TERATERA continues to monitor and provide productive feedback on Metro’s North Hollywood to Pasadena Bus Rapid Transit project. In reviewing updated 30% engineering documents, TERA provided detailed feedback urging providing better landscaping elements, better pedestrian access, and safer and more intuitive bicycle facilities. Read our letter to Metro with comments on current engineering plans:
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Friends-
I am writing this at a time when fires continue to ravage Los Angeles, from the Palisades Fire on the Westside to the Eaton Fire uncomfortably close to our home of Eagle Rock. While the power is back on in our neighborhood and our air is starting to get better, our sidewalks, homes, and yards are littered with ash and soot—a lingering reminder of the destruction we have witnessed. Across Los Angeles we are mourning the victims of these devastating wildfires and only beginning to comprehend the effects of this tragedy.
This week, I have spoken with friends and neighbors in Eagle Rock who have had this fire uproot their lives, and I have been grateful for the neighbors who have formed a network to share information about power outages, street access, and air quality. Besides the air and the power outage, the largest impact at our house was several large tree branches downed by the winds. We could not have moved them to clear the sidewalk without the generous help of our neighbors.
All across the city, I am thankful for the first responders who continue to work to keep these fires at bay, for all of those who have provided temporary shelter for those in need, for all those that have volunteered to help at donation sites and emergency shelters, and for all of those that have stepped up to provide support through sites like GoFundMe to the many families who have lost their homes. These wildfires bring with them immense grief and sadness that will be lasting. Our community and responsibility to one another are one of our strongest tools for recovery.
The TERA Board had a retreat scheduled for January 11 to work on our strategic planning for the next year of advocacy. For obvious reasons, we were forced to postpone, but we have set a new meeting for March and will be hard at work over the next months advocating for Eagle Rock and learning how to navigate challenges in this changed city.
In the broader view, I am concerned for our shared future: a world in which the effects of our climate crisis are so plainly seen, where national politicians treat tragedies like this as a game, and where our already broken housing market is further strained. But for now, I am thankful and optimistic in having seen the strength of our community showing up for one another in the face of this disaster. Together, we will welcome in neighbors who have lost their homes, and we will work together to build a more resilient and vibrant community for ourselves and for generations to come. In us, I find hope.
Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy and safe recovery,
Michael MacDonald
TERA would like to extend a warm welcome to Los Angeles City Council District 14’s newly elected councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, a native Angeleno from Highland Park. As a single mom and daughter of undocumented Filipino immigrants, Councilmember-elect Jurado attended Pasadena City College and put herself through her undergraduate degree at UCLA, where she went on to UCLA School of Law to become a tenants rights attorney and housing rights activist. We look forward to working with Jurado’s office on efforts in Eagle Rock and throughout District 14. Congratulations on your election Ysabel!
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.
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
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
ikigai is a new sushi bar and shokudo (a casual, family-owned Japanese restaurant) on Colorado Boulevard that opened in late December of 2023. With reasonably priced sushi, udon, ‘chef’s choice’ omakase, and even children’s bento boxes, the restaurant has quickly become a very popular and lively destination in Downtown Eagle Rock.
We spoke with owners Peter and Sooji Park to learn a little more about their history with sushi and the concept behind ikigai:
What is the story behind ikigai and what made you want to open a shokudo-style restaurant in Eagle Rock? Are there any elements that are drawn from your previous restaurant experience?
Peter began his culinary journey by learning the intricacies of harvesting and processing some of the world’s freshest fish and seafood in Alaska. He brings 30+ years of experience as a sushi chef, including the time spent at the sushi restaurant we owned and operated in Anchorage for more than two decades prior to moving to Los Angeles. We felt that Eagle Rock was the perfect community to launch our new concept, with its already diverse range of restaurants, local testimonials of high demand for more sushi and Japanese options, and a tight-knit neighborhood. ikigai is the culmination of all of our past efforts.
Can you describe to our readers what the Japanese concept of ikigai means to you and how it figures into the restaurant’s concept?
