THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION
The Best Investment You Can Make in Your Neighborhood
February 12, 2004
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more than 1,000 members strong, and growing every day!
Please encourage interested friends and neighbors to send their
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to us at e.letter@TERA90041.org so we
can keep them informed, too.
This week:
Look! Up in the sky! (item #1)
A life in the theatre beckons (Item
#5)
Crossing Figueroa (Item #7)
Table of Contents:
1. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE -- LONG MAY SHE
WAVE!
2. A REPORT ON LAST WEEK'S PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING
3. KICK OUT THE JAMS: YOUNG PEOPLE'S POETRY WORKSHOP -- EVERY THURSDAY
4. COMING TO A POLLING PLACE NEAR YOU
5. HI DIDDLEDY DEE, AN INTERN'S LIFE FOR ME!
6. ARTISTS' RECEPTION FOR GALLERY OPHELIA'S "HUMAN/NATURE"
-- FEBRUARY 13
7. CONSIDERING THE FIGUEROA CORRIDOR -- FEBRUARY 14
8. CUPID'S ARROW LANDS ON COLORADO BOULEVARD -- FEBRUARY 14
9. EAGLE ROCK'S TEEN CENTER SHOWS OFF THEIR FACELIFT -- FEBRUARY
20
10. BUSH AND THE POST-9/11 WORLD COME INTO FOCUS AT OXY --
FEBRUARY 27-29
11. FREE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM CLASSES IN EAGLE ROCK! -- MARCH 1
12. WE"VE GOT MAIL
13. THE LAST WORD -- PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
1. PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE -- LONG MAY SHE WAVE!
Keep your eyes on the three flagpoles that are rooted in the Rusty
Pelican parking lot. Thanks to the hard work of TERA, ERCPR,
artist John Urquiza, and the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce, the Eagle
Rock flag will soon fly overhead!
This week, both the TERA and the ERCPR Boards voted to pay to produce two Eagle
Rock flags to be flown from one of the three cellular antennas shaped like
flagpoles near the intersection of the 134 and 2 freeways. The flag is
the first in a series of community improvements that could be made possible by
$30,000 in corporate grant funds from one of the cellular phone companies that
own those flagpoles.
The history of these funds is: TERA was selected as the steward for the
corporate grant funds after having worked nearly three years to arrive at an
agreement between the cellular phone companies, the community, and the City of
Los Angeles about where to locate the new cell sites and what their appearance
should be.
To show their gratitude to TERA for the time, effort and patience it took to
facilitate the protracted design process, and for creating a compromise design
that amounted to significant savings for Verizon, Nextel and AT&T, those
companies offered to contribute some of those savings to TERA in the form of
corporate grants which would add up to $60,000 to be put toward community
improvements in Eagle Rock.
TERA's goal was to administer the monies to implement improvements to benefit
Eagle Rock as a whole. To best determine what these improvements would
be, TERA collaborated with Eagle Rock Community Preservation and
Revitalization (ERCPR) and the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce, (the
Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council did not exist at that time.)
TERA's goals for improvement of the community are closely aligned with those of
the ERCPR and the Chamber, which include various highly visible, public-area
enhancement projects along our two major boulevards. Such projects will
benefit not only our business community, but also our residential community.
The entire $60,000 has yet to be realized. By the end of negotiations
only two of the companies -- Nextel and AT&T -- were to each contribute
$30,000. Nextel graciously wrote their check for $30,000 to TERA, and, to
date, AT&T has created obstacles and largely reneged on their
contribution. Up to now, TERA has not spent a dime of that first $30,000
(in fact it has been gaining interest in our bank account), while we were
pursuing the outstanding $30,000 contribution from AT&T. We will
bring you updates on this effort periodically.
In the meantime, TERA, ERCPR, John Urquiza and the Eagle Rock Chamber of
Commerce have been diligently working to create a unique flag design that
reflects our entire community. The design includes the name of Eagle
Rock, and in order to be read plainly from both directions, two flags will need
to be stitched back-to-back at a cost of nearly $6,000.
While we are still pursuing the additional $30,000 from AT&T, TERA voted to
pay for the cost of the flags from the original $30,000. To do so, TERA,
ERCPR and the Chamber are each making a contribution of $2,000 a truly
collaborative effort befitting a truly great symbol of our community.
