Author: Michael MacDonald

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