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Now thru Sun., Nov. 15, 2009 Tues., Oct. 20, 2009 Wed., Oct. 21, 2009 Wed., Oct. 21, 2009 Thurs., Oct. 22, 2009 Fri., Oct. 23, 2009 Fri., Oct. 23, 2009 thru Wed., Oct. 28, 2009 Fri., Oct. 30, 2009 Fri., Oct. 30, 2009 Fri., Oct. 30, 2009 Fri., Oct. 30, 2009 Fri., Oct. 30, 2009 Fri., Oct. 30, 2009 Fri., Oct. 30, 2009 Fri., Oct. 30, 2009 Fri., Oct. 30, 2009 Sat., Oct. 31, 2009 Sat., Oct. 31, 2009 Sat., Oct. 31, 2009 Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 Sat. Oct. 31, 2009 Sat., Oct. 31, 2009 Sun., Nov. 1, 2009 Mon. Nov. 2, 2009 Thurs., Nov. 5, 2009 thru Fri., Nov. 6, 2009 Tues., Nov. 10, 2009 Wed., Nov. 11, 2009 Thurs., Nov. 12, 2009 Thurs., Nov. 12, 2009 thru Fri., Nov. 13, 2009 Fri., Nov. 13, 2009 thru Wed., Nov. 18, 2009. Thurs., Nov. 19, 2009 Thurs., Nov. 19, 2009 Thurs., Nov. 19, 2009 Thurs., Nov. 19, 2009 thru Fri., Nov. 20, 2009 Fri., Nov. 20, 2009 Fri., Nov. 20, 2009 Fri., Nov. 20, 2009 Sat., Nov. 21, 2009 Sat., Nov. 21, 2009 Sat., Nov. 21, 2009 Sat., Nov. 21, 2009 Sat., Nov. 21, 2009 Sat., Nov. 21, 2009 Sun., Nov. 22, 2009 Tues., Nov. 24, 2009 Thurs., Nov. 26, 2009 Fri., Nov. 27, 2009 Sun., Nov. 29, 2009 |
October 20, 2009 – Volume V, Issue III | ||||||
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CHILD CARE CENTER OPENS AT EAST L.A. CIVIC CENTER! | |||||||
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We recently joined preschool educators, civic activists, and local families to celebrate the grand opening of the Gloria Molina-Para Los Niños Child Development Center. Located within the East L.A. Civic Center, the facility has four state-of-the-art classrooms as well as brand new indoor and outdoor playground equipment. Bilingual teachers will provide 88 local children with the important literacy skills needed as a foundation for their later education. | ||||||
Actor Wilmer Valderrama of “That 70s Show" fame served as master of ceremonies at the grand opening and Lourdes Carracoza -- a Maravilla Businesspersons Association board member -- provided welcoming remarks. Many thanks to staff from para Los Niños, who will operate and manage the center, as well as the county's Community Development Commission and Los Angeles-Universal Preschool (LAUP) for helping make this child care center materialize. | |||||||
TANABATA FESTIVAL BRINGS UNIQUE FALL PAGEANTRY | |||||||
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Little Tokyo came alive this Fall with the Tanabata Festival celebration! This centuries old Japanese tradition -- which translates as "star festival" -- celebrates the meeting of the two stars in the night heavens: Vega and Altair. They represent the star-crossed lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, respectively, who meet just once a year. To mark the occasion, Little Tokyo merchants, residents, churchgoers, and civic activists hung over 200 ornate streamers -- one made by our office and another by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard's staff -- waving a pageantry of brilliant colors to passers by. Actress Tamlyn Tomita of "The Day After Tomorrow" and "The Joy Luck Club' served as one of two Mistresses of Ceremonies. Congratulations to the Tanabata Festival Committee, particularly Chairman Brian Kito, for hosting such a dazzling event. | ||||||
FLORENCE-FIRESTONE SHARES IDEAS FOR VISION PLAN | |||||||
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We've partnered with the Florence-Firestone community to get their input for a new Vision Plan. Local residents, merchants, activists, and civic planners recently shared their vision for Florence-Firestone during workshops held at Miramonte Elementary School, Roosevelt Park, and Washington Park. Overwhelmingly, they cited public safety as their top issue with many in support of a full-time sheriff's station. Physical improvements to the neighborhood -- including more alleyway clean-ups and business façade improvements -- also ranked high. | ||||||