Thank you so much to Linda Allen of ERCPR and the whole ERCPR board for
spearheading the flag design, and to Joanne Turner and other previous TERA
Board members for their diligent groundwork to receive these cellular funds and
to beautify our community, and to all who gave input to the final flag
design.
Special thanks to John Urquiza for creating a design that would reflect the
vision and needs of so many disparate voices and skillfully merge all of that
into one celebration in art of Eagle Rock. He did an amazing job!
Happy Valentine's Day Eagle Rock! This flag will be our permanent
valentine, displaying all of our pride in our unique community!
-- Hilary Norton Orozco, TERA President and Kathleen Long,
TERA Vice President
2. A REPORT ON LAST WEEK'S PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING
The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council's Public Safety Director Marlene Schmidt
sent us this comprehensive report on last week's community meeting that was
convened to discuss the recent shooting incident at Eagle Rock High School.
On January 27, a gang related shooting took place at the Yosemite Recreation
Park, when a group from outside the area were visiting the park
and fired several shots at a passing vehicle carrying rival local
gang members. No one was injured, and LAUSD School Police
responded immediately from nearby Eagle Rock High School, which was
"locked down" temporarily while officers made sure the
area was safe.
News of the shooting was upsetting to enough that a Town Hall meeting was
hastily called so that the community could hear from representatives of the
LAPD, the LA Unified School District (LAUSD) Police and Eagle Rock High School.
The meeting took place at the Eagle Rock Library on Tuesday, February 3,
sandwiched into a regularly scheduled Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council (ERNC)
meeting.
The guest speakers included Captain Kyle Jackson, Commanding Officer of the Northeast
LAPD and Detective Bob Lopez, who heads the area's Gang Detail, along with Lt.
Jeff Crawford, Commanding Officer of the LAUSD Police, and Eagle Rock High
School Principal, Mr. Juan Flecha.
In the "Town Hall" meeting, organized by Marlene Schmidt, ERNC's
Public Safety Director, the public was able to query the officers and officials
to find out the details. Both LAPD and the School Police have promised
more units in the area and are pursuing the investigation. However, they
have advised the public to be more vigilant of our surroundings.
Other tips:
For more information about this item and the information in it, please
telephone Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council's Public Safety Director, Marlene
Schmidt, at (323) 257-3333, or email her at marlesch4cert@yahoo.com.
3. KICK OUT THE JAMS: YOUNG PEOPLE'S POETRY WORKSHOP -- EVERY THURSDAY
Eagle Rock's own weekly poetry workshop at Center for the
Arts, Eagle Rock, 2225 Colorado Boulevard, continues this Thursday at 4:00
p.m., and will meet at that same time every Thursday through the end of March.
Led by local poet and Ditrict 14 Artist in Residence Lisa Marie
Sandoval, the workshop teaches young people, aged 14-24, how to write,
polish, practice, and perform their spoken word poetry. The workshop will
culminate in a Poetry Jam to be held on Saturday, March 27, from 6:00
p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The event, entitled "Life Through My
Eyes," will feature workshop participants presenting their spoken word
creations before a communitywide audience. Refreshments will be served.
There is no cost for the workshops or the Poetry Jam.
Young people interested in the workshop are welcome to drop in at any session,
as are their parents.
For more information, please call (323) 226-1617.
4. COMING TO A POLLING PLACE NEAR YOU
From Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council President Dalila Soleto comes news of
the upcoming Neighborhood Council elections:
"It's election time again in Eagle Rock! The Eagle Rock Neighborhood
Council will be filling the seats of directors who were elected for a one-year
term. The following is a list of the open positions:
Youth
Faith-Based Organizations
Business
Civic Organizations
Sub-District 2
Sub-District 5
Sub-District 7
Sub-District 8
"The election will be held on Saturday, March 27, 2004. Please
look for more information in the upcoming weeks.
"If you are interested in running for one of the seats mentioned above,
please contact Bill Markis, Election Committee Chair, at District8@EagleRockCouncil.org
or me at President@EagleRockCouncil.org. We can also be reached by phone
at (323) 257-6381."
