Copyright (c) 2008 All rights reserved. http://http://www.lacity.org/council/cd14 Top Stories en-us 5 Tues, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT Clean and Green just resigned an agreement with Council District 14 and the City that will guarantee El Sereno will benefit from regular service from the cleanup crew for years to come. Under the agreement, Clean and Green will regularly service the Huntington Drive Corridor, as well as other sections of El Sereno, servicing trash pickups and other cleanup efforts, as well as reporting graffiti and bulky items for follow-up service. Councilmember Huizar directed his staff to institute the agreements to support and build upon all the streetscape and pedestrian-safety improvements currently underway in El Sereno. Tuesday, 07 April 2009 00:00:00 GMT Stern Math and Science School held a celebration in honor of its new $13-million school campus, which is located on the grounds of Cal State L.A. in El Sereno. The school is a collaboration between Alliance College-Ready Public Schools and Cal State L.A. Despite operating in temporary space for its first three years, Stern is one of the top 15 high schools in LAUSD, with an API score of 792. And by concentrating on math and science, Stern is preparing its students for a successful future where there will be more jobs in math and science fields than qualified college graduates. With a predominately Latino-student campus, the Eastside school is also going a long way to address the traditionally low number of Latinos who go into high paying math and science fields. Tues, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT El Sereno Middle School recently opened the on-campus Hilda L. Solis Dental Clinic, which will provide free dental care for students and the community. Councilmember Huizar celebrates the collaboration among Health Net, Universal Care Dental Center and LAUSD for providing much-needed dental care, critical to the overall health of the students and their families. Congratulations are also in order to the school for working with Computers For Kids, an innovative non-profit that brings computers into homes to help students succeed. Every sixth-grade student was given a computer to take home to allow them to flourish in a computer-aged society. Mon, 12 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar introduced City legislation to fund a weekly Clean and Green cleanup effort along Huntington Drive in El Sereno, as well as additional tree trimming services along Huntington Drive and Eastern Avenue. Last year, the Councilmember secured the completion of the sidewalk bump outs to improve pedestrian safety, and worked with Clean and Green to regularly clean and maintain this vital corridor. This year, Councilmember Huizar has again secured significant improvements for the area. Besides extending the contract with Clean and Green, he has been working with the CRA for over a year to make significant enhancements to the corridor. We are very proud to announce that we have secured $800,000 through the CRA for these enhancements and work has begun. Some of the improvements will include the installation of a Smart Crosswalk on Huntington Drive North and South at Lifur Street (this work will be done in coordination with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation); sidewalk repair on Huntington Drive, south side from Collis Avenue/Harriman Avenue to Minto Court. This will replace the broken red brick sidewalks, trim tree roots and extend the sidewalk to end of the block at the corner of Harriman. The new sidewalks will have the distinctive red coloring of the old ones; Replace the gravel sidewalk path along the popular walking and jogging area of the Huntington Drive median from Popular to Van Horne, which will include red colored sidewalk unique to El Sereno; Guardrail repair from Harriman to Monterey Road, as well as placing a Welcome to El Sereno Monument near entrance into El Sereno at Kendall and Huntington Dr. The work on the Smart Crosswalk and the new sidewalks at Huntington Drive and Collis Avenue has already begun. Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT The Valley Bridge, which connects Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, officially opened to eastbound traffic this January. The $54 million project will eliminate long delays at the Valley Boulevard railroad crossing near Alhambra Road, which has long been a burden on residents, commuters and police and fire personnel. Construction will continue as Valley Boulevard is raised and sidewalk, lighting and beautification improvements are implemented, including tile, mosaic, limestone and Byzantine glass artwork by artists Jose Antonio Aguirre and Roberto Delgado. Councilmember Huizar was instrumental in getting the decades-delayed project finished, convincing the MTA (Metro) to reinstate the project and helping secure $9 million to do so. The westbound lanes are expected to open in early 2010. The beautification, including artwork, which will incorporate photos depicting the history of El Sereno, as well as pay homage to community icons, should be completed by fall 2010. Mon, 9 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT The Los Angeles City Council added the Hermon Car Wall and Griffith Park to its list of Historic-Cultural monuments. The Hermon Car Wall was erected in the 1930s or 1940s and consists of pieces of old cars, local bricks and non-indigenous stones. The Wall is believed to be only the second folk-art structure, after the Watts Tower, to be designated a historic-cultural monument. Council District 14 is seeking funding to restore the wall, which is a one-of-a kind work. Griffith Park is of course the largest urban park in America at over 4,000 acres and a resource enjoyed by all Angelenos. The historic Observatory, merry-go-round and grounds will be preserved for future generations to enjoy. Tues, 9 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT