Melted Trash Bin at 215 N. Avenue 56.
As Highland Park slept last night, and the Shopping Cart Army rolled through the Avenues collecting recylables before Tuesday’s trash day, an arsonist was at work setting fire to our trash cans. During the wee hours, the firebug was roaming the neighborhood starting fires in curb-side trash and recycling bins set on the street for today’s waste pick up. The fires seem to be centered around the 5500 block of Monte Vista Street, with the most damage being done to trash bins along the north 200 block of Avenue 56.
Trash can fire started on Sunday night at Avenue 54 & Monte Vista Street.
Sadly, this isn’t the first time. Six months ago a similar spate of arson happened in this same area with bins being set ablaze. On Sunday, heroic Highland Park Resident, David Kekone put his CERT skills to work putting out a fire started in a public trash can on the north 300 block of Avenue 54. Mr. Kekone also mentions that this is not the first time a fire has been set here.
Melted Trash Bin at 219 N. Avenue 56. (Happened at this locatation before.)
Now, this all could be a really unsafe and careless recycler who uses matches to look inside dark trash cans. But more likely this is someone who lives in this neighborhood that likes to set low-level fires. Let us hope this pyromaniac is caught before they graduate to more ambitious flammable objects.
Wounded on Avenue 56
Extinguished trash at 5514 Monte Vista Street.
Lucky car on Ash Street.
The problem is, how do you distinguish a regular ole trash-picker looking for cans, bottles, and un-shredded credit card account information, from a trash-digging arsonist? Maybe the LAPD will have to enforce Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 66.28?
Yes, I know, who am I kidding.
On Tuesday, February 9th at 7pm, C.I.C.L.E. (Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange) is hosting a special NELA-centric bike planning meeting beneath the orange glow of the flying Flying Pigeon at Cafe De Leche.
What sort of planning is CICLE talking about for our corner of Los Angeles? Well I’m glad you asked! Read this excerpt from their handy information flyer:
Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange is excited to announce a new campaign: our Northeast L.A. Campaign! C.I.C.L.E. was founded in and is based in Glassell Park. We lead workshops out of the community center at Glassell Park. We’ve collaborated with the Bike Oven and with the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College.
We’re looking at how to make Northeast Los Angeles (NELA) a more bike-friendly place. We’ve got some ideas on what might make sense (see our list below), but the first step is to put the word out to you – our communities. We’d like to build a campaign team of volunteer stakeholders – bicyclists and non-bicyclist supporters – who will brainstorm campaign ideas, and prioritize where we think we can really make a difference. We plan to reach out to other bike groups, Neighborhood Councils, non-profits, schools, businesses, residents, etc. – and form a broad coalition for positive change in our streets.
Below are some ideas for campaigns that we’ve been thinking about. We’re interested in hearing what you think of these, or what else you’re interested in building a campaign for:
- Bike Boulevard: implement a bicycle boulevard in NELA.
- Bike Parking: implement innovative bike parking in NELA, possibly bike corrals, as proposed in Los Angeles City Council motion 09-1710.
- Colorado Boulevard: implement bike lanes on Colorado (lanes east of Figueroa are approved in the city bike plan, interest in additional stretches from TERA and others)
- Eagle Rock Boulevard: extend the Eagle Rock Blvd bike lanes to Colorado (shown in the city’s draft 2009 bike plan)
- Figueroa Street: implement bike lanes on Figueroa (lanes north of Ave 60 approved in city bike plan)
- Fletcher Drive: implement bike lanes on Fletcher Drive (approved in city bike plan)
- Sharrows: implement sharrows in NELA, in appropriate places, possibly including the Eagle Rock Blvd bike lane gaps for right turns at York and Avenue 36.
- York: implement bike lanes on York Boulevard (approved in the city bike plan)
If you didn’t know, the bike movement in Los Angeles is exploding right now. Big changes are coming to bicycle infrustucture in our region. Be a part of that change. Won’t you?
CICLE’s NELA Campaign Meeting
7PM, Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Cafe de Leche
5000 York Blvd.
Highland Park, CA 90042
Photo by Bob Mc Vay, from the Volkmer Los Angeles Railways Page. Circa 1956.
Nearly every major street in and around 90042 once had a streetcar that ran on it. Figueroa, Monte Vista, York, Avenue 64, Eagle Rock Blvd., Colorado, Cypress Avenue, and this one: Griffin Avenue in Montecito Heights. This photo shows a couple of Los Angeles Railway (LARy) 9 Line streetcars at the terminus of the 2 Line at Griffin Avenue and Montecito Drive.
