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Eagle Rock

TERA endorses Independent Redistricting Commission Ballot Measures DD and LL

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With election day just two weeks away, there are many measures and candidates to read up on. At TERA, we see two LA City Charter amendment measures (DD and LL) as particularly important for our city and are extending our endorsement here. 

In the aftermath of scandals connected to LA’s 2021 redistricting process, two LA City Charter amendments propose to add independent redistricting commissions for Los Angeles City Council Districts (Measure DD) and LAUSD School Board Districts (Measure LL). These measures would make our local redistricting processes similar to existing state-level districts in California, which are already overseen by a politically independent redistricting commission. 

TERA participated in the 2021 redistricting process, advocating to keep Eagle Rock whole and connected to Northeast LA communities that Eagle Rock has historically shared representation with. It was clear that the process was inherently politicized by the nature of redistricting commissioners being appointed by the elected offices. Measures DD and LL are an important step to restoring residents’ faith in the local redistricting process – and to making districts more equitable moving forward.  

Independently appointed commissions would shield the redistricting process from political power grabs and require redistricting maps to meet specific standards of fairness in their inclusion of geographic communities within the same district. These districts would be created through an open community process, without the influence of local elected officials operating behind closed doors.

These two measures are the first much-needed step to bring equity to our local political representation. TERA strongly endorses Measures DD and LL, and encourages Eagle Rockers to vote YES on each measure.

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Eagle Rock

A Letter from TERA’s Interim President Michael MacDonald

 

Dear Fellow Eagle Rockers,

By now, many of you have heard the sad news of the passing of TERA’s president, Greg Merideth, in September. Greg was a kind and generous leader, and I count myself lucky to have had him as a friend and colleague, and to have spent the last half decade working closely with him on advocacy for our community of Eagle Rock. Now, I am taking up Greg’s legacy and stepping in as the interim TERA president.

For the past five years, I have served officially as TERA’s treasurer, though I’ve also worn many other hats: leading many of TERA’s advocacy efforts, sending out monthly newsletters, and supporting TERA’s administrative operations. By day, I am an architect, and I have always sought to bring my expertise as a professional who is both creative and adept at navigating bureaucracy to my local advocacy.

I’m excited about working with our current TERA board as we enter this new chapter, and I’d like to introduce and acknowledge them here. Luis Lopez, a former president of the area planning commission, serves as our Vice President and Membership Director. Claire Bowin, a new board member this year, brings her unique expertise in the arts, urban planning, and landscape architecture to her position as TERA’s Treasurer. New board member Colleen Corcoran is an accomplished graphic designer who serves as Communications Director. And Orion Turmon, an enthusiastic college student pursuing an education in urban planning, serves as our Secretary. TERA is well served by this unique expertise of this group, and we will be looking to grow our all-volunteer board in the near term.

TERA works best when we find ways to bring our community together, and when we find ways to collaborate with our elected leaders and other organizations on ideas that inspire us. Over the next few months, the TERA Board will be working to set an agenda and priorities for our advocacy moving forward. We welcome the input of our members, and I want to personally invite you to reach out to me at president@tera90041.org with your insight and ideas for how TERA can work to improve our Eagle Rock community.

 

With gratitude,

Michael MacDonald

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Eagle Rock

Remembering TERA President Greg Merideth

Greg Merideth

Greg was born in The Bronx, New York, and spent his childhood moving around as part of a military family. Greg settled in Los Angeles in 1975 and moved to Eagle Rock in 1985. A longtime public servant who spent many years as the Secretary of the Board of Zoning Appeals for the Los Angeles Planning Department, Greg had a passion for land use and used his expertise to help guide local advocacy within Eagle Rock.

In 2012, Greg joined the TERA Board of Directors. Colleagues remember Greg as uniquely skilled in fostering productive conversations on local issues, often introducing new perspectives to help guide thoughtful decision making. Greg continued to bring this talent to bear when he was elected TERA’s president in 2017.

One of Greg’s proudest achievements of local advocacy was helping to bring the Vidiots Foundation to Eagle Rock. Greg and TERA were early supporters of Vidiots’ plan to restore Eagle Rock’s historic movie theater, The Eagle. When the City of Los Angeles initially stood in the way of Vidiots’ plan, TERA filed a formal appeal to get the City to remove unnecessary and costly restrictions. At an October 2023 East Area Planning Commission meeting, Greg’s experience with the Planning Commission came full circle as he inspired a crowd of approximately 260 passionate Eagle Rockers with a speech urging the City to enable Vidiots’ success. If you walk into Vidiots today, you will find a commemorative VHS cassette in a display in the lobby with Greg’s name, honoring his work to help open what has become a premier entertainment destination in Eagle Rock.

