Neighborhood Council cleanup on Saturday

This corner definitely needs some love!

Your neighborhood council (GEPENC) is teaming up with Clifford Elementary School for a cleanup on the corners of Glendale Blvd. and Allessandro Street (right by the 2 Freeway Terminus) in Echo Park. The area is riddled with trash and needs some love!

Join your neighbors and help out your neighborhood on Saturday, October 23. Meet up at the cleanup site at 9:00 am – refreshments, lunch and tools will be provided by GEPENC!

Click here to download the flyer.

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

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Will the LAUSD actually listen?

Last night’s Echo Park Improvement Association Neighborhood Issues Committee meeting brought out well over 30 people to Williams Hall at Barlow Hospital to discuss community concerns about CRES#14, an LAUSD school being built near the busy intersection of Alvarado and Sunset Blvd.

Chieko Rupp, now retired from the LAUSD, spoke at the meeting as the “point person” of the design team that is writing the proposal for CRES#14. Although not an official rep from the LAUSD, she and the team will be submitting the final project proposal to the LAUSD for review.

Here’s a run-down of what is being discussed for the future of CRES#14:

  • It will be Pre-kindergarten through eighth grade
  • Because the school was initially built to alleviate over-crowded elementary schools (and continued to be the focus even after elementary schools became under-enrolled), the school will include elementary age students. One of the reasons include construction – some classrooms were built specifically for smaller children.
  • It will be a “span” school
  • Initial plans are that it will pull predominantly from areas to the south and west of the school, areas that do not include Echo Park. This, however, is not set in stone, but it’s the “boundary office” that determines which areas the school will pull from. Schools include Virgil and King, which are heavily overcrowded
  • Curriculum focus will be music, arts, language and technology
  • Capacity of the school is approximately 800, but they expect around 500 with about 35 classrooms (three may be used for a senior citizen’s organization)
  • Will be a single zone of choice, meaning kids won’t be forced to go in there but will instead have the opportunity to apply

It is difficult to completely understand some of the complicated terminology revolving “choice” schools, “span” schools, etc., but what we do understand are the concerns of the community when it comes to the LAUSD opening up a Pre-K through 8 school (and run by a charter school) in Echo Park. Many of the residents at the meeting focused on getting the point across that:

  • Echo Park should benefit from the school: 50 homes were destroyed, hundreds of people were displaced. This community needs a middle school, why not use the new school to provide this much-needed service? Why destroy a part of our community only to keep us from primarily benefiting?
  • We don’t need another elementary school: Existing elementary schools are losing teachers, and enrollment is going down. Opening up another elementary school could negatively impact our beloved elementary schools which, if they were to close, would severely impact the community.
  • Make CRES#14 a middle school, or at least make it the primary focus: Assuming we can’t do anything about there being elementary-age classes offered, if  the focus remain on middle school students it might help alleviate community concerns about our schools. However, there’s no guarantee that this will actually be followed through by the LAUSD and the chosen charter school until the decisions are made.

The question is: Will the LAUSD actually listen to the concerns of the community, and cooperate?

The good news? We were promised that nothing, absolutely nothing was set in stone and that we are still in proposal phase. There will be additional meetings prior to the proposal submital for community members to provide input. Deadline for the proposal is December 1, 2010, and the Board is schedule to make the final decision on February 22, 2011. Keep your eye out for these meetings here on Echo Park Now, and follow the EPIA website for announcements regarding those meetings.

Also make sure to follow The Eastsider LA for more detailed analysis of CRES#14 and the issues surrounding it.

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Echo Curio runs out of luck getting permitted

After a few weeks of trying to get a Cafe-Entertainment license in order for the space to host music shows on a regular basis, it looks like the Echo Curio might have run out of luck as an entertainment venue.

According to the Echo Curio blog, after attending orientation meetings and running around the Department of Building and Safety building, owners Grant Capes and Justin McInteer learned that not only is the building zoned for Retail, but the zoning excludes them from getting the necessary Cafe-Entertainment license.

The next step? Major reconstruction on the bathroom in order to qualify for a change in zoning, as well as providing parking spaces for the venue. Or, “we can accept and not do music performances and try to eek by on the art and record sales (which is sadly not going to happen, we blame you, ECONOMY!),” said the owners on their blog post.

With the costs of construction and obvious limitations in providing parking spaces (valet service at the Curio? Doesn’t quite fit), the owners are seriously considering closing the Echo Curio at the end of the year. Anyone interested in partnering with the Echo Curio to host shows, etc. should contact them directly.

