo Sandoval, Commanding Officer of the […]
Continue Reading
Where NELA’s Elected Officials Stand on the Teacher Strike, Day One
The Boulevard Sentinel emailed NELA’s elected leaders – local, state and federal – asking whether they support the teachers, the LAUSD or are neutral. Here are the replies: L.A. City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, Council District 1: “Councilmember Cedillo is with teachers and hopes both parties can reach an agreement as soon as possible to minimize […]
Continue Reading
Photo Album – L.A. Teacher Strike 2019, Day One
The rain came down this morning as striking teachers and their supporters showed up on picket lines in front of public schools throughout NELA. Here are some photos taken at Eagle Rock Elementary this morning: Here’s a photo of a Dad in front of Franklin High School about 10am this morning. He’s holding the ground […]
Continue Reading
More Details in Shooting at Eagle Rock Plaza
Glendale Police have arrested 28-year old Joseph Esposito, Jr. for attempted robbery and assault on a police officer in connection with the officer-involved shooting on Jan. 2 in the parking lot near Target at the Eagle Rock Plaza. The arrest occurred at the home of Mr. Esposito on Trent Way on the border of Eagle […]
Continue Reading
NELA Crime Scenes
As the New Year begins, notable crimes committed toward the end of 2018 are either making their way through the courts or remain unsolved. Here’s an update: Maximo Muy, 25, the man accused of shooting three innocent bystanders outside of Johnny’s Bar on York Blvd. in Highland Park on Oct. 6, pleaded “not guilty” to […]
Continue ReadingClosing Time
What next? Here how an up-coming High School senior is coming to deal with the existential of life.
Continue ReadingWe Will Rock You!
We’re always told growing up that we can do anything we set our minds to, no matter how outrageous it may seem. Well, two Eagle Rock teens with a passion for live music and the persistence to match took the advice to heart and, last month, pulled off a punk rock show with three bands and a hundred fans – on Loleta Avenue in Eagle Rock.
Continue ReadingBe True to Your School
If you happened to see groups of high school boys in pleated skirts and makeup out and about in Eagle Rock last month, this may be why:On Friday, March 8, Eagle Rock High School held its annual “Dustbowl,”
Continue ReadingLani Says: Where the Wild Things Are
by Lani Tunzi Once upon a time, it was rare to see a coyote. Now, coyotes are a common sight in Eagle Rock and other NELA neighborhoods, often seen isolated trotting down the sidewalks or heard howling in packs. And we’re about to see and hear more of them. After a mating month in February, […]
Continue Reading
Lani Says: Surfin’ Bird – Bird Is the Word
Birds – rentable, dockless, electric scooters -– have descended upon Eagle Rock. They dot sidewalks, rest on corners and tend to congregate at the intersection of Colorado Blvd. and Eagle Rock Blvd. when they’re not scattered along residential streets. They’re reasonably inexpensive and convenient. You use a downloadable phone app to find and rent a […]
Continue Reading
Lani Says: When I Grow Up
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Even when I was a little girl, I found that to be a weighty question. I would come up with answers – a veterinarian, a teacher, a spy, or maybe all three at the same time. But I never had a single answer that […]
Continue Reading
Wrap Up: Spring Season, 2019
Spring Sports for local high schools are finished – lots of awards victories and less. Read the highlights here on BoulevardSentinel.com.
Continue Reading
Spring Season Highlights
The Special Olympics, held at Sotomayor in Glassell Park, warmed the hearts of NELA. The girls softball team at Eagle Rock High got off to a booming start this spring season. The retirement of a coach at Lincoln High evoked gratitude for a remarkable career.
Continue Reading
Here's one of over 400 winners at the Special Olympics held in March at Sotomayor in NELA | Photo by Dave Abbott
Spring Season in NELA Gets Underway
The Special Olympics, held at Sotomayor in Glassell Park, warmed the hearts of NELA. The girls softball team at Eagle Rock High got off to a booming start this spring season. The retirement of a coach at Lincoln High evoked gratitude for a remarkable career.