The photo was probably taken the last time streetcars ran down Griffin in 1956. Likely part of a railfan excursion before the electrified system was dismantaled. (The rails themselves are still on Griffin, buried under asphalt.) The reasoning behind the photo’s contents, is the simple fact that the 2 Line terminated here in Montecito Heights, while the 9 Line’s destination was Santa Fe’s La Grande Station from Leimert Park. Every line had its own cars with special line designations noted by the unique illuminated boxes on the roof above the motorman. It was quite likely, that by the time the last ride to Montecito Heights happened, the original 2 Line cars had already been scrapped.
In its heyday, the 2 Line would have taken the fine residents of Montecito Heights from this point down Griffin, into Lincoln Heights, over the Buena Vista Viaduct on Broadway and into downtown. Then the line would head west on 6th, north on Figueroa, west again on 3rd, to Belmont Avenue and Temple Street on the edge of Echo Park, where ironically a freeway entrance is today.
What I really like in the photo is the hill in the background where the Audubon Center in Debs Park is today. Noticable in the picture from 60 years ago, is the trail that goes straight up the side of the hill just like the one that is there today.
Griffin Avenue & Montecito Drive today. (Note the telephone pole on the left is still there.)
Los Angeles Railway (LARy) Route Map 1938. Via the Los Angeles Public Library.
The year was 1938. Freeways were yet to be born. People took streetcars to get everywhere in Los Angeles. This map told you how to get there. And if you got lost, you could drop a dime into the payphone and call “Prospect 7211″ Day OR Night.
All routes lead to Highland Park. (Hey, where IS Highland Park? Some things never change.)
Pick Me! I'm Option "B"
Today’s second park story concerns tonight’s 6:30 design hearing at the Downey Recreation Center (In Lincoln Heights not Downey) regarding the future Albion Dairy River Park that will be created directly across Spring Street from tonight’s meeting where the Swiss Dairy is today.
Tonight’s meeting is an opportunity for the public to give input on the two design options offered by the city. The option design revolves around one main feature, to Soccer Field or not to Soccer Field. Option A, is dominated by a soccer field, Option B is not; and has tennis courts and more green space instead. I like Option B better, it looks like it offers more features, trails, a larger skate park, less park space sacrificed to parking spaces. Better suited for the “River” idea behind its naming and funding. However, having attended these sort of design meetings, Option A will be very popular. There is no denying the popularity and demand for soccer fields in our area.
Albion Park Project Design Hearing
Thursday, January 28, 2010
6:30PM -8:30PM
Downey Recreation Center
1772 N. Spring St.
Lincoln Heights, CA 90031
HT to Biking In LA.
The Garvanza Improvement Association waters trees in 1895. Via the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Archive.
One of the nine parks in 90042 will soon be the site of an ambitious water saving, rehabilitation and reclamation project. Garvanza Park, once the site of a natural spring and later part of a larger version of the Highland Reservoir (the city’s oldest), will be transformed again by water.
Garvanza Park via Google Maps.
Starting this March, local environmental organization, North East Trees will begin construction at Garvanza Park on a $3.1 Million stormwater filtration project. The project is designed to capture water run off from the local neighborhood above the park, divert it from the Arroyo Seco, and into two large chambers installed beneath the park surface. One chamber will allow for water to slowly percolate into the soil, feeding our groundwater source; while the other chamber will be used to store water for irrigating the park’s lawn and trees. When installed, the filtration system will capture and clean one million gallons of water.
The term for this project is Stormwater Best Management Practices, or BMP. The original focus of BMP is to capture polluted stormwater and keep toxins from entering the ecosystem via creeks and rivers. In the ever-increasing thirsty world we live in, BMP has developed into a method of not only cleaning water, but storing that water for use locally in non-potable needs. As evidenced in the 1895 photo of Garvanza Improvement Association’s watering wagon, water was a key to the community’s success and beauty.
Location of the Garvanza Park Filtration System.
The scope of the construction project only includes the field (with soccer-field proofing boulders) between the ball park, and the playground. Don’t worry skaters, the skate park should remain unaffected by this project. To quote North East Trees:
“During construction the baseball field, skate park, picnic and play areas will remain open, and the construction site secured. No impacts to park use are anticipated after construction completion.”
Construction is permitted from March to December, Monday through Friday, 7AM to 6:30PM. North East Trees are asking local residents for input regarding the project, and what features they would like to see at their park. (I don’t expect one of those features to be a return of Ulama to this park.)
Hopefully, North East Trees, with some help of this new million gallon water filtration system can turn Garvanza Park back into the lush beauty it once was.
Garvanza Park circa 1900. Photo via LAPL.
Starting this week, the Milagro Allegro Community Garden begins a new 12-week after school program titled, LA Sprouts. The program will teach gardening, cooking and nutrition at the garden to 4th and 5th graders from Cypress Park’s Loreto Elementary School enrolled in LA’s BEST. The goal of LA Sprouts is reduce the risk of obesity and encourage healthy eating habits in children. Monthly visits to the Old LA Farmer’s market in Highland Park are planned as part of the curriculum.
