The Dayton Heights greening will move ahead with a neighborhood matching funds grant. Congratulations to Deborah Ricketts and the Westmoreland Association on winning support for their project.
I visited Santa Monica Charter School in order to present the school and the Comité de Desfile y Festival Independencia Salvadoreña (DEFISAL) commendations for their work. Second grade instructor Sandra Campos has been especially instrumental in building bridged between the Salvadoran community and the school.
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Thanks on behalf of the Braille Institute. |
I joined James Earl Jones (yes, that James Earl Jones) at the Braille Institute for a ceremony honoring Verizon's donation of $20,000 to this unique CD13 institution. On a related note, Verizon recently acquired MCI, which is a great victory for workers in telecommunications. Verizon has long had very good union relations and MCI has not.
The Lemon Grove Park Advisory Board needs members! Please contact Robert Yoneda at the park directly at (323) 666-4144, or contact Christina if you would like more information about your responsibilities and opportunities as a member of the PAB.
With the arrival of neighborhood councils to our civic universe, I have always been concerned that better-organized neighborhoods would have an advantage over neighborhoods with weaker traditions of participation. For the past few years, a large area of my district south of the 101 freeway has not been represented by a council. Fortunately, that's all changing. The Rampart United Group has scheduled meetings every third Tuesday at 6 pm at PATH on 340 N. Madison at Oakwood. Their proposed Rampart Village has boundaries of Vermont, 6th, the 101 freeway, and Benton Way. Tara Brown has more information and can be reached at (323) 644-2200.
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On the campaign trail with Rita Stafford of the Catalina-Kenmore Association. |
I met with the Industrial Areas Foundation-styled group ONE-LA at Immaculate Heart Elementary School to develop a plan to prevent evictions. Many groups have expressed concern about gentrification forcing people out of their homes. By enforcing strong housing laws, I believe we can capture the benefits of increased employment from economic development while we blunt the ancillary pain of gentrification.
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Planting trees on Melrose Hill. |
After a final tree-planting session decamping from Ed Hunt's house, fifty new trees of four different species now grace Melrose Hill. Thanks to all who came out to plant!
Check out the smooth new surface on Virgil Street between Melrose and Temple. That was a bumpy ride, but we found funds to restore it late last year.