In the meantime, check out some art shows and other things happening at the Curio before the doors close:

  • Thursday, October 21 from 8:00 pm – midnight: Geoff Geis’ wonderfully subversive “Obamaporn” art show and think-a-thon.
  • Saturday, October 23 at Human Resources: Exquisite Corpse workshop followed by an all-acoustic show. More info here.
  • Sunday, October 24 at 9:00 pm at F Haus: Green Machine curated smokeathon, Sean McCann, Justin McInteer and Grant Capes, Gui Barra, and more

We don’t want the shows to end at Echo Curio – wish there was something we could do?!

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A match made in Echo Park

Flickr photo via Orrin Otherwords

We’ve been trolling the Missed Connections posts on Craigslist for a long time now, and we’ve always hoped people find who they are looking for when it comes to a chance at l-o-v-e. Earlier this week, we posted this missed connection from October 8:

Joshua Tree Knot Tying Tim – w4m
Dear dream man named Tim. I am the girl you talked to at a bar in Joshua Tree, you live in Echo Park and I told you I’d run into you at Chango. You told me you just taught a class on knot tying, please come find me.

Since Craigslist posts don’t last very long, Tim has no way of finding his potential connection, so he posted this a couple of days ago:

Joshua Tree Knot Tying Tim – m4w (Echo Park)
Dear girl who I met at a bar in Joshua Tree who frequents Chango and listened to me talk about knots. I found your post on echo park now but it is no longer on craigslist. I will come find you.

It makes us warm and fuzzy inside that our fun with Craigslist might help bring these two together. Good luck!

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From our neighbors: Artisanal LA sustainabe living event

Artisanal LA is a weekend long event in downtown aimed at helping us all become more sustainable eaters and shoppers by purchasing from local vendors and crafters. Coming up soon (this weekend!), you can expect nearly 100 up-and-coming food and beverage “artisans” to grab your local, healthy and sustainable ingredients that you can’t, for the most part, yet get at retail stores or farmers’ markets. Every single product sold at Artisanal LA is made here in Southern California with local and sustainable goods.

In addition to buying your goodies and holiday gifts, you can also expect a variety of panels, demos and workshops throughout the weekend. Saturday’s events include workshops from cooking demos from local chefs to gardening how-tos from Woolly Pockets. There’s even paper craft activities for kids!

Sunday there are similar demos but you can add some alcohol to the mix – Chef Joseph Gillard from Napa Valley Grille is teaching a “Biodyamic Wine Pairings” demo and tasting, and The Beer Chicks will moderate a craft beer panel (and tasting) with neighboring Eagle Rock Brewery and Nibble Bit Tabby.

Click here for the full list of events for the weekend at Artisanal LA!

Tickets are $10 PRESALE, $15 cash at the door.

Artisanal LA
Saturday, October 23 and Sunday, October 24
11:00 am – 6:00 pm
The Cooper Design Space Penthouse located at 860 S. Los Angeles St, Los Angeles 90014

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Beer and Zombie pairing at City Sip

Yum, brains! I mean beer! Er, beer and zombies at City Sip on Halloween!

Get your trick or treat on for ages 21 and over – City Sip is hosting an evening of Zombies and Beer. Author Ben Tripp is launching Rise Again: A Zombie Thriller, and to get you in the creepy, Halloween mood will be reading an excerpt from the book while you enjoy a variety of delicious beers.

This all takes place on Halloween, on Sunday, October 31 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Here’s what to expect:

  • Seven delicious brews
  • Seven types of cheese, including head cheese
  • And possibly some offal meats (such as brains, liver, and things that you would HAVE to be drunk to try)
  • Come in a zombie costume and get a party favor!

Cost is $35 per person.

Space is limited! Email Alex@citysipla.com or call (213) 483- 9463 to RSVP.

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LAUSD to visit EPIA meeting tomorrow

At tomorrow’s Echo Park Improvement Association (EPIA) Neighborhood Issues Committee meeting, a representative from the LAUSD will attend to discuss the future of CRES#14, a new school being built near Alvarado and Sunset Blvd.

A rep failed to show at the last EPIA meeting, prompting a re-scheduling of the meeting, and tomorrow (Wednesday, October 20), LAUSD administrator Chieko Rupp will be joining the conversation to hear from Echo Park residents about the project.

Residents, parents, and future parents should attend this meeting to learn about CRES#14, and to let the LAUSD know that its plan to make the school a K-8 “Choices” school needs to involve community outreach. Residents at the last EPIA meeting were disappointed to learn of the K-8 plans, worried that yet another elementary school would hurt existing Echo Park elementary schools with already dwindling enrollment.

In addition, it doesn’t sound like the new school will in fact serve the community at large, but will be pulling from other neighborhoods where children will have to travel longer distances for school.

