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The demise of Save-A-Lot stirs up speculation

The closure of the Save-A-Lot at the end of March prompted a decent-sized online debate about what entity should take over the former historic Pioneer Market location. It’s not clear whether or not the Save-A-Lot will actually return, but a letter posted on the front door doesn’t paint a pretty picture for the chain:

“It has come to the Landlord’s attention that Subtenant has ceased operating from the Premises. In order to protect the integrity of the Premisess and Landlord’s interest therein, Landlord has changed the locks and entered the Premises to inspect name.”

So what’s next?

Well, pretty much every time this location is open for a new tenant, someone mentions wanting a Trader Joe’s. Or perhaps a Fresh and Easy? The Sunset Blvd. storefront is a great location for any retailer or grocer, but so far no announcements have been made.

There’s even a Facebook page called “Bring Trader Joe’s to Echo Park” (with 200+ fans) for neighbors pushing for a Trader Joe’s to take over the location, even amongst speculation that the chain would never open in such a “low income” neighborhood.

It’s a nice thought – the nearest locations are Eagle Rock and Silver Lake, and it would be great to avoid the drive (ever try to park in the Silver Lake one at 5:00 on a Friday? Or any day of the week for that matter). But the downside to bringing a Trader Joe’s to Echo Park in that location is exactly the same issue – parking, traffic due to backed up parking, lack of employee parking, and all-around traffic/parking problems. Frankly, it would be a kind of a nightmare. But would you give up parking convenience that for Trader Joe’s convenience?

A comment on an Eastsider LA article (which, by the way, has nearly 60 comments!) mentioned they’d like to see a second Figueroa Produce location – truly my number one choice and probably a better fit for this neighborhood than another grocery chain. I mean, the fresh salsa and guacamole are really the best!

No offense to the Trader Joe’s fans, but here’s my official call to action: Bring on Figueroa Produce!

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Dodgers fundraiser for Brian Stow – happening now!

The Dodgers are in San Francisco tonight for another round against the rival team, while the stadium hosts a fundraiser today for Giants fan Brian Stow, who was critically injured in the Dodgers parking lot on opening less than two weeks ago. In addition to the tragic incident (Stow remains in critical condition in the hospital), this has been a bit of a PR issue for the Dodgers franchise and Los Angeles, as owner Frank McCourt and our own mayor have been criticized for not handling the issue very well.

Today, until 3:00 pm, the Dodgers are hosting a “drive-through” relief event for Bryan Stow. All collections going directly towards the trust fund established by the Stow family to benefit Bryan and his children. Assisting the Dodgers in the relief effort will be American Medical Response, the club’s media partners (KCAL 9, Prime Ticket, KABC 790 and Univision Radio), and the Los Angeles Times.

Please drive to the Stadium and donate, in Parking Lot 1. At noon, several community supporters are scheduled to be on hand.

Monetary donations of cash and checks will be accepted, with checks being made out to the “Bryan Stow Fund.” Contributions will also be accepted via PayPal and online at sfpcu.org.

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HiFi neighborhood cleanup Saturday!

The Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council (GEPENC) are hosting a neighborhood cleanup this weekend in partnership with the Historic Filipinotown Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Historic Filipinotown, and neighbors and friends.

They’ll be focusing on the Historic Filipinotown neighborhood for the cleanup.

With Earth Day coming up this month, now’s your chance to contribute to a clean environment in your neighborhood!

Meet at Lake Street Park (227 N. Lake Street) on Saturday, April 9th, 2010 from 9:00 am – 12:00 noon.

For more information about the clean up or to RSVP, please contact
Jose Sigala at 213-308-2826 or by email at jose_sigala@yahoo.com

Refreshments and lunch provided by the GEPENC and the Rotary of Historic Filpintown, with tools and supplies provided by the City of Los Angeles Office of Community Beautification.

Click here to download the full flyer.

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Tonight: EPIA social event at Taix!

