Walking for Peace

Walk for Peace

Each month, my office teams up with members of a different community in the district to walk door-to-door in their neighborhood, listening to constituent concerns and offering advice on how to resolve the issues that they face on a daily basis. The walks provide a unique opportunity to hear directly from the CD13 constituency, and to gauge how you feel about the direction of your city and your neighborhood.

My office joined with clergy members from the Immaculate Heart Church of Mary and leaders from the East Hollywood community to walk and talk to the residents of this neighborhood, one of the poorest and most densely populated in the city. The walk was of special importance to Immaculate Heart, which has been a fixture in the neighborhood for decades. Under the leadership of Father Rodel Balagtas, the church has rededicated itself to reaching out to residents in the area and becoming a voice for the community. We called it the "Walk for Peace": the church and my office hope to reach out to neighbors who are often frightened to leave their homes, and to break down the barriers that exist between folks that may have lived side-by-side for decades, but rarely have the chance to meet one another.

The walk was a huge hit. Nearly 100 community members turned out to help knock on doors and inform their fellow East Hollywood residents about the work being done in the area. In the span of two hours, we covered nearly one square mile, speaking to more than a thousand constituents, letting them know what has been done and discovering what we have left to do. Thanks to all who attended!