The new program has been many months in the making, with expertise and support from Kaiser Permanente, USC, Master Gardener – UC Extension Common Ground Program, The Cypress Park Neighborhood Council, Childhood Obesity Research Center, South Central Farmers, Whole Foods Market Arroyo, Old LA Farmers Market, Homegirl Cafe, and Slow Food Los Angeles. This latest phase of Highland Park’s community garden, fulfills the original vision by its founders to incorporate garden-based curriculum for school children.
The Press Release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2010
Media Contacts:
Lauren Cook, Project Manager
Childhood Obesity Research Center
University of Southern California
323-442-2637
laurenco@usc.edu
Dr. Nicole Gatto, Director
Milagro Allegro Community Garden
323-244-6039
info@hpgarden.org
USC Childhood Obesity Research Center teams up with Milagro Allegro Community Garden to offer nutrition, cooking, and gardening class to Latino
Youth in Cypress Park.
HIGHLAND PARK (Los Angeles) – Solving the problem of childhood obesity is a top goal of a newafter school program that will be piloted starting Jan. 26, 2010 at the Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park, a community in northeast Los Angeles. LA Sprouts, a partnership between the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California Childhood Obesity Research Center (USC-CORC) and the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Loreto Elementary School in Cypress Park, seeks to reduce the risk of obesity and encourage healthy eating habits in children by teaching gardening, nutrition and cooking.
Nearly 32 percent of children ages two to 19 are considered overweight or obese, and one in three children born since 2000 is at risk for developing diabetes in their lifetime. Teaching children about growing, cooking and eating healthy fruits and vegetables is a constructive and creative, yet simple approach to solving the epidemic health problem of obesity. A community garden provides access to fresh and nutritious foods that are often unavailable in urban communities, and by growing food themselves, children build self-reliance, which can lead to future successes.
For 12 weeks, LA Sprouts, a collaborative effort by USC-CORC, the Milagro Allegro Community Garden, UC Extension Common Ground program, and LA’s BEST, aims to teach nutrition, cooking, and gardening principles to fourth and fifth graders at LAUSD’s Loreto Elementary School. The two-hour biweekly program will be taught Tuesday and Friday afternoons at the garden and will include monthly trips to the Old LA Farmer’s Market in Highland Park. USC will assess the impact of this program on a number of health outcomes in the students, including childhood obesity, blood pressure, dietary intake and other nutritional behaviors related to healthy eating, data which is notably lacking in this area and critical to evaluate the effectiveness of such garden-based programs. This program aims to help children lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, motivate them to eat more fruits and vegetables, improve resources, teach them to prepare and eat healthier meals, and reinforce positive perceptions of cultural foods. USC-CORC plans to use this program as a template for the development of similar programs in the area.
In addition to the nutrition/cooking component of the classes led by staff from USC-CORC, gardening curriculum will be taught by master gardeners from the University of California Cooperative Extension “Common Ground” program, with assistance from Homegirl Café. Art Center College of Design in Pasadena designed and constructed a mobile kitchen island for the program. The South Central Farmers will supply fresh organic produce for the cooking classes. Whole Foods Market Arroyo will supply cooking staples, cleaning supplies, and kitchen utensils promoting more plant-based, whole food options, as part of their larger commitment to the community and healthy eating education. Funding for LA Sprouts is provided by a Community Benefit Grant from Kaiser Permanente. The Cypress Park Neighborhood Council has committed funds for Gold Line passes for students. The North Figueroa Association will provide vouchers that may be used by students at the Old LA Farmer’s Market in Highland Park. Slow Food Los Angeles has also contributed to the program and is continuing the partnership that began last year when Milagro Allegro Community Garden hosted one of the Slow Food “Time for Lunch” events aimed to improve food served in schools.
About the Organizations Involved:
Milagro Allegro Community Garden: Founded in 2009 by USC graduate, Nicole Gatto, the Milagro Allegro Community Garden uniquely integrates urban farming, art and education in the heart of the Highland Park neighborhood in Northeast LA. The mission of Milagro Allegro is to be a center of peace and beauty in the community where the cultivation of vegetables, fruits and flowers as well as creative ideas, artistic expression and neighborly values may take place. The garden features 32 raised bed plots and currently accommodates over 40 families from the community; three plots are dedicated to educational purposes. The garden also includes a community gathering circle where classes, workshops and events are held.
USC Childhood Obesity Research Center: Founded and led by Michael Goran, PhD, the Childhood Obesity Research Center (CORC) of the Keck School of Medicine of USC is one of the nation’s leading research teams addressing childhood obesity. The mission of the USC-CORC is to understand childhood obesity and its related conditions, to examine its relationship to minority health, and to develop novel strategies for prevention and treatment. The USC-CORC’s vision is a multidisciplinary one, believing that the best approach includes efforts from all angles, including clinical, behavioral, and environmental perspectives.