I am very much looking forward to the meeting/social/fundraiser/mixer tonight for the Echo Park Improvement Association (as a committee member, I’ve been involved in the organization and this event).

At this particular meeting, the EPIA will have representatives from CD1, CD13, and the Northeast and Rampart Divisions to provide updates on community issues. Oftentimes there will also be input from other community members for event announcements and other comments. In between those agenda items, there will be cocktails, raffles (lots of great stuff from local eateries and businesses), and other goodies. It’s a great way to get involved!

Hope to see you tonight at 7:00 pm at Taix!!

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Order your Farmers’ Market healthy basket today!

At he beginning of March, the Echo Park Farmers Market started a healthy baskets program. Similar to CSA Please review the options below to find the Healthy Market Basket that’s right for you and your family!

Order now! Orders placed by Tuesday at 12:00 p.m. will be delivered that same week. Orders placed after 12:00 p.m. Tuesday will start delivery the following week. (If you would like to pay using CalFresh/EBT please email hmbp@see-la.org or call 323-463-3171)

Available in 4, 8 and 12-week options!

Fresh Market Basket:
Weekly farm-fresh produce selection featuring approximately 8-10 farmers’ market produce items each week. No customization will be offered on these baskets. $22/week

Healthy Market Baskets:
Weekly farm-fresh produce selection offering subscribers 13-16 different market fresh fruits and vegetables. Each basket will help subscribers to meet the USDA recommendation of 31.5 cups of fruits and vegetables per person per week. Subscribers will be able to choose between Basket A and Basket B options by making a selection online.

1-Person Healthy Market Basket: $29/week
2-Person Healthy Market Basket: $55/week
3-Person Healthy Market Basket: $82/week

Click here for the website and to sign up!

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Saturday: What’s your vision of Echo Park’s future?

Our CD13 rep Eric Garcetti is quite busy these days! (Perhaps gearing up for a mayoral campaign…?) Tomorrow (Saturday, April 2, 2011) he and his team will be hosting a “visioning summit” for Echo Park and Historic Filipinotown.

Called the “Los Angeles Neighborhood Dreams (LAND),” the community forum is a chance for Echo Park residents to voice their opinions about the future of Echo Park.

What do you see in the future of Echo Park? Perhaps more transparency when big developers want to build in Echo Park? More community input? A serious look at the Community Plan and removal of rules that give developers rights to build high-density projects that don’t fit in with the community?

Okay, maybe those are my recommendations. Yours might be a little different – so share them at tomorrow’s forum!

When: Saturday, April 2nd from 9:00 am to 12:0 pm

Where: Angelus Temple, located at 1100 Glendale Blvd.

RSVP using the following methods:

call the Hollywood District Office at 323-957-4500
email Alejandra.Marroquin@lacity.org
or CLICK HERE

See you there!

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Vegan Supper tonight at Yogala

Yogala, the new yoga studio in Echo Park, is hosting a “Vegan Supper” tonight, April 1, starting at 7:00 pm.

You can go in from 5:00 – 6:30 pm for te “Good Weekend Yoga and Sound Healing” class and then stay for dinner!

Bring any dish to share (remember vegan means no eggs, meat, or diary!) and a drink. Please RSVP to Sam@YogalaEchoPark.com or sign up at Yogala, located at 1840 Echo Park Ave.

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Your guide to Dodgers promo days

A Dodgers "sleeved fleece." Yes please!

Now that opening day is over, we’re looking forward to a new season of McCourt-divorce-drama-free baseball! (Pretty please!) Here’s your season lineup to all the freebies (aka promos) at the Stadium:

Friday night fireworks are back, so you can expect all the oohs and ahhs of fireworks every Friday evening when there’s a home game. This starts at tonight’s game (Friday, April 1 vs. Giants).