Community members came to a consensus that the school should be a grade 7-8 school, should be open to Echo Park children, and should perhaps focus on a specific purpose, such as arts or language arts.

A little back story to the school site:

  • The two blocks the school is being built was once home to more than 50 houses. Construction started in December 2008.
  • The 875-seat campus, $68 million school was suppose to alleviate overcrowding in neighboring public schools. It’s now common knowledge that enrollment in public schools has been dwindling for quite some time now.
  • The LAUSD lost a long legal battle over the site, but found a way to build anyways.

Even if you don’t have children now, but see yourself living in Echo Park for quite some time, now is your time to get involved!

Echo Park Improvement Association Neighborhood Committee meeting

Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 7:00 pm
Williams Hall, Barlow Hospital
Special Guest: Chieko Rupp, LAUSD

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That random public art in Elysian Park…

Back in May, we mentioned an Eastsider LA article on a set of random sculptures in parts of Elysian Park that had been taken down by Rec and Parks because of the lack of permits. As it turns out, the “random” totem poles and other sculptures covered in colorful paint, stuffed animals, and toys are actually the work of Venice Beach resident Ryan Wade.

“I welcome mails from people who had a chance to experience the sculptures in the park and I welcome any info about or from the committees that are active in organizing the parks activities,” said Ryan. “I hope these pieces were an inspiration to the viewers and I hope to see more artists taking their work into the public arena.”

Ryan rescued those items removed by Rec and Parks, and are now on display at the Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (L.A.C.E.) right now through December as part of an exhibit put on by the Elysian Park Museum of Art (EPMoA).

The EPMoA basically an experiment in the creative use of public space using temporary installations/exhibits and mostly performance art pieces (and following park rules, of course):

A constantly evolving association of artists and curators involved with EPMoA have created site-specific performances, installations, and actions that consider the fractured geography of the park — its unmapped trails, picnic areas, a stadium, a police academy, highway onramps, radio towers, squatter communities, and parking lots — with the goal of creating a cohesive investigation into the contemporary function of a museum, a park, and public spaces in general.

FYI, though Ryan’s art installations in Elysian Park last Spring (the original installations were not part of EPMoA or L.A.C.E.) was technically illegal/lacked necessary permits, these types of public art aren’t unusual in Los Angeles – there are tons of art initiatives that change the way we think about public spaces that we see and experience every day. Recently, there was some pretty cool “yarn bombing” in Highland Park, Ciclavia took over our public streets, a giant Fork in the Road in Pasadena last year, and tons of other art around Southern California. Sometimes we just have to go on those unmarked trails in Elysian Park to find them!

Check out Ryan Wade’s art and sculptures along with other installations at L.A.C.E., located at 6522 Hollywood Boulevard
Gallery Hours: Wednesday – Sunday 12 noon – 6:00 pm, and Thursdays 12 noon – 9:00 pm
Suggested donation $3, Members free.

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Echo Park’s Missed Connections

Flickr photo via Stephanie Gonot

September 30
Cruisin’ on Sunset Blvd from Echo Park to Silverlake – w4m – 24
Hi!

October 4
You’re going back to New York – w4m
And I didn’t even get to thank you for that water gun. It made my day!

October 8
Joshua Tree Knot Tying Tim – w4m
Dear dream man named Tim. I am the girl you talked to at a bar in Joshua Tree, you live in Echo Park and I told you I’d run into you at Chango. You told me you just taught a class on knot tying, please come find me.

October 11
tall guy at smiths nite wearing all black/crass shirt – w4m
i feel like a total weirdo for posting on here but I’ve seen you all over town and have always wanted to say hi but for some reason never did. i swear i’m not a creep and am not looking for anything at all, you just seem awesome..thats all.

October 12
Vons in Echo Park, Tues, Oct 12 – m4w – 36
Hi. I wanted to thank you again for being so thoughtful while I was in line behind you at the Vons in Echo Park. First, you were very kind to move your groceries on the conveyor belt! Second, you were very thoughtful in worrying that you would hold me back while filling out the application for a Vons Card! Your kindness and smile left the best of impressions and I regret not being able to introduce myself (in fear of holding up the line behind me!). Would be nice to be able to thank you again and have an uninterrupted conversation.

October 15
I was walking by as you got into your car in front of 711 on Sunset – m4w – 26
I was walking by & you were getting into your car. We locked eyes as I was walking by. I kept walking cuz I wasn’t sure if you were just looking at me cuz my glasses are broken & are crooked. I turned the corner & wondered if I should’ve waited or said something to you.

Anyways, if by some divine intervention you see this email me & say “hello”!

h/t Craigslist

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A tight squeeze for this music video

Silver Lake resident Billy Kostka recently moved his filming/recording business, Anchortapes, to the Echo Park/Silver Lake area from Long Beach. He films and records bands around the area at various locations, including some really tight squeezes!