The Valley Grade Separation Project (commuter bridge), which will eliminate long delays at the Valley Boulevard railroad crossing near Alhambra Road, is nearing completion and should be open by early 2009. Construction on the $54 million project will continue as sidewalk, lighting and beautification improvements are implemented. Councilmember Huizar secured $9 million to finally complete the decades-long delayed project, which will bring much needed relief to nearby residents, commuters as well as police and fire agencies who have long been hindered by lengthy delays at the railroad crossing. Tues, 9 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a new hillside ordinance for the communities of El Sereno, Hermon, Lincoln Heights and Monterey Hills. The new ordinance was sought by Councilmembers Huizar and Reyes and supported by fire officials, environmentalists and residents, with the aim to protect the safety and views of hillside property owners. Depending on lot size, the new ordinance will limit the amount of dirt that can be safely removed, as well as place ceilings on building and retaining wall heights and square footage for new construction beginning on Jan. 9, 2009. Wed, 5 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT Following two August break-ins in which thieves stole or damaged several items, including a television, a VCR/DVD unit and furniture, Councilmember Huizar took money out of his discretionary funds to write a check for the El Sereno Senior Center for $3,430. The Councilmember received a wish list from the Club, which is very active in the El Sereno community, and presented an oversized check at the Clubs Annual Halloween Dance, which was attended by about 150 people. Wed, 8 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT To increase safety for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, three new sidewalk bump-outs are being installed at the corners of Huntington Drive and Castalia Avenue and at Huntington Drive and Rosemead Avenue. The work is expected to be completed in October. The ADA-approved sidewalks, once completed, will protrude into the street, essentially creating pedestrian peninsulas, where walkers can safely wait to cross the street. The bump-outs, as they are called, will shorten the distance to cross the street and slow down cars that turn onto Rosemead Avenue and Castalia Avenue. Thu, 18 Sept 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar and Parks co-sponsored a resolution to support legislation to create a public-private partnership to fund an underground connector for the 710 freeway through the South Pasadena area. Long a subject of intense debate among transit advocates and residents of the impacted communities, agreement has recently been reached that there should be an extension of the 710 and that funds from the proposed half-cent sales tax increase should go toward funding it. Thu, 14 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar announced a $50,000 reward on behalf of murder victim Jesus Guevara. Guevara was senselessly gunned down at about 3:30 p.m. on August 18, 2007 outside an El Sereno liquor store. The assailant shot Guevara in the back while riding in a dark-colored four-door sedan. Guevara was on active duty in the Navy from 2001 to 2005 and then served in the Navy Reserves. Guevara served overseas in Thailand in 2005 and assisted with the tsunami relief effort there. He was working as a hydraulics engineer and had enrolled to attend East L.A. College when he was murdered. Police believe that he was a victim of mistaken identity. Anyone with information concerning this incident should contact Hollenbeck Homicide Detective Jake Dugger at (323) 526-3142 or Detective Araceli Negrete at (323) 526-3091. After hours and on weekends, please call the 24-hour toll-free number, 1-877-LAW-FULL (529-3855). Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00;00 GMT Councilmember Huizar, along with Los Angeles Unified School District Board President Monica Garcia and students from Farmdale Elementary, dedicated on May 20 the new Farmdale Parking Grove. The decades-old dirt lot is now a fully-paved parking facility surrounded by trees and other landscaping. Before the transformation of the Parking Grove, the teachers, students and parents of Farmdale Elementary parked in a dirt and mud field that was unclean, hazardous and an eyesore. Councilmember Huizar secured $500,000 in Community Development Grant funds for the project. Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT Councilmember Huizar won a unanimous City Council vote to stop the issuance of development permits for the proposed Elephant Hill new home project until a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report has been completed. The vote is a major community and environmental victory for El Sereno residents. Councilmember Huizar has led the charge to halt work on the development until new concerns, including water runoff and potential sinkholes, have been fully addressed. The Council voted to require a Supplemental Environmental Impact Report in June. Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT On October 19, Councilmember Huizar, City departments, and El Sereno community members broke ground on the El Sereno Parking Grove, which will provide much-needed parking for teachers at Farmdale Elementary School and residents visiting the El Sereno Recreation Center. Councilmember Huizar first became involved in this project, currently an unpaved and unlit dirt lot, as an LAUSD School Board member, and continued to fight for it as a City Councilmember. He secured $445,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for the project, and will cover the remaining project costs with Council District 14's Real Property Trust Fund. Expected to be completed in early 2008, the El Sereno Parking Grove will be a clean, fully paved parking lot surrounded by trees and attractive landscaping.