Dodgers Sleeved Blanket: Sunday, April 3 at 5:00 pm vs Giants

Lakers Tribute – Purple and Gold LA Cap: Thursday, April 14 at 7:10 pm vs Cardinals

Jackie Robinson Night: Friday, April 15 at 7:10 pm vs Cardinals

Fernando Valenzuela Fleece Blanket: Tuesday, April 19 at 7:10 pm vs Braves

Half-Price Food & Drink: Thursday, April 21 at 12:10 pm vs Braves

Retro ’81 World Series T-Shirt: Sunday, May 1 at 1:10 pm vs Padres

Cooler Bag: Tuesday, May 3 at 7:10 pm vs Cubs

Half-Price Food & Drink: Wednesday, May 4 at 12:10 pm vs Cubs

Kids James Loney BP Jersey: Sunday, May 15 at 1:10 pm vs D-backs

Clayton Kershaw Bobblehead: Tuesday, May 17 at 7:10 pm vs Brewers

Bark in the Park: Saturday, May 28 at 7:10 pm vs Marlins

$1 Dodger Dog Day: Monday, May 30 at 5:10 pm vs Rockies

Don Mattingly Bobblehead: Wednesday, June 1 at 7:10 pm vs Rockies

Hong-Chih Kuo Bobblehead: Tuesday, June 14 at 7:10 pm vs Reds

Half-Price Food & Drink: Wednesday, June 15 at 12:10 pm vs Reds

Read more

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Go by foot: DUI Checkpoint in Echo Park on Friday

Just in time for baseball season, the LAPD will be conducting a DUI checkpoint in Echo Park on Friday, April 1 from 8:00 pm – 2:00 am.

Now in March, the LAPD changed the rules regarding impounding cars of unlicensed drivers – a rule that immigrants rights advocates have said unlawfully targeted undocumented immigrants. According to an article in the LA Times:

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said that police would be required to try to contact the registered owner of a vehicle stopped at a checkpoint. If the owner is licensed and can arrive in a reasonable amount of time, the car will not be impounded. If the owner is unlicensed, but a licensed driver is in the car, that person may be permitted to take it.

The article continues: The Investigative Reporting Program at UC Berkeley found that of all the cars impounded during a three month period in 2009, 55% were impounded for unlicensed drivers, versus 14% impounded for an actual DUI and criminal warrants.

We’ll see if the new policy does it’s job – keeping drunk drivers off the road!

The checkpoint will take place on Sunset Boulevard between Portia Street and Sutherland Street (near the Little Joy/Short Stop).

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Prepare for Opening Day at Dodger Stadium

Since the Dodgers are at this moment kicking the Mariners you-know-whats, it’s time for a Dodgers update.

Thursday, March 31, is D-Day – that is, Opening Day (and the 54th season in Los Angeles!). If you have lived around Echo Park long enough to know how completely insane Opening Day is, well you know how to avoid getting caught up in the traffic. Here’s the deal:

The past couple of years, Opening Day started in the early afternoon. This year, it starts at 5:00 pm. This could be either a good thing or a bad thing:

Good: Fans won’t be blasting music and starting the day off with a little buzz at 7:00 am in Elysian Park. (Trust me, you can hear it pretty early)

Bad: Fans will be blasting music and catching a little buzz starting at 10:00 am in Elysian Park.

Good: 50,000 people across Southern California won’t “mysteriously” call in sick on the same day, instead they’ll be able to take a half day to enjoy the game!

Bad: Traffic, traffic, traffic. Even the non-arteries to the stadium are jam-packed, so expect a bit of a parking lot outside your front door for a little while.

Good: The Dodgers are going to win their first game, and it’s against the Giants (returning from their, uh uhm, win in the world series last season)

There will be a pregame ceremony at 4:30 om, which will include displays on the field and a military flyover. All parking gates will open at 1:00 pm (much earlier than they usually open the gates to accommodate the crowds) and the stadium gates will open at 1:30 pm.