“Ikigai” is a concept that refers to one’s “reason for being.” It reflects a convergence of passion, belief, values, and vocation—i.e., what gets you up in the morning. Our restaurant expresses our family’s sincere love for serving high quality sushi and showcasing hospitality in every avenue of the dining experience for the enjoyment of all our guests. We’ve found our ikigai in our restaurant, and we hope that the name may motivate everyone to reflect on the same, wherever that may lie.
What are some of your signature dishes that people should be sure to try?
Some of our most popular dishes include: blue crab hand roll, torched salmon belly nigiri, chirashi, yellowtail king roll, and 10 piece omakase. From the kitchen, our spicy tuna crispy rice and chicken karaage are quite popular!
What has the response been thus far to ikigai from the Eagle Rock community?
We’ve had an incredible first few months serving the Eagle Rock community. Already, we have many regular patrons, and it’s a pleasure to have so many families, couples, co-workers, and local residents dine with us. We’re glad to join the neighborhood’s eclectic dining scene, and our team aims to serve Eagle Rock’s best sushi for years to come.
🦅 🍣 🐟 🍙 🍶
ikigai
2146 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 999-7190
Sun-Thur: 5pm-9:30pm (dinner)
Fri-Sat: 12pm-2:30pm, 5pm-10pm (lunch + dinner)
Loop Espresso Club is a brand new Japanese-style coffee shop that opened up in the former Cafe Beaujolais space in August 2025 (originally opened in a different space in March 2024). This comfy space with exceptional coffee, delicious pastries, and a vinyl record soundtrack is the concept of Dominic Abat.
We spoke with Dominic about how he came to the concept for Loop:
What is the story behind Loop? What made you want to open a coffee shop in Eagle Rock?
I’ve worked in the Los Angeles food industry, specifically restaurants, for over 8 years. I worked for Suzanne Goin and the A.O.C. food group and I worked at Bavel and. Bestia in downtown LA, as well as Pizzeria Sei. I always envisioned myself opening a pizzeria somewhere in LA. In November of 2023, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan and ate at multiple pizzerias, but was also able to visit and enjoy many exquisite coffee shops. I am still determined to open a pizzeria, but I came across an exciting location in Eagle Rock and immediately knew my Tokyo-inspired coffee shop concept would fit well there.
What is the vibe of the space?
The vibe is chill and mellow during the weekdays and electric and fast paced during the weekends.
What would you recommend to someone who has never visited a Japanese-style coffee house?
The most popular items have been the espresso black sesame, espresso trung, and matcha coconut refresher for non-coffee drinkers.
🦅 ☕
Loop Espresso Club
1712 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(747) 732-2090
Daily: 8am-5pm
Viet Tapas Bar is an exciting new fine dining Vietnamese restaurant that opened in July on the north side of Colorado Boulevard near Townsend. The restaurant is a new concept from Viet Tran, the chef and owner behind Atwater Village’s popular Viet Noodle Bar.
We checked in with Viet to learn more about his vision for small bite Vietnamese cuisine:
What is the story behind Viet Tapas Bar?
I have always wanted to do small bites Vietnamese food (tapas) at Viet Noodle Bar in Atwater since 2009 but couldn’t do it after several trials due to the kitchen setup. I did not want to break the rhythm of making Pho with grilling and frying so I put off the idea of doing tapas.
After few years operating in Atwater, I was fortunate to have Firat Demir to join the staff as the key person to run Viet Noodle Bar, which gave me the opportunity to create a new concept. A year and a half ago, I found an available restaurant in Eagle Rock. I fell in love with the space when I saw it. It took me six months to get it.
What made you want to open a tapas concept restaurant in Eagle Rock after many years in Atwater Village?
I did not want to replicate Viet Noodle Bar in Eagle Rock since it s so close to the Atwater restaurant. So I decided to do Vietnamese tapas.
