Taste of Echo Park Fundraiser

On Monday, September 14 from 7-9 PM, Stories Books, Gifts and Cafe in Echo Park will host the “Taste of Echo Park” as a fundraiser for the EP Chamber of Commerce. For a $10 entrance fee ($5 for 14-17 year-olds and free for those under 13) you’ll get to toast with a complimentary glass of wine and enjoy appetizers from the Stories Food Bar. Krystal Blue Halloween design bags will be on sale as well, and for every bag sold $1.00 will be donated to the EP Chamber of Commerce.

Click here to check out the March 9, 2009 “Taste of Echo Park” event.

Contact the Chamber of Commerce for more information and to reserve your ticket!

Stories Books, Gifts and Cafe

1716 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026 US

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Fire in Echo Park Plaza

Photo by Rosie Betanzos

Photo by Rosie Betanzos

Rosie Betanzos reported the following story for Echo Park Timebank about the early morning fire in the Echo Park Plaza:

“At around 2 am on Thursday, September 10, 2009 a fire broke out at The Echo Park Plaza located at  1411 Echo Park Ave/Montana St. A few minutes earlier there was the sound of breaking  glass bottles. As it is in Echo Park,  the sound echos around the neighborhood of Echo Park, making it hard to pin point where it is coming from. Then past 2:30 am a fire truck siren sounded off stopping on Echo Park, then two truck and at the end we must have more then 8 fire trucks. Apparently the fire seems to have started inside the Dry Cleaners area.  The donut shop was spared, however the fire did spread on the roof top to the side businesses. The donut folks got there at around 1:30 am  but they only found out as they started to see the fire department lights.  No one was hurt.  One of the property owners Mr. Scott was notified immediately. The extend of the damage is still being determined. We are so fortunate to have two fire departments so close by.  The work from the  Fire Department  is appreciated.  Many thanks to the LAPD for being first on the scene and to the Fire Departments.”

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Tonight: EP citrus trees treatment meeting

Tonight from 6 pm to 8 pm, the County Dept of Food and Agriculture is having an open house meeting regarding the treatment plans for Echo Park and its citrus trees that may be in danger from the Asian citrus psyllid.

It will be at Grace Simons Lodge in Elysian Park.
105 Elysian Park Avenue, Los Angeles
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Happy Birthday Masa!

To Go menu JJ working

Masa is celebrating its fifth birthday today. Stop in and say hello; there will be birthday cake!

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La Canada fire updates

Fire

Since the recent fire is outside of LA County, the La Canada fire updates can be found here.

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Chamber of Commerce meeting Thursday

chambershield

Join the Chamber of Commerce for its general meeting tomorrow at 7:00 pm at Taix Restaurant in Echo Park.

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A food Co-op from your garden

The Hillside Produce Cooperative reminds me of what it was like growing up with a huge plot for our garden and more than we could eat. We’d leave bags on the doorsteps of our neighbors full of our extras: zucchinis (the size of your forearm), tomatoes, yellow squash, and radishes.

The co-op organizes such a thing in Los Angeles neighborhoods. It is a “free neighborhood monthly exchange of all the FRUITS, VEGETABLES, HERBS and FLOWERS we grow in our yards,” and is, according to its website, “a collective in which we all get to enjoy some of what everyone grows in exchange for contributing what we don’t want or won’t use ourselves.”

In order to participate, all you have to do is sign up on their website for the email list, let them know what you can contribute, drop off the goodies (Glassell Park is the closest spot to Echo Park), and recieve some in return! The best part is, the Co-Op redistributes the items so you get a little of everything.

Makes me want to start growing some veggies of my own!

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Neighborhood Crime Update

Captain Bill Murphy of the Northeast Division has posted the following Neighborhood Crime Update for Echo Park:

NOE Crime Update

The year to date (YTD) crime statistics will cover from January 1, 2009 through July 11, 2009. The weekly crime maps I will be looking at will cover between July 5th through July 15, 2009.

I may also comment on other high profile events that have occurred the last month in NOE.

YTD Violent Crime: Down 8.5%

YTD Property Crime: Down 21.1%

YTD Part I (total): Down 18.9%

YTD Homicide: Down 55.6% (8 vs. 18 last year)

YTD Robbery: Up 0.4% (up one crime versus last year 249 vs. 248 )

  • All categories of crimes (except robbery) are down significantly compared to last year
  • We are down 688 total crimes YTD
  • NOE Area ranks FIRST in crime reduction City-wide (out of 21 police stations)

Neighborhood Crime Update

Echo Park

The area around Sunset Blvd and Glendale Blvd continues to be a problem for property crime (mostly stolen cars). We have increased patrol in this area and made a few arrests.

You can contact Captain Bill Murphy at 26152@lapd.lacity.org

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Echo Park Historical Society Presents: A Tribute to Edendale

On Saturday, July 25 from 7 to 9 PM, the Echo Park Historical Society and the Echo Park Film Center will be hosting an outdoor presentation and silent film screening at Echo Park Lake to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first film studio in Edendale (a section of what is now Echo Park where most of LAs first film studios were located). The presentation begins at 7 PM and will be followed at 8 PM with a screening of silent film shorts. The event is free and open to the public.

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LAPD’s Crime Map Omits Nearly 40% of Serious Crimes

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Police Department’s public crime database omits nearly 40% of serious crimes reported in Los Angeles:

LAPD’s public database omits nearly 40% of this year’s crimes

The discrepency was discovered while the Times was creating their own map to display the LAPD’s crime data. The Times reports that the omissions are due to a programming error. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as though the database is due for an overhaul anytime soon.

For concerned citizens that would like to keep themselves up-to-date on serious crimes being reported in Los Angeles, the Homicide Report and your local news are always helpful resources.