There will be some street closures on Thursday from 1:00 am – 11:00 pm for “staging purposes and game preparations.” Closures include:

  • Scott Avenue between Stadium Way and North Boylston Street
  • North Boylston between Academy and Stadium Way
  • Lilac Terrace between Stadium Way and Lookout to Stadium

And lastly, the Dodger Stadium Express is back! You can get transit service to and from Dodger Stadium using the Metro and the Metrolink trains. Transit from Union Station starts 45 minutes before the start of the game and will stop running one hour after the last out.

That’s it for now – since we have to work all day Thursday, we won’t be planning on getting home until after all the traffic has gone through. Good luck out there! See you at the games.

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Menu Monday: New items at Xoia

Xoia (pronounced soy-yah)
1801 West Sunset Blvd.
(213) 413-3232
Website

Hours:
Tuesday-Thursday: 11:30 am to 10:00 pm
Friday-Saturday: 11:30 am to midnight
Sunday: 11:30 am to 10:00 pm

New items were recently added to the Xoia menu!

Mi Quang Pozole: Traditional Mexican pork and nixtamal corn stew prepared with Vietnamese Mi Quang pork/shrimp stock. Served with a side of shredded cabbage, red onions, limes, salsa and tortillas. $8.25

Vietnamese Hot Wings: Half dozen fresh chicken wings marinated in lime and fish sauce, deep fried and wok fired in caramelized fish sauce, chili and garlic. Served w/ Vietnamese dipping sauce, cucumbers and pickled carrot/daikon. $9.25

House made ice cream/sorbets: All assortments made in-house. Vietnamese Coffee, Hoisen Peanut Sauce, Thai Iced Tea, Lychee, Jackfruit, and Lemon/Lime. $3.50

They have great pho if you’re in the mood, and an always-growing, amazing menu!

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What’s the dramz at the Echo Park Save-a-Lot?

A couple of weeks ago, we got an email from an Echo Park resident who noticed something funny at the Echo Park Save-A-Lot located on Sunset Boulevard next to Walgreens: “I went into the save-a-lot today and the shelves and freezers are quite bare. the checker said that owners are denying that it is going to close, but the lack of merchandise says otherwise. do you know if it is leaving echo park?”

We couldn’t find out for sure what was going on until today, when reader Sven wrote us (and sent the following photo) about the store’s definite closure:

“What happened to the Save-A-Lot on Sunset in Echo Park? I found the place closed, the windows covered with paper and this odd note from the landlord on the door, in which he explained having changed the locks on them?”

The letter reads:

“It has come to the Landlord’s attention that Subtenant has ceased operating from the Premises. In order to protect the integrity of the Premisess and Landlord’s interest therein, Landlord has changed the locks and entered the Premises to inspect name.”

We’ll try and find out what’s going on, stay tuned!

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Volunteer and celebrate Cesar Chavez’s birthday on Saturday

On Saturday, March 26, LA Works is partnering up with the Greater Echo Park Elysian Neighborhood Council to accomplish a unique community service project in honor of Cesar Chavez’s March 31 birthday.

Expert muralists, volunteers and civic leaders will oversee volunteers and LAUSD students in the creation of five to ten community justice and human rights-themed murals. The murals will be donated to schools and libraries around Los Angeles.

Andres Chavez, grandson of Cesar Chavez, will be a guest speaker at the event. He was “raised in the tradition of the farm worker movement that his grandfather, César Chávez, founded. He has participated in United Farm Workers’ marches, rallies, picket lines, union conventions, and political campaigns, including those for immigration reform.”

Former State Senator Richard Polanco (who helped make March 31, Chavez’s birthday, a state holiday in 2000) will also be a guest speaker.

The program begins at 9:00 am on Saturday, March 26 at Echo Park Lake. Full details and directions are provided to you after you register. You can register to volunteer by visiting the LA Works website.

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Thursday: Parenting class at The Echo Center

The Echo Center (formerly the Center for Nonviolent Education and Parenting) here in Echo Park is hosting a new class called “Raising Girls Master Class” on Thursday, March 24.