-- Dalila Sotelo, President, The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council
5. HI DIDDLEDY DEE, AN INTERN'S LIFE FOR ME!
The Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, sends us word of their dire need for
theater interns to work on their upcoming production of playwright Ken Rohtıs
"Growing With Ghosts":
Come work on the theater event of the year! The Center for the Arts,
Eagle Rock is pleased to sponsor Ken Rohtıs theater/dance/art extravaganza,
"Growing With Ghosts," a grand scale assemblage that takes place in a
historical setting and utilizes various art genres. The internships
are a great opportunity to learn from a unique creative team. Adelphia
Communications will be documenting the making of this extraordinary production.
The Center promises to make "Growing With Ghosts" a great learning
experience for all involved.
Here are the positions that need to be filled:
Assistant to Ken Roht: February 15th through April 2nd
Assistant to John Ballinger: Sound technician. This job will begin
March 22. The intern must be available to run the show beginning at
7p.m., April 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25th.
Assistant to the Dramaturge: Michael Silverblatt will act as dramaturge
for this production. This job will begin on February 16th and end April
2nd. Driver's license and car is required for this position.
Assistant Stage Manager: Internship will begin on February 16th through April
25th.
Assistant Costumers: Opportunity to work with professional costume
designer, Audrey Fisher. Ability to sew is preferred.
Lighting Technicians: Due to the scope of this project, two lighting
technicians will be needed.
Artists and Set Builders Needed: Artists and Set Builders needed to Build 7
installations. Keith Mitchell, the set designer, is the best. Work
will begin March 15th.
For more information call the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, 323.226.1617, or
email us at centerartseaglerock@hotmail.com.
6. ARTISTS' RECEPTION FOR GALLERY OPHELIA'S
"HUMAN/NATURE" -- FEBRUARY 13
"HUMAN|NATURE"
New Photographic Works
by Pete Metzger and Jeff Amlotte
February 10th through the 29th.
Reception, Friday, February 13th, from 6;00 - 9:00 p.m.
Gallery Ophelia is proud to present new photographic works by Pete
Metzger and Jeff Amlotte. Amlotte's epic explorations of
nature, and Metzger's sensual human forms reveal contrasting and complementary
landscapes of the body and the earth.
Gallery Ophelia is located at 2114 Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock.
Hours are Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6:00 p.m. For
more information, call Candace Metzger at (323) 982-9945. Or visit http://www.galleryophelia.com.
7. CONSIDERING THE FIGUEROA CORRIDOR -- FEBRUARY 14
All are welcome to an Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council Sub-district 3
stakeholder meeting regarding the revitalization of our Figueroa corridor.
Safety issues relating to that area will also be discussed. (If you
live, shop or drive in this area of Eagle Rock, then you know how
hazardous that section of Figueroa Street can be -- especially to pedestrians.)
Come find out about and help develop the ERNC's plans for revitalizing
this corridor; and bring your ideas for a major beautification of the
strip from Yosemite to Tipton Way. Come have input on the
rendering of the mural that is being proposed for the staircase just south of
Buena Vista, and meet the mural artist who has offered to help make this
project a reality.
Questions? Email Anita Hultman, Vice President and Sub-District 3 Director, at ERNCVP@dslextreme.com.
8. CUPID'S ARROW LANDS ON COLORADO BOULEVARD -- FEBRUARY 14
Our friends at Camilo's California Bistro & Catering Co. plan to roll
out the red carpet for Cupid on February 14, and invite you to join them!
Saturday,
February 14, 2004
Two Seatings:
5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Seating
(seats MUST be cleared by 8:00)
9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. Seating
Valentine's Day celebrants at Camilo's on Colorado Boulevard will
enjoy a grand five course meal with main course choices that include
Maine Lobster Thermidor, Filet Mignon Stilton or New Zealand Lamb Chops.
The evening's dessert is "Romantic Hearts": fresh raspberries
and cream heart tarts, with gelato de chocolate served on a bed of "Love
Potion."
Pre-paid reservations will be required at $60.00 per person, plus tax &
gratuity and beverage.
For reservations, call (323) 478-2644.