Continue Reading
Eagle Rock Boys 2019 Basketball Champions: first row, left to right: AJ Ragadio, Tanner Guerra,
Lloyd Borreson, Lawrence Diaz, Principal Mylene Keipp, Christian Naranjo, Jared Terrazas, Max
Jensen, Coach Mike Barbera, Trainer Gersom Salmeron; second row, left to right: Coach Deon
Johnson, Coach Narada Whalum, Poalo Octoman, Nicholas Chavez, Jordon Purvis, Leo Lindemose,
Rayford Turner, Romero Nickel, Mitchell Gravino, Head Coach Christian Dunbar; Not shown: Axel
Ayers Photo by Dave Abbott
Eagle Rock High Basketball Champions Close Out the Winter Sports Season
By The winter post-season saw the boys and girls basketball teams from Eagle Rock High competing in playoffs at the City and State levels. The girls water polo team from Eagle Rock also made it to the City playoffs, while both Eagle Rock and Wilson High competed in the finals of the Los Angeles City […]
Continue Reading
The Regular Winter Season Wraps Up
By The winter season in high school sports in L.A. has been stop and go. Competition started in mid-December, stopped for the holiday break, started again on Jan. 9, stopped during the teacher strike that began in mid-January and resumed after the strike ended on Jan. 22. Making up for lost practice time is really […]
Continue Reading
Alfred Bobadilla of Franklin is a standout guard in addition to being an award winning quarterback. Photo by Dave Abbott
NELA High School Winter Sports Get Underway
Here’s an update on league play at high schools in Northeast Los Angeles – Eagle Rock, Franklin in Highland Park, Lincoln in Lincoln Heights, Sotomayor in Glassell Park and Wilson in El Sereno. Data is as of winter break in mid-December. BASKETBALL The teams at Eagle Rock High and Franklin High have no home court […]
Continue Reading
NELA Real Estate – How’s the Market?
For a while now, when brokers have been asked, “How’s the market?” some of them have answered by saying, “It’s adjusting.” The question about the direction of the market comes from people who have thinking about selling and are wondering if they may have missed a peak in prices. It also comes from people who […]
Continue Reading
Borrowers in NELA Seek Advice on Student Debt
By Jamie Tijerina NELearn, a series of workshops to provide people in Northeast Los Angeles with information they can use in their daily lives, held its third meeting on Dec. 15 at the Arroyo Seco Public Library. Ten people, most of them young Latinos, attended to learn more about the featured topic – Coping with […]
Continue Reading
On Homelessness — Disposing of RV Waste Safely
by Mary Lynch Some 4,600 individuals and families in Los Angeles live in RVs and vans. The human waste collected in such “housing” needs to get into the City sewer system and be treated so that bacteria doesn’t infect our water, cause disease and otherwise harm the environment. Working with L.A. Homeless Services and L.A. […]
Continue Reading
The Longest Straw: A Film by Samantha Bode
When filmmaker Samantha Bode learned that a 338-mile aqueduct brings water into Los Angeles, she decided impulsively to see it for herself by walking its entire length – from the Cascades in Sylmar at the southern terminus of the aqueduct to Mono Lake, 338 miles to the north. The result is a documentary film, The Longest Straw – a close-up look at the environmental impacts of what it takes to keep L.A. alive.
Continue Reading
Low Cost Ways to Prepare for the Big One
There have been no major earthquakes in Los Angeles in quite a while. But the danger is ever present. The way to cope is to be prepared.At WTI, a local nonprofit that teaches survival skills, earthquake preparedness has been in the curriculum for nearly 40 years.
Continue Reading
Water in NELA – Where Water Once Flowed
Much of our recent rainfall has flowed out to the ocean, uncaptured and unused. But it was not always this way. Up until the 1930s, water flowed throughout the area we now know as Northeast Los Angeles.
Continue ReadingRecycling the Rain
by Christopher Nyerges During the recent rains, my neighbor, Carol Kampe, collected enough water to irrigate her fruit trees and other plants clear through August. She estimates the savings on her water bill to be about $300 a month. “But I don’t do this for economic reasons,” says Kampe. “I do it because we live […]
Continue ReadingThe Allure of Wild Mushrooms
A Voice in the NELA Wildernessby Christopher Nyerges With the recent rains, I have gone in search of mushrooms in wild and not-so-wild spots in NELA and the Arroyo Seco.My study of mycology began in the ’70’s. I wanted to try every wild mushroom I could find until I learned the meaning of the phrase […]
Continue ReadingZero Waste: An Idea Whose Time is Now
A Voice in the NELA Wilderness by Christopher Nyerges It is sad but true that only a small fraction of discarded materials is recycled, while the rest goes to landfills or incinerators or winds up as immense floating plastic islands in the ocean. Leslie VanKeuren Campbell, a regular at the Old L.A. Farmers Market in […]
Continue Reading
Charter School Founder with Ties to Eagle Rock Pleads Guilty to a Felony
Vielka McFarlane, the founder and former chief executive of Celerity Educational Group, a Los Angeles charter school network, has pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to misappropriate and embezzle public funds. In her plea, reported by the L.A. Times on Dec. 21, Ms. McFarlane admitted that she had misspent $2.5 million in public funds intended for Celerity students.