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Apology letter from “Under the Bridge” in response to noise complaints

This letter was posted on the Echo Elysian Neighborhood Council Forum after residents started complaining about the late-night noise.

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Sincere apologies from us at UNDER THE BRIDGE.

We are saddened to read your complaints and misconceptions regarding our space and our intentions, and would like to extend apologies to all of you disturbed by our two recent events, as well as explain a bit about who we are and what our plans are for 1166 Glendale Blvd.

We are local Echo Park residents with a great love for our neighborhood, and have been dreaming of opening an organic vegetarian, vegan, and raw cafe serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Three months ago, while in the investment-hunting stage of the process, we found our ideal location, and decided to secure the space while we continued our search for funding.

As the months have progressed, we have yet to find the partner prepared to help us realize our vision, so we decided to host an event to spread awareness of our plans. We intended to show potential investors the charm of the area, the positive vibe our friends create, and of course never meant to disrupt our community.

Our first event, held on June 6th, was a joint effort with our friendly neighboring businesses, and proved to be an incredibly positive experience for us and all who attended. We offered catering from one of our talented chefs, art by one of our dear friends, and an acoustic performance by a famed musician, followed by dj’ed music. Had we known the noise was disruptive or had we been aware of a single complaint, the second celebration would have been handled very differently. Contrary to comments I have read here, this was our first ever event, and no police came by.

The second such event, held this past Saturday June 26th, was equally as exciting for us, as we drew a crowd of supporting future customers, as well as several interested financiers. Hearing the sound issues raised here regarding this past weekend evoke sincere regret, and again, we offer our apologies.

We are an extremely family-oriented and tightly-knit group of friends eager to share ourselves and our food with you, and our only goal is to begin construction on our cafe as soon as possible. We hope you will soon be able to see UNDER THE BRIDGE CAFE as a valuable addition to the area, and that you will be a fan of our delicious and healthy menu.

Please be aware that we do not wish late night parties to be a part of our identity, and do hope that upon reading this, you are able to understand our intentions and potentially be excited about our future.

Our plans to host a third event are contingent upon securing the funds necessary to begin construction, but we do plan to host a daytime art show and music gathering coinciding with the Lotus Festival. Be assured however, that now aware of the sound-traveling problem, we will no longer go past 2am, will make every effort to keep the volume at a lower level, and keep our guests confined to our walls as much as possible.

Please feel free to email us with any questions, concerns, or advice, and know that we truly look forward to serving you, and to becoming a positive influence on our beloved neighborhood.
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Personally, if it’s true that the music went on until 3 or 4am, there is reason for complaint. Otherwise, hopefully Under the Bridge Cafe owners will pull the plug at a decent hour and continue their fund raising efforts when appropriate. Apart from that, they do deserve a chance (sounds like it was a fun party after all!) and I will likely support them once they are set up with the restaurant.

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Fireworks at Dodger Stadium Tuesday, 6/30/09

The Echo Elysian Park Neighborhood Councils Forum posted this message from a Dodger Stadium representative:

Dear Neighbor:
Please note that at the conclusion of tomorrow evening’s game against the Colorado Rockies, there will be an approximate 15-20 minute fireworks show that will take place. As always, the safety of those attending the event, our neighbors, the surrounding community and the firefighters themselves is of paramount concern to us. Therefore, as is our policy, should the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) request that we cancel the fireworks due to weather concerns, or any other concern for that matter, we will happily comply. Decisions on this will be made right up until the time of the show. Finally, LAFD personnel (including a water truck as is required by the fire safety code) and Stadium management will be on site to manage the event. Additionally, as has been our standing offer this season, if you are a resident of Solano Canyon or Echo/Elysian Park and are interested in attending the game as our guest, please contact me at noelp@… with your interest, the name the tickets should be left under and your address and telephone number. Note that tickets will be ready for pick-up starting at 5:10P at our Club-Level Will-Call (located adjacent to the office entrance in parking lot D). Additionally, your request must be received by 7P today. Please understand that these tickets are on a first-come, first served basis. Should you have any concerns relative to these events, please call our Neighborhood Focus Line at (323) 224-2636.

Thank you,
Noel E. Pallais
Los Angeles Dodgers

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New boutique on Echo Park Blvd. grand opening

Tavin Launch

Perhaps we’ll see you there?

Where: Tavin Boutique
1453 Echo Park Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90026
When: July 11th, 2009, 5pm – 11:45pm

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Find out why an LAPD Helicopter is flying overhead

LAPD Helicopter
Ever wonder why that LAPD Helicopter is flying over your house or neighborhood? Checking that your doors and windows are locked in case there’s a car chase or fugitive out there? LAist posted a few months ago this article siting a phone number you can call to ensure there’s no danger lurking outside.

That number is 213-485-2600. Feel free to call when you have concerns, I have yet to get anyone to answer the phone but let us know if you have better luck!

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LA Low Riders taking over Elysian Park

Hearing the helicopters flying low over our house now for a couple of hours, we decided to check out what was going on at Elysian Park. The police at Academy (near Morton) told us it was the LA Low Riders motorcycle club, and they making sure the motorcycles weren’t migrating toward Echo Park Blvd. This is the first year I’ve noticed the yearly picnic taking place here, but I certainly did notice that parking is tight on Scott Avenue and surrounding streets.

EchoParkTV has posted a video covering the event, check it out here

UPDATE:
LA Eastsider blog has pointed out in a blog post yesterday that the bikers had no permit at Elysian Park. This is a concern, as at around 7:00 pm last night, the park was COMPLETELY trashed.

In addition to that, parking on Scott street was extremely difficult. The Dodgers didn’t seem to have a need for placing “Local Access Only” signs in addition to city parking enforcement on the street corners, despite the over 50,000 paid customers at last night’s game.

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