9. EAGLE ROCK'S TEEN CENTER SHOWS OFF THEIR FACELIFT -- FEBRUARY 20
The ROCK Teen Center's director Donna Robey-Sullivan tells us the Center's
about to celebrate its third anniversary with a party and open house, and
you're invited. Here are the details:
Friday,
February 20
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
1597 Yosemite Drive
(two blocks east of Eagle Rock High School)
On Friday, February 20th, Eagle Rock's Reach Our Community Kids (ROCK) Teen
Center will have an Open House to celebrate its third year of
providing free after-school recreation, tutoring and computer services to
teenagers in Northeast Los Angeles.
The Open House will also highlight the recent efforts of local volunteers and
private donors to renovate the facility. A grant of $12,500 dollars from the
H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation was awarded to the ROCK last September.
The funds were used to install new flooring, to soundproof the tutoring
room and improve the outside lighting and to install security equipment.
Construction workers from the Eagle Rock community volunteered three
weeks of their time over the winter holidays to complete the remodel.
³After-school programs like ROCK are particularly vital in light of the tight
budget crunch that California is now facing,² said Cathy Miller, volunteer
board member of ROCK. ³This Open House serves as a testimony of what can be
accomplished when a community and local churches come together.²
Parents of local teens as well as the general public are invited to stop by on Friday,
February 20th, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, to see the ROCKıs new look, and to
learn about our youth programs and computer technology center. The ROCK
Center's Executive Director, Donna Robey-Sullivan and staff will also be
present to share teen success stories and how their own lives have been
impacted by helping kids.
ROCK is a faith-based non-profit that in 2001 opened its after school
program in a building donated by benefactor Vince Grater. In
2003, over 250 young people visited the ROCK Teen Center, 70 of whom
participated in the ROCK Teen Bank incentive program. The Teen
Bank allows participants to earn points toward merchandise for hours spent
taking part in homework coaching, youth leadership council, college
mentoring and computer challenges. Supported mostly through
private donations and contributions from churches and other local
organizations, the Teen Center is open to all young people aged 12-18.
The Center is open Monday through Thursday from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and
from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 on Fridays.
For more information, please call (323) 257-6102, or visit http://www.rockids.org.
10. BUSH AND THE POST-9/11 WORLD COME INTO FOCUS AT OXY -- FEBRUARY
27-29
Ivo Daalder, senior fellow in foreign policy studies at the Brookings
Institution, and Max Boot, military historian and weekly columnist on
foreign affairs for the Los Angeles Times, will be two of the featured
panelists at the Occidental College Global Affairs Conference titled "A
New Calculus: Bush and the Post-9/11 World." The conference will be
held February 27-29 at Occidental College. Opening and closing plenaries will
be held in Thorne Hall and are free and open to the public.
Occidental College is located at 1600 Campus Drive in Eagle Rock.
During the opening plenary, scheduled from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. on Friday,
Feb. 27, Daalder and Boot will take part in a conversation titled
"Bush and the Post-9/11 World: Two Perspectives." The discussion will
be moderated by Dr. Jane Jaquette, Bertha Harton Orr, Professor
in the Liberal Arts at Occidental. The closing plenary,
titled "A New Foreign Policy for a New Era?" is scheduled for 10:00
to 11:30 a.m Sunday, Feb. 29. The panel will include Daalder, Boot, and Michael
Hirsh, former Newsweek foreign editor and chief diplomatic correspondent.
The moderator will be Dr. Abraham F. Lowenthal, founding president
of the Pacific Council on International Policy, professor of international
relations at the University of Southern California and vice president of the
Council on Foreign Relations.
The event is being sponsored by Occidental's Office of Global Affairs and
Department of Diplomacy and World Affairs, with funding from the Compton
Foundation of Northern California. Students from 13 top
colleges and universities, including Brown, Pomona and Tufts, will take part in
the seminar.
Occidental College is located at 1600 Campus Drive in Eagle Rock.
11. FREE EMERGENCY RESPONSE TEAM CLASSES IN EAGLE ROCK! -- MARCH 1
Learn how to protect your loved ones, your family, your
neighborhood and your community in the event of an emergency at Eagle Rock's
absolutely free Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) classes.
Here's your opportunity to take advantage of these free emergency preparedness
classes, taught by the L.A. Fire Department, before City budget deficits
circumvent the City from offering them, or the City starts charging the
public for them.
Learn from the experts. Know what to do when disaster of any type
strikes. See the attached announcement of the classes starting Monday,
March 1st at Eagle Rock High School.