Continue ReadingDoris Thielen Turns 100
When Doris Thielen of Eagle Rock celebrates her 100th birthday this month, the milestone will be all the more remarkable for the fact that she has lived every one of her 100 years in Eagle Rock.In a recent interview, Mrs. Thielen described her century . . .
Continue ReadingTrash Haulers Win a Round in the Garbage Fight
A lawsuit to lower the fees for commercial garbage collection in Los Angeles hit a roadblock last month when the judge said the case was too flawed to go forward. But the Apartment Owners Association of California – which filed the lawsuit – has not given up. The judge gave the group until Feb. 8 […]
Continue ReadingSaying “No” to Yet Another Anti-Immigrant Proposal
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has received 216,102 public comments on a Trump administration proposal that would make it harder for legal immigrants to obtain green cards or permanent residency if they use Medicaid, food stamps, housing subsidies or other common federal benefits. The comments were overwhelmingly against the proposal. It’s safe to say […]
Continue ReadingProgress on the Mural at the Southwest Museum
Work has finally begun to recreate the mural that once covered the wall along Marmion Way leading up to the Southwest Museum. The first step – creating detailed, life sized drawings of the original mural – got underway in January, when Pola Lopez, the renowned artist who will paint the new mural, received a first […]
Continue ReadingMike Kelly Memorial: Art that Unites Past and Present, Here and Elsewhere
Seven years ago, an abandoned carport at the end of Tipton Way in Highland Park became a community memorial to the artist Mike Kelley, who had his studio down the street and had died by suicide on Jan. 31, 2012. All through the month of February, 2012, visitors filled the space with farewell messages in […]
Continue ReadingSmoke in the Huizar Investigation, but Still No Fire
In the three months since the FBI raided the home and two offices of NELA City Councilmember José Huizar, no official explanation has been given for the raids and no related arrests or charges have been made. But the issue continues to generate a lot of smoke. The L.A. Times reported on Jan. 12 that […]
Continue Reading
The Troubles of Mr. Huizar, Continued
As of press time for this issue of the Boulevard Sentinel on Dec. 27, there was no official word from the FBI as to why it raided two offices and the home of José Huizar last November. There have been no charges and no arrests in connection with the raids. Recent reporting from the L.A.Times, […]
Continue Reading
L.A. Más: Help for Building Backyard Homes (ADUs)
L.A. Más, a non-profit urban design firm in Elysian Valley, is now taking applications from homeowners for its Backyard Homes Project. The project will help low-to-moderate income homeowners finance, design and build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on their properties. In exchange, the homeowners will rent the ADUs, (often converted garages), for […]
Continue Reading
Part of the 134 Freeway named President Barack H. Obama Highway.
Obama Drove Here Roughly five-miles of the 134 freeway, including the stretch in Eagle Rock between Pasadena and Glendale, is now officially the “President Barack H. Obama Highway.” Two large freeway signs announcing the new name were unveiled on Dec. 20, one on westbound 134 at Fair Oaks Ave. in Pasadena […]
Continue Reading
L.A. Bars to stay open until 4am?
Not Taking “No” for an Answer State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) has re-introduced legislation to let bars in Los Angeles and eight other California cities stay open until 4 a.m., two hours later than the current closing time of 2 a.m. The latest bill (SB 58) is basically no different […]
Continue Reading
NELA gets Higher Speed Limits, More Speeding Tickets
Higher Speed Limits, More Speeding Tickets New speed limits went into effect on many streets in Los Angeles on Dec 11. Most of the new limits are increases, some are decreases. One reason for the changes is to ensure that posted speed limits conform with what up-to-date speed surveys […]
Continue Reading
Limai Academy Opens in NELA
Limai Academy is a new private K-12 school in Eagle Rock that combines the standard American curriculum with curriculum from around the world, including an emphasis on Latin, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese alongside art, music, math and science. “Limai” stands for Leadership, Innovation, Motivation, Academics and Independence. The Limai 2019 summer camp is $95/week plus $20/week for extended hours. Annual tuition for the 2019/2020 academic year, when Limai will offer instruction for kindergarten through 9th grade, ranges from $8,900 to $11,500, depending on grade level.
For more information about summer camp and the 2019/2020 school year, call 323-507-2345 or visit the school and meet Principal Turner.
