Echo Park Lake Rehab Project Community Workshop

Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation Project Community Workshop
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
6:30 – 8:30 pm at the Logan Elementary School Auditorium (1711 Montana St.)

The image above is taken from the EP Lake Rehab Project invitation PDF. To download the entire PDF, click here.

The City of Los Angeles Department of Public Works invites you to participate in a community workshop to discuss the Proposition O Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation Project. We have been working on the design phase of the recommended plan and are concurrently preparing environmental documentation.

Please join us and bring along your friends and neighbors to this meeting so that we can continue to hear from you throughout this very important phase. We will talk about the following aspects of the project:

  • Design Progress Update
  • Wetlands Configuration
  • Park Lighting and Irrigation

For more information about this event, feel free to contact Olga Morales at 213-485-5933, or email at Olga.Morales@lacity.org

See you there!

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The 826LA Book Club Returns

At last! Literary happenings at 826LA geared towards grown-ups! 826LA will be hosting book clubs at both their Echo Park and their Venice locations. They’ll be reading one book per month beginning this month. The first meeting of the 826LA East Book Club will be on Thursday, March 25 from 8:00 to 9:30 pm. This month’s book is Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace, and if you purchase it from Skylight Books in Los Feliz, you’ll receive 15% off your purchase! 826LA Echo Park is located at 1714 W. Sunset Blvd.

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Echo Park Community Meetings this week

It’s a busy week for the involved citizens of Echo Park. Here’s your schedule for all the Echo Park community meetings this week:

Echo Park Advisory Board
Monday, March 15 at 7:00 pm
(Every 3rd Monday)
Echo Park Rec Center
Update: Click here to view the agenda

Echo Park Lake Rehabilitation Project Community Workshop
Tuesday, March 16 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Logan Elementary School Auditorium (1711 Montana St.)

EPIA Neighborhood Issues Committee Meeting
Wednesday, March 17 at 7:00 pm
(Every 3rd Wednesday)
The NIC meeting focuses on development and resolutions for current community issues.
Williams Hall, Barlow Hospital (2000 Stadium Way)
Update: Please note that general meetings take place on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm (same location). The next general meeting will be on Thursday, April 1.  The general meeting is a town hall with guest speakers, council office reports, and police reports.

Echo Park Chamber of Commerce
Thursday, March 18 at 7:00 pm
Taix restaurant, 1911 Sunset Blvd.
Next meeting: Thursday, May 20

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Rumor Mill: the Echo Park Magic Gas ‘incident’

Some of you may have read our post or noticed other posts circulating about the “shut-down” of the Echo Park Magic Gas station earlier this week. Hopefully this will help clear up some rumors and other conversations going around about its brief closure.

  • Mixing water with gas: A comment on the Echo Elysian Forum argues that the problem was  the owners mixing water with gas. Subsequent comments deny that mixing water with gas is even plausible. A quick Google search confirmed the latter, but I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject.
  • We received a comment from our last post from Matthew about his experience: “YES! I went there once a few years ago and filled up and my tank BARELY reached half full! I told the guy in the shop that something seemed wrong and he immediately started yelling at me! Im so glad they got busted!” Thanks for your comment, Matthew, and hopefully you’ll be happy to know that the station has been under new ownership since around April last year. Lets hope new owners Zina Mikayelyan and Art Bagousky won’t yell at you if you have any issues in the future!
  • An “anonymous” comment on the Eastsider LA post wrote, “Those little mom n pop stations oftentimes stock the ‘dregs’ at the bottom of the tanker trucks, after the trucks are done filling up the shell, arco, mobil stations etc. which means it’s lower quality gas generally. water in the tanks, though, is another story….” As I’m not an expert on the matter… no comment.

As for what really happened? The owners told the Eastsider LA in an update that “the investigators were there in response to a legal judgment and tax issues related to the previous owner. ‘If there was anything wrong, I would have been gone a long time ago,’ said Mikayelyan as a gasoline tanker truck pulled up with a new supply of fuel.”

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Sunday’s Arrests on Duane and Echo Park Ave

via andysternberg on Flickr

We recently noticed this Flickr photo in our Echo Park Now Flickr group, uploaded on Sunday, March 6. Well, thanks to the Eastsider, we think we know what this was all about. According to this post:

“…in Echo Park on Sunday afternoon, police detained some males near the intersection of Echo Park Avenue and Duane Street as part of an investigation into a potential burglary. But Murphy said the ‘investigation determined no burglary and they were released.'”

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Sock Drive for the Homeless in Echo Park

The City of Los Angeles is collecting socks for the “Make the Homeless Count Sock Drive.” According to a press release, the socks will be distributed throughout the city “as part of the effort to count homeless men, women, and children for the U.S. Census.”