In the video above, Brothers Brandon and Richard Laws of the band called Hosannas are filmed and recorded by Anchortapes inside the shipwrecked boat installation by Josh Beckman inside the Machine Project in Echo Park.

For more info about Anchortapes, visit their website.

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Echo Park’s Week in Music

For the week of Monday, October 18 through Sunday, October 24

The Echo Curio is also closed down for the time being, we will update the progress on their permits as soon as we have more info!

Monday
Monday Night Residency: Evan Voytas, Pizza!, Halloween Swim Team, The Sweet Hurt @ Echo
Clark 8 (7” Release Show), Whitman, Nicole Kidman, Ezra Buchla (Ex-Gowns), Stellaluna @ Pehrspace

Tuesday
Scout Niblett, Fort King, Tommy Santee Klaws @ Echo
Jason Diaz, The Diamond Light, The Muddy Reds  @ Bootleg Theater
Brunch With Superchunk @ Origami Vinyl

Wednesday
Women, Manchild @ Echo
Dub Club @ Echoplex
Sara Petite @ Taix Lounge

Live Jazz every Wednesday Night at 7:00 pm @ Downbeat Cafe

Thursday
Film School, Lovelikefire, Rabbitsrabbitsrabbits @ Echo
Down and Derby Roller Disco @ Echoplex
Amusement Parks On Fire, Twilight Sleep, Nightmare Air @ Bootleg Theater
Jail Weddings “Love Is Lawless” Listening Party @ Origami Vinyl

Friday
Owen Pallett, Little Scream, Woom @ Echoplex
Club Underground @ Echo
Black Elephant, Dirt Dress, Deaf @ Pehrspace
Jail Weddings (“Love Is Lawless” Record Release), Sweaters, Amanda Jo Williams @ Origami Vinyl

Saturday
The Octopus Project, Starf*cker, Physical Forms, Strength @ Echoplex
Funky Sole @ Echo
Elf Power, Astra Heights @ Bootleg Theater
Dottyfest 2010: Amanda Jo Williams, The Rock N’ Roll, The Jasper Dickson Revue, The Peach Kings @ Echo Country Outpost
Open-Mic Night @ The Fretted Frog
Paul Inman @ Taix Lounge

Sunday
Gold Motel, Michael Runion, Family of the Year @ Echo
Part Time Punks: Factory Records Nite with Boy Division @ Echo
Two Years Before the Mast, Builder, Then There Were Two (Mike Viscelgia) @ Bootleg Theater
Globes on Remote @ Origami Vinyl

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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Your Holiday Wish list: Crispy Dodgers Toast

Yep, it’s already getting close to the holidays and time to start thinking about Christmas shopping for your favorite Dodgers fans.

This $35, two-slice toaster from Pangea is on my holiday wishlist for sure – and when my family from Northern California (those darn Giants fans) come to town I will happily serve them breakfast toast or waffles, butter side up. I’m not worried our team isn’t in the playoffs, Dodger fans come all year ’round!

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Sunday: Echo Park Share Fare take two

Join Echo Park residents and crafters for the second Echo Park Share Fair. Bring whatever you care to share: treasures you’ve outgrown, your keen wit, leading of a craft project, edibles… a bike maintenance demo perhaps? Or just go hang out and meet fellow residents!

Click here for the Facebook page and event info.

Sunday, October 17
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
1380 Echo Park Ave

Free and all ages!

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Happy 4th Birthday to the Echo Park Farmers’ Market

This week marks the fourth anniversary of the Echo Park Farmers’ Market!

Going on right now – live Music by Dueto Internacional Martín y Martinez, cooking demos, and, as always, fresh seasonal and local produce.

At 5:00 pm get your free cake from The Farmer’s Kitchen!

Judging for the 4th Annual Seize the Sizzle Salsa Contest starts at 6:00 pm!

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Flashback Fridays: Old Fire Station No. 6

The CCAC, photo from EPIAn Ways October 2000

A mention in the most recent Echo Park Improvement Association’s newsletter (EPIAn Ways) this month caught our interest – it’s been a whole ten years since the Central City Action Committee (CCAC) cut the ribbon on its current location in Old Fire Station No. 6 on Edgeware Road in Echo Park. Citing an article from the October 2000 issue of EPIAn Ways, the grand opening celebrated not only the organization, which organizes youth activities and graffiti removal in the area, but also displayed a “mini museum” of historical fire department photos. We thought we’d do some research on those photos and the history of Old Fire Station No. 6 for this week’s Flashback Friday.

Read more

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