Here’s the class description, from The Echo Center:

From a very young age, girls are inundated with messages that they should “act like a lady” at the expense of their own unique self.

Helping to empower girls to be authentic, feeling, thinking people who are confident and loving means developing and expanding our own ideas about gender and power.

This session offers concrete tools to help adults support girls.

The class takes place from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at a local Echo Park residence. Address will be provided upon registration. Space is limited, so register now!

Fee is $50 per person, $75 per couple. No one will be turned away for lack of
funds.

To RSVP: Contact Azucena Ortiz at 213.484.6676 x.311 or email aortiz@theechocenter.org for more information about the class.

Visit The Echo Center website to learn more about the non-profit.

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, March 21 through Sunday, March 27

Monday
Monday Night Residency: Spirit Vine, Mi Gu, Wet & Reckless, Sister Crayon @ Echo
Slumberland and Origami Vinyl Present: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Belong premiere party @ The Echo Patio
Honeyhoney, The Dead Trees, Yellow Red Sparks @ Bootleg Theater

Tuesday
Aquarium Drunkard, FYF and the Echo present:  the Strange Boys, Fresh & Onlys, Natural Child @ Echo
The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Nico Stai @ Echoplex
Esben and the Witch, Julianna Barwick, Native Fauna @ Bootleg Theater
Open Mic Night @ The Fretted Frog
The Health Club, Best Supporting Actress, K-Tel’79, Evan apRoberts @ Lot 1 Cafe

Wednesday
Liam Finn, The Luyas @ The Autry
O’death, David Dondero, Franz Nicolay @ Echo
Dub Club @ Echoplex
Ponderosa, Black Apples @ Bootleg Theater
Echo Park Juke Joint: Downtown Train @ Lot 1 Cafe

Thursday
Wye Oak, Callers @ Echo
Appleseed Cast, Muscle Worship @ Echoplex
Aaron Roche, Chris Schlarb @ Origami Vinyl
The Hours, Army Navy @ Bootleg Theater
La Underground Presents: Saint Sea Hat, Fort Wife, Hot TV, Time Of Wolves @ Lot 1 Cafe
EZ Tiger @ Taix Lounge

Friday
Say Hi, Parson Redheads, Yellow Ostrich, Blair @ Echo
Passion of the Weiss Presents Rainbow Arabia, Spoek Mathambo, Matthewdavid, Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ Echoplex
Tecumseh, Rale, Pedestrian Deposit, Ezra Buchla @ Pehrspace
Duzheknew, Cousins @ Origami Vinyl
Bobo House Sessions: Kissing Tigers and DJs @ Dinner House M
Moondog Orchestra, the Ross Sea Party, Dead Dawn @ Lot 1 Cafe
Azalea Snail, Rough Church @ Taix Lounge

Saturday
Los Angeles Aussie BBQ Showcase with Maniac, Andy Clockwise, Dan Brodie and The Grieving Widows, Grand Atlantic, The Level Spirits, The Boat People, Wagons, Dogs, Dash and Will, Novocaines, Hungry Kids of Hungary, Sampology @ Echo
Men, Psychic Friend, DJ Paul V @ Echoplex
Funky Sole @ Echo
Sunshine Factory, Seasons @ Origami Vinyl
Art vs Science, American Royalty, Florrie, DJ set by Scribbly Jim @ Bootleg Theater
Jaxart presents: Cousins, Duzheknew, Birdhand, Basement Babies @ Lot 1 Cafe
Lawndale, Sylvia Juncosa @ Taix Lounge

Sunday
Variedades @ Echoplex
Part Time Punks: Factory Records Night with a live performance By boy Division (doing Joy Division covers) @ Echo

For more information on weekly musical events like club nights, see our community resource pages.Visit the venue website for more information on the cost and times of shows. This list may not represent all the musical events happening in Echo Park this week – feel free to add more events in the comment section. All events listed are subject to change at any time. New events announced for the week after this posting may not be included.

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