The press release continues, “This community is one of the most challenging to accurately count. The Los Angeles Housing Services Authority estimates there are nearly 25,000 homeless in our city on any given night. Getting an accurate count is important because census data is used to determine, among other things, Los Angeles’s allocation of state and federal dollars for programs that help people in need.”

You can donate a new pair of sicks in any size for men, women or children before March 14 at the Echo Park Family Source Center at 1824 Sunset Blvd., or any LA fire station.

For more information, please contact Sindia (ext. 116) or Anna (ext. 112) at (213) 483-6335.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1824+Sunset+Blvd.+los+angeles&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.22949,53.789062&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1824+W+Sunset+Blvd,+Los+Angeles,+California+90026&ll=34.077616,-118.26117&spn=0.009864,0.011373&z=16
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“Federal officials” visit Magic Gas in Echo Park

From Jaime on the Echo Elysian Neighborhood Council forum:

I saw Federal officials this morning at Magic Gas… looks like they finally got busted for mixing water in their gas. There have long been whispers that their gas is not 100% gas. I haven’t filled up there for a while because the last time I did, my car did not run well and my tank emptied in less than 3 days! Several neighbors have been complaining about their gas for some time.

Does anyone know if this is for sure? I asked an officer but he said he could not comment. When I asked if it had to do with water in the gas, he replied the same but with a bit of a smirk on his face as if saying, “You got it.” Anyone?

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Los Angeles Tops The Charts In Traffic

The annual INRIX National Traffic Scorecard has been released for the year 2009. Once again our sweet Los Angeles tops the list. LA has held on to number one every year since 2006 with NYC in second place.

What is the worst hour of the week according to INRIX? Thursday at 5pm.

The worst place and time? The Harbor Fwy/CA-110 NB @ 8th Street/Exit 22, Thursday 5-6 PM. [6 mph average speed / 0.35 mile segment]

Find out how the scorecard was created and see the numbers at the INRIX website.

Is anyone actually surprised by this?

Read more

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Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at Dodger’s Stadium this Sunday

The Komen Los Angeles County Affiliate raises funds to support local breast cancer services and national breast cancer research programs.  A major focus is to help women who have symptoms of breast cancer but cannot afford diagnostic work or treatment – either because they do not have health insurance or because their insurance company will not pay.  Of all breast cancer foundations, Komen is the only organization where 75% of the net proceeds stay in the communities where they are raised. From www.komenlacounty.org

This Sunday, March 14, thousands of people (including one of the writers of this blog…) are going to be running a 5K around Dodger’s Stadium in order to raise funds for women with breast cancer in L.A. County. The race starts and finishes at Dodger’s Stadium and winds through the area surrounding it. It doesn’t look as though any roads are going to be closed off, so traffic shouldn’t be a problem.

If you have any interest in running the race, it’s not too late to sign up! Click here to learn more or to make a donation!

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Job Fair At Dodger Stadium Tomorrow

Jobs! Jobs! And more Jobs! The Los Angeles Dodgers and our area elected officials together with the Employment Department are hosting a Job Fair at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, March 6, 2010 located at 1000 Elysian Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. The event is free of charge and open to the public from 10 AM till 1:00 PM. There will be many, many employers on hand who are hiring. Bring your resume! Come dressed for success. If you are looking for your first job or a new job this is a great place to begin!

– From KTLA

It’s going to be crowded tomorrow at Dodger Stadium. Don’t forget your umbrella.

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Dodger tickets go on sale March 6

From http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com:

LOS ANGELES – Single-game tickets to see the two-time defending National League West Division Champion Los Angeles Dodgers will go on sale on Saturday, March 6 at 10:00 a.m. Fans can purchase tickets online at dodgers.com, via telephone at 866-DODGERS, in person at Dodger Stadium in Lot P or at all Southern California Ticketmaster outlets.

Fans who wish to purchase tickets in person at Dodger Stadium can enter via the Sunset Gate as early as 8 a.m. and will receive numbered wristbands until a starting number is randomly selected at 8:45 a.m. There is no advantage to arriving before 8 a.m.

The person with the selected number will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets at 10:00 a.m. and the remainder of the group will be served in numerical sequence. Fans arriving after 8:45 a.m. will receive a different color wristband, and that group will be helped after the first. There is a limit of four Opening Day tickets available for purchase per person while supplies last.

All fans purchasing at least one ticket at Dodger Stadium on March 6 will receive two free tickets to the Dodgers’ exhibition home opener against the Cleveland Indians on April 1. Dodger legends Ron Cey and “Sweet” Lou Johnson will be on hand from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. to take photographs and sign autographs for fans.