I want to introduce Vietnamese dishes that diners can share and experience together. The menu is completely different from Viet Noodle Bar and is oriented for sharing. For example, we won’t have pho since it doesn’t fit with the menu and it’s not recommended to share. At Viet Tapas Bar, we will rotate and expand the menu as we go.
What dishes would you recommend to someone who is visiting Viet Tapas Bar for the first time?
I would recommend Chicken or Taro Crispy Roll, Steamed Rice Cakes, Grilled Bison with Lolot Leaves, Beef with Watercress, and end with Rice Claypot with choices of topping
🦅 🥘 🍡
Viet Tapas Bar
1661 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 507-2150
Tue-Thur: 5pm-9pm
Fri-Sat: 12pm-3pm, 5pm-10pm
Lola Café is an exciting new Oaxacan-themed restaurant that opened on June 30th and is quickly becoming a favorite breakfast, brunch, and lunch spot on Colorado Boulevard.
We checked in with Lola Café’s owner, Orlando Rodriguez, to learn more about his vision for Oaxacan-Californian cuisine:
What is the story behind Lola Café?
I’m from Oaxaca, Mexico, and have resided in California for approximately 12 years. Over the years, I’ve worked for various companies in different roles and had the privilege of serving many influential individuals in the culinary industry. I constantly compared techniques from around the world to those of Oaxaca, and I was struck by the striking similarities. It all began because of my mother’s bakery in Oaxaca, where I received my initial culinary education. In that bakery, we exclusively used a traditional clay oven, capable of baking 100 to 150 loaves of bread at a time. We heated it with firewood and employed only wooden utensils. I mention this because my mother taught me to cook using these methods.
What made you want to open an Oaxacan-themed restaurant in Eagle Rock?
When I was told about the community of Eagle Rock, I was tremendously excited. It’s a tightly-knit, hardworking, and friendly neighborhood. However, as a newcomer, I didn’t know what they favored. There was substantial competition from excellent restaurants in the vicinity. It was then that I remembered my mother’s advice: ‘When you do something, do it with passion, or don’t do it at all.’ I contemplated offering California cuisine with an Oaxacan twist to diversify the typical offerings and to share my Oaxacan roots and culture through my food. It’s not 100% authentic; it’s an infusion of Oaxaca and California, prepared with love. Lola Café is a family restaurant that is forming with the support of friends and acquaintances. One person who has been instrumental in this venture is my friend Gerardo, who manages Lola Café’s kitchen. Each dish is crafted with an Oaxacan touch and presented in an appealing manner.
How do Oaxacan dishes figure into Lola Cafe’s menu, and what dishes would you recommend to someone who hasn’t had Oaxacan food before?
The name Lola Café pays homage to the most significant person in my life, my greatest inspiration and support: my mother, Lola. Oaxaca boasts a diverse range of dishes and culinary treasures, and this is what we aim to convey in every one of our dishes. Each dish was created with the intention of not appearing too foreign or exotic to people’s palates. It’s just a touch of Oaxaca. For example, our Chile Relleno omelet with Oaxaca cheese, panela cheese, and salsa borracha on top is a blend of Californian omelet flavors with the distinct flavors of Oaxaca cheese and salsa borracha, offering a unique twist. Or consider our Oaxaca Fries, featuring Oaxaca cheese sauce and a sprinkle of chapulines powder (they’re not crickets). One dish I’d love for you to try is the Ribeye Chilaquiles with mole and salsa Macha, toasted chiles, and eggs prepared to your liking.
How has the response been so far from Eagle Rockers, and what are you looking forward to as more people try out and become more familiar with Lola Cafe?
The people of Eagle Rock have been incredibly welcoming. We’ve received numerous recommendations from those who have tried our dishes. On our first day, we didn’t even have a printed menu, just a handwritten note. The first person who tried our food posted a photo on the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Group page, and that’s where the Lola Café story began.
🦅 🥞 🌯 ☕
Lola Café
2040 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90041
lolacafe2023.com
(323) 561-3029
Open Daily: 8am-3pm
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