Continue Reading
Business Openings in NELA
Coffee House with a MissionRicardo Cruz, who grew up on a coffee farm in Guatemala, and Stephen Kia, who grew up in Nigeria where his parents were Christian missionaries, have opened the Rock Coffee House at 4808 Townsend Avenue (at Yosemite Drive). They buy coffee from Guatemala and elsewhere, employ local college and high school […]
Continue ReadingRemembering: Shirley Wisdom
Shirley Joan Wisdom, a.k.a. “Granny,” a longtime resident of Eagle Rock, passed away on Saturday, December 8, 2018, at the age of 83. She worked many different jobs, including furniture sales at Montgomery Wards and as a billing clerk at Glendale Adventist Hospital. But she was best known as one of the founders of the […]
Continue ReadingRemembering: Doris Thielen
Doris Thielen, who turned 100 on February 5, died on March 11. Mrs. Thielen, who was born in Eagle Rock and lived here her entire life, was honored by many of her friends at a tea on February 16 at the Women’s Twentieth Century Club. I attended the tea, and was so delighted to be […]
Continue Reading
Franklin's Alfred Bobadilla
capped an exceptional season with a big award | Photo by Dave Abbott for the Boulevard Sentinel
Sports Resume This Month Unless Teachers Go on Strike
Alfred Bobadilla, varsity quarterback at Franklin High School in Highland Park, has been named the 2018 All-City Offensive Player of the Year in Division II by the CIF Los Angeles City Section. Bobadilla, a junior, led all of L.A.’s City Divisions in 2018 with 3,267 passing yards and 36 touchdowns. He also had 10 rushing […]
Continue Reading
Highland Park Veterans Monument Scheduled for Repairs
It has taken two years, but the desecrated monument at Veterans Memorial Square on York Blvd. and Figueroa St. in Highland Park is finally going to be repaired. Councilmember Gil Cedillo managed to get a motion passed on Dec. 7 to transfer money for the repairs from the Mayor’s approved city budget to the Department […]
Continue Reading
New Data Suggest Vast Devastation in a NELA Wildfire
While it’s no secret that Northeast Los Angeles is vulnerable to wildfire, it’s hard to fathom the scale of possible destruction. New data released in December give a sense of just how devastating wildfire in NELA could be. Consider: Five NELA communities rank in the top 20 of L.A. neighborhoods with the most buildings in […]
Continue Reading
Get to Know: Jan Lin
Jan Lin, a sociology professor at Occidental College, has written a book about Northeast Los Angeles. Released in December and entitled Taking Back the Boulevard: Art, Activism, and Gentrification in Los Angeles, it is the story of Highland Park and Eagle Rock, a biography of a place – and like all good biographies, it tells […]
Continue ReadingSocial Change: How You Can Make a Difference
Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel
The problems of the world are also local problems. Here are several ways in and near NELA to learn more about the issues and work toward solutions. We list ways for both children and adults. They include courses exhibits and programs by the Audubon Center, Eagle Rock Library, The Wall Las Memorias Project and the Museum of Social Justice.
Continue Reading
If Poets Ruled the World…
Three free poetry workshops are yours for the taking, thanks to the Institute for the Study of Los Angeles at Occidental College and the Lummis Days Community Foundation, which has made poetry a main attractions of the annual Lummis Days Festival in NELA, to be held from May 31 to June 2.
Continue Reading
Observe, Experiment, Learn, Participate
Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, once said, “Science is fun,” and who are we to argue? Schoolkids through senior citizens can “do” science, attend a science fair and listen to science lectures at these free events in and around NELA in April:
Continue Reading
Easter Eggs, Spring Concerts: Seven Ways to Enjoy the Season
Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel
Continue Reading
Connecting NELA Writers and NELA Readers
Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel While most of us were doing whatever it is we do with our lives, some of our NELA neighbors were writing and editing books. Here’s a rundown, including events where you can meet the authors. Maureen O’Carroll: A Musical Memoir of an Irish Immigrant Childhood […]
Continue Reading
Get beneath the surface of events and attractions in and near NELA.
Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel February is an eventful month in L.A., from Chinese New Year to the Academy Awards. But what you see on the surface is, well, the surface. Our “Picks” column this month tells you how to get beneath the surface of events and attractions in and […]
Continue Reading
Toward a Cooler, Cleaner Planet in 2019
Picks from the people who bring you the Boulevard Sentinel Here are six local ways to be part of the solution to big environmental problems. FOOD Eat More Veggies Eating more plants and less meat helps the environment because livestock is a major contributor to greenhouse gases that cause global warming. The trick, of course, […]
Continue Reading
Editor’s Notebook: June is Pride Month
The annual L.A Pride Parade, under the theme #JUSTUNITE, returns to Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood on Sunday, June 9. The parade draws thousands of people – LGBTQ+ and straight – in a spirit of unity and togetherness. For more information, visit: lalgbtcenter.org
Continue Reading
Editor’s Notebook: June 2019
The Editor’s Notebook contains fun things to do, important things to know, ways to get involved and events to put on your calendar.
Continue ReadingEditor’s Notebook: May 2019
The Editor’s Notebook contains fun things to do, important things to know, ways to get involved and events to put on your calendar.
Continue Reading