Farmer John Dodger Dogs will be available for just $2 and Dodger merchandise kiosks will be open. Individual tickets purchased at Dodger Stadium will not incur any service charges.

In addition to holding season ticket prices the same for the third consecutive season, more than 65 percent of the single-game tickets on Sunday through Thursday at Dodger Stadium in 2010 will remain the same price or be lower than 2009. There was no price increase on any ticket at Dodger Stadium following the 2008 season when the Dodgers reached their first National League Championship Series in 20 years.

As has become increasingly common throughout sports and entertainment, the Dodgers will introduce a variable pricing component in which tickets on Friday and Saturday will be between $2 and $3 more than those games played Sunday through Thursday.

The All-You-Can-Eat Right Field Pavilion will see a price decrease of $5 per ticket when purchased in advance, while rows X-Z on the field level between the bases will drop $20 per seat.

For the fourth consecutive season, parking prices at Dodger Stadium will remain the same at $15 and no increases in concessions prices are expected in 2010.

Tickets to the highly-anticipated matchup against the World Champion New York Yankees can only be purchased as part of a 14-, 21-, or 28-game mini plan and will not be sold on an individual game basis. Fans who purchase any mini plan at Dodger Stadium on March 6 will also receive a Dodger gift.

Season ticket options are still available and remain among the best values in Los Angeles and all of sports, with tickets starting as low as $4 per seat.

For a complete list of ticket options and pricing, visit dodgers.com/tickets.

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DUI Checkpoint In EP tonight

From LAist:

The LAPD is doing their weekly DUI Checkpoint and tonight’s is in Echo Park. Specifically, one will be held on Glendale Boulevard between Effie and Berkely from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. There have already seen 13 driving under the influence-related and 116 hit and run traffic collisions in the Northeast Police division this year.

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Dodgers raise ticket prices for low-end seats

According to a press release, the Dodgers are planning for an increase in price for 35% of the seats for single-game ticket starting March 6, 2010.

They’ll be increasing some low-end tickets $2-3 for Friday and Saturday games, making Top Deck tickets $15, left-field pavilion seats are up $5 to $18, and other various increases for the cheaper tickets (these numbers appear to be the price for advance purchase tickets – those purchased at the stadium are generally a couple of bucks more).

Additionally, the All-You-Can-Eat Right Field Pavilion price will decrease $5 per ticket (advance purchase), and rows X-Z on the field level between the bases will drop $20 per seat.

Parking at Dodger Stadium, currently at $15 per vehicle, will remain the same price (a good thing for us community members who live right by the stadium).

LA Observed also points out that the Yankees series coming up in June won’t be included as those tickets can only be purchased as part of a 14-, 21-, or 28-game mini plan, and cannot be purchased individually.

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Echo Park Cleanup/Beautification on Saturday

Join the office of Council President Eric Garcetti for the first Echo Park Clean Up Effort of the year on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 8:45 am.

Council President Eric Garcetti’s Office and staff would love your participation, enthusiasm and action on as we prepare to do a nice clean up and beautification effort of “downtown” Echo Park.

If you would like to participate, meet up at the Echo Park Walgreens at 8:45 am for refreshments and instructions followed by 2 hours of some beautification labor all for the purpose of continuing to make Echo Park a little brighter and welcoming for our friends, neighbors and patrons.

Please contact Field Deputy Alejandra Marroquin of the LA City Council at Alejandra.Marroquin@lacity.org, or call 323-957-4500 for more information.

UPDATE:
This event has been postponed due to rain, we will let you know when it has been rescheduled.

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LA Police seek help finding Echo Park suspect

L.A. Now posted a story this morning about the L.A. police search for a rape suspect. Here’s the story:

Los Angeles police asked for the public’s help Thursday in finding the man who raped a 15-year-old girl in Echo Park on Christmas Day.

The girl was walking in a secluded area near Echo Park Lake about 7:30 p.m. when she encountered the man, who raped her then fled the scene, police said. The girl was treated at a hospital.

The suspect is described as a man in his 20s, possibly Latino, about 6 feet tall and between 160 and 170 pounds. He wore prescription glasses and was last seen wearing a black, hooded sweat shirt with white horizontal stripes, and he had a piercing on his lower lip.

Video of the suspect was captured by a surveillance camera at a nearby liquor store.

“Usually in our cases, where there is a later date, the detectives were following some leads and they probably have exhausted all of them, so they’re turning to the public for help,” said LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman.

Anyone with information about the attack or the suspect should call sexual assault detectives at the LAPD’s Rampart Station at (213) 484-3624. During non-business hours, call 1-877-LAPD-24-7.

Click here to view the L.A. Now article.

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