Greg had a passion for supporting Eagle Rock’s small businesses. Greg helped champion TERA’s Rock The Boulevard project for Eagle Rock Boulevard, seeking to make the street more pedestrian-friendly, safe, and green. Under Greg’s leadership, TERA also worked to achieve significant adjustments to Metro’s North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit project, helping to ensure the BRT becomes a project that enhances downtown Eagle Rock and its businesses. After the 2020 pandemic, Greg created and maintained “Happening In Eagle Rock,” a social media account that provided free promotion for Eagle Rock businesses.

In addition to acting as TERA president, Greg also served as the chair of the Colorado Boulevard Design Review Board, which he served on since 2018.

Greg is survived by his wife, Minh Merideth, sisters Sherri Merideth-Cheatham and Angie Merideth, parents Gwen and Jim Merideth, niece Jalynne Merideth, and nephews Brooks and Blake Cheatham.

A celebration of Greg’s life will take place at 2:30pm on Sunday, October 6th at Eagle Rock Seventh Day Adventist Church. TERA welcomes members to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations in Greg’s honor can be made to:

TERA: P.O. Box 41453, Eagle Rock, CA 90041
El Monte Vietnamese SDA Church: P.O. Box 5704, El Monte, CA 91734

Categories
CD 14 Eagle Rock Los Angeles

TERA’s Comments on Rock The Boulevard Implementation Options

Over the past three months, the City of Los Angeles has presented three implementation options for bikeway infrastructure of TERA’s Rock The Boulevard project on Eagle Rock Boulevard. TERA prefers Option 2 as the concept that best works towards Rock The Boulevard’s goals of a safer, greener, and more pedestrian-friendly Eagle Rock Boulevard. Option 2 is the option that not only provides the safest and most comfortable space for pedestrians, but also preserves the most on-street parking and most well distributed on-street parking to provide access to our existing local businesses.

TERA further encourages Streets LA to study the community generated “Walkable Boulevard” concept, which would fine-tune Option 2 to allocate portions of unusable median space towards expanded sidewalks, space for new sidewalk trees, and space for Al Fresco dining for local businesses.

Click below to read TERA’s letter to Streets LA:

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CD 14 Eagle Rock Los Angeles

TERA Calls on Kevin de León to Resign

In a recent television interview on ABC7, Councilmember Kevin de León stated, “If it is my constituents’ decision that I move forward and step down then I’ll accept that.”

TERA—with the broader Eagle Rock community—unequivocally urges that the Councilmember resign. The time has come for him to stand by his word, accept this call, and resign.

Click below to read TERA’s open letter to Councilmember Kevin de León:

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CD 14 Eagle Rock Local Los Angeles Take Back the Boulevard Transportation

TERA Seeks Preservation of Mt Royal Crosswalk

As the lead organization behind the Take Back The Boulevard initiative that is focused on Colorado Boulevard, TERA objects to the use of Take Back The Boulevard funds to downgrade the walkability of Colorado Boulevard.

Click below to read TERA’s letter to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation:

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BRT Business CD 14 Eagle Rock Environment Land Use Local Los Angeles Planning Take Back the Boulevard Transportation

TERA Statement on Noho-Pasadenda BRT

To our members and the Eagle Rock community, TERA officially endorses the Beautiful Boulevard plan to make BRT on Colorado Blvd work for all members of our community. We also believe there must be funding support for our businesses impacted by the project’s construction and a plan to deter potential cut-through traffic in the neighborhood. You can read our full statement here:

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Development Environment Land Use Local Safety

TERA Statement on Scholl Canyon Gas Power Plant

TERA statement of opposition to proposed gas-powered power plant in Glendale’s Scholl Canyon:

See TERA’s history of opposition to extending the lifetime of the Scholl Canyon Dump HERE

Download (PDF, 111KB)

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Alcohol Business CD 14 Conditional Use Permit Eagle Rock Land Use Local Los Angeles Retail Rock the Boulevard

Support for Vidiots

The Eagle Rock Association wholeheartedly supports the Vidiots Foundation’s application for a conditional use permit for the use and sale of alcohol in conjunction with the proposed renovation of the Eagle Theatre at 4884 N. Eagle Rock Boulevard. TERA believes this proposed development is a critical component of the renovation and re-imagining of Eagle Rock Boulevard.

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CD 14 Eagle Rock

Remove Councilman Huizar

Yesterday, TERA requested the City Council to take action to remove our Councilperson, José Huizar, from office. Given the allegations and criminal charges levied against him, we believe he should no longer serve as our City representative.