University of California Cooperative Extension Common Ground Program: Since 1978, UC Cooperative Extension’s Common Ground Program has made gardening possible for many LA County residents, particularly low-income and traditionally underrepresented families. The program goals are to improve nutrition, increase access to fresh, low-cost produce, offer gardening education, build bridges between neighbors and communities, help create employment opportunities, and encourage a cleaner, greener Los Angeles. Master gardeners trained by Common Ground provide free gardening workshops and their technical expertise to approximately 60 public community gardens, hundreds of school gardens, and many senior and shelter gardens throughout LA County.
LA’s BEST was founded in 1988 to address an alarming rise in the lack of adequate adult supervision of children during the critical hours between 3 and 6 p.m. This after school program serves 28,000 kids at 180 elementary school sites in Los Angeles, including Loreto Elementary school. The mission of LA’s BEST is to provide a safe and supervised after school education, enrichment and recreation program for elementary school children ages 5 to 12 in the City of Los Angeles.
To see what an after school gardening program may look like, check out the photos from when Milagro Allegro board member and 5th Grade Loreto Elementary School teacher, Mr. Mihm brought his class to the garden for the first time in December.
SUNDAY, SUNDAY, SUNDAY!*
This Sunday, January 31st there will be a gathering of local historians at the historically inspired Arroyo Seco Regional Branch Library at 2pm for an Arcadia Publishing book signing extravaganza.
Authors include:
• Jenny Cho, Chinatown in Los Angeles
• Charles Fisher, Highland Park
• Carina Montoya, Los Angeles’s Historic Filipinotown, and Filipinos in Hollywood
• Eric Warren, Eagle Rock
• Mariann Gatto, Los Angeles’s Little Italy
(No mention of Arcadia Publishing author, Rick Thomas, whose book The Arroyo Seco would fit right in with this local history event)
Books will be available for sale at this event. (Most are $20 each.)
Arroyo Seco Library
6145 North Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, California 90042
*Inspired by Jan “Sunday Sunday Sunday” Gabriel, the Chicago auto racing announcer that died SUNDAY, January 10. “One Sunday to announce, one to confirm, and a third to excite.”
The 1938 Flood on York Blvd. & Avenue 63 in Garvanza? Photo by Don Hall via Shorpy Photo Archive.
There has been a lot of talk on the local internets this week about the Great Los Angeles Flood of 1938. With rain for 5 days in a row, can’t help thinking about historic flooding. (I saw one of my neighbors stop yelling on the avenue corner about Jesus, and started gathering pallets to build what he was calling an “Arca.” At first, fellow neighbors mocked him, but after five days of rain, we’re thinking of helping.)
I came across this image from the great historic photo archive Shorpy. The caption there speculates that it is of Highland Park during the 38′ Floods. I’m guessing it is at York & 63. But not completely sure. The houses in the background aren’t there anymore. Neither is the gas station. But it does resemble the Garvanza Oil Station that I have a photo of taken 20 years prior. The only thing that might still be there is the fire hydrant location, and the power poles in the background. Of course this could all be wrong and the photo is over in South Pasadena. The truth is somewhat muddled in the mucky mud of that flood.
Any clues gentle reader?
La Grande Station, Los Angeles in 1897. Photo via The Metro Library Archive.
Expanding upon Highland Park’s connection to the Santa Fe Railway, above is a picture of The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe’s La Grande Station. The station was located at the end of 2nd Street at Santa Fe Avenue, in what is now the Los Angeles Arts District. Built in 1893, the ornate train station was the destination for trains traveling through Highland Park from the eastern end of the line in Chicago. (My ancestors, being from Chicago, likely stepped off the train and into Los Angeles here a hundred years ago.)
Photo of La Grande Station in 1939 before demolition. Photo via LA Times, The Daily Mirror blog
Damaged in the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake, and abandoned in 1939 with the opening of Union Station, the Santa Fe La Grande, was once part of Los Angeles’ passenger train district that included Southern Pacific Railroad’s Arcade Station built in 1888, and Central Station, built in 1914. The stations were located a few blocks from here at Alameda & 5th Street. (The location of these stations happens to be a contributing factor as to why Skid Row is located where it is.)
While it was abandoned, the La Grande was used as a prop train station for films. According to George Garrigues, the train station scene in the 1944 MGM film, Meet Me in St. Louis, was filmed here. You know the one where Judy Garland sings the theme song for this series on trolleys…
Coincidentally this week, Larry Harnisch posted a note on The Daily Mirror blog about finding a La Grande Station postcard being auctioned on EBay. Seven bucks and it’s yours!
Site of the La Grande Station today. The anti-distinctive architecture is that of the Metro Red Line maintenance shops.
Guessing this newer place will never be made into a postcard.