For registration and further information, contact Marlene Schmidt, your
CERT organizer, at (323) 257-3333 or at marlesch4cert@yahoo.com.
12. WE'VE GOT MAIL
More email in response to a reader's comment
in the January 15th e.letter regarding the need for sound walls along the 134
freeway above Eagle Rock, starting with this short bit of verse:
"Living below the 134 and above Colorado,
Spare the view, spare the graffiti, spare the air
and plant a 'sound wall'-- of trees!"
-- Amanda Millet, Eagle Rock
* * *
"I'm surprised how many of you are against the sound wall. In
reading your responses in the e.letter, it appears to me that you all have very
good reasons, and if you people who don't want the sound wall are in the
majority, then your wishes should prevail.
"However, I and the other residents on Figueroa Street north of the
freeway are in a different situation. A wall no more than 300 feet long
would solve the noise problem here. The closest house to the freeway on
this street is less than 150 feet. At this point the freeway is on a
slight incline, therefore we have westbound acceleration and eastbound
deceleration noises of the cars and trucks. Not to mention the added
trucks that frequent the area to visit the landfill up the hill. A
sound wall on the north side of the freeway at Figueroa Street would not block
our view of anything and block the view of very little from drivers on the
freeway. When you're driving on the freeway you should be looking where
you're going and not at the surrounding view anyway.
"If they have to put up a sound wall and you don't want it in your area of
Eagle Rock, we'll gladly take it here."
-- Kenneth Henkle, North Figueroa Street, Eagle Rock
* * *
And in closing, here's a note apparently submitted by one of our
four-legged readers:
"My name is Lucky, and Iım a sweet, adorable dalmatian/retriever
mix puppy, pushing 18 months of age. Iım an all-white, short hair,
tail-wagging pooch with unique eyes. I love children. I stand about
28² high, weigh about 38 lbs. and would love to curl up at your feet.
Just feed me and care for me and Iıll be your loyal friend forever.
I wasnıt aggressive enough for my owner, so he turned me out into the
streets. Please adopt me, so I can be 'Lucky' again. Call my friend
Marlene for more details: (323) 257-3333."
--Lucky, Eagle Rock
* * *
"Just a quick thanks for keeping us informed."
-- Anita Britt, Eagle Rock
And an even quicker, "You're welcome" to you! Thanks for
taking the time to write. We really do love to hear from our readers.
On that note, let me reiterate that we welcome your comments, complaints and/or
compliments on the e.letter or any topic of interest to greater Eagle Rock.
Please address your message to e.letter@TERA90041.org,
and include your full name, along with your city, neighborhood or professional
affiliation. Opinions expressed in the e.letter's "We've Got
Mail" section do not necessarily reflect the views of The Eagle Rock
Association (TERA), the e.letter editor, or The Eagle Rock Association Board of
Directors, who reserve the right to publish letters or other materials
submitted to the e.letter at their sole discretion. Letters or other
material chosen for publication may be edited for style, clarity and brevity.
Please let us know if you do not wish to have your comments appear
in the e.letter.
13. THE LAST WORD -- PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
"O, Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?
-- Percy Bysshe Shelley (17921822)
The TERA e.letter is distributed weekly and seen by more than
2000 readers with an interest in Eagle Rock and Northeast Los Angeles.
Please encourage interested friends to send their full name and email
address to us at e.letter@TERA90041.org
so we can keep them informed, too.
If you have changed your email address or would like to be removed from this
list, send us an email to e.letter@TERA90041.org
with the word(s) "remove" or "address change" in the
subject box, as appropriate.
If you have a press release, letter of comment, question or other notice that you
feel might be of interest to the Eagle Rock community, send it to e.letter@TERA90041.org. Your
announcement -- in the form of an email text message, (no attachments, please)
-- must be in our hands by noon on Monday to be considered for inclusion in that
week's issue.
TERA -- The Eagle Rock Association -- YOUR COMMUNITY IN ACTION -- http://www.TERA90041.org --
P. O. Box 41453, Eagle Rock, CA 90041 -- (323) 259-TERA -- a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit public benefit corporation
The TERA e.letter
A publication of The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)
Vince Waldron, editor
e.letter@TERA90041.org