Creating more parks and open space also was important to many workshop attendees. So were job training, business development, and home ownership programs. Many thanks to the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) for supplying critical funding for this endeavor. We also applaud consultants Raimi + Associates and the county's Dept. of Regional Planning for coordinating these workshops -- and for helping the Florence-Firestone community articulate a vision for their future. You can read the final Vision Plan online at http://planning.lacounty.gov/ffvp. Or you can contact Steve Jareb at (213) 974-6454 with the Dept. of Regional Planning. | |||||||
FITNESS ZONE OPENS AT MAYBERRY PARK | |||||||
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South Whittier residents don’t need a gym membership to stay fit. With our latest Fitness Zone opening in Mayberry Park, they now can enjoy outdoor exercise equipment for free! This is our tenth Fitness Zone installation in the First District. Others include the Santa Fe Dam and Whittier Narrows Recreational Areas along with Belvedere, Dalton, Roosevelt, Sunshine, San Angelo, Obregon, and Rimgrove Parks. We celebrated this milestone by joining members of the local seniors exercise club at our grand opening. This all-female group meets every morning for workouts, often at the Mayberry Park Senior Center for aerobics classes. This entire effort was made possible thanks to a healthy partnership between Kaiser Permanente and the Trust for Public Land -- which collectively contributed $900,000 -- and the county's Dept. of Parks & Recreation. | |||||||
‘POPCORN THE PUPPY’ HEADED TO WHITE HOUSE! | |||||||
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Popcorn is a Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix who suffered from a broken pelvis when Baldwin Park Animal Shelter volunteer Robin Harmon first came into contact with him. Mr. Harmon regularly visits the shelter, picks up several animals that need good homes, and takes them to Pacific Park in Santa Monica where he adopts them out. Mr. Talli V. Counsel found Popcorn here and adopted him. Just a few months later, President Barack Obama appointed Counsel as White House Presidential Master Chef -- and they were headed to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue! Now Popcorn lives the good life in Washington, D.C., and divides his time between Chef Counsel's residence and the White House! Chef Counsel reported that Popcorn is "doing excellent" and "is one of the greatest dogs I've ever had." | ||||||
Popcorn is healing well by using a dog track and obstacle course to strengthen his pelvis -- plus he's developed a healthy appetite. Popcorn has bonded with Counsel's two other dogs, Hamilton and Harrison, and he even enjoys movie time! To read Chef Counsel's letter to Mr. Harmon, go to http://molina.lacounty.gov/popcornletter. To adopt a pet from the Baldwin Animal Shelter, call (626) 962-3577. | |||||||
CANCER SURVIVOR PRAISES LAC+USC HOSPITAL STAFF | |||||||
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After sending Sup. Molina a heartfelt letter describing the superior treatment she received at the LAC-USC Medical Center, ovarian cancer survivor Elena Gutierrez of Boyle Heights and the four nurses who cared for her received a formal commendation at a recent meeting of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. Gutierrez wrote that "in the past thirteen months, I've been to the hospital at least sixty times. In those visits, I was privileged to get to know the nurses in the Department of Oncology at USC County General Hospital. My respect and admiration for their selfless dedication to their profession cannot really be put into words. I can just tell you that anyone who is stricken with the life threatening, mind numbing illness, knows as Cancer, will be provided with the very best care and most humane treatment." Gutierrez -- who underwent extensive chemotherapy -- added that it was the nurses who "are right there, fighting in the trenches with you." We wish to convey our deepest appreciation to nurses Velda Carter, Tomasa Lujan, Patricia Sawaya, and Soon-May Yen for their exemplary service to Elena Gutierrez and countless other patients at the LAC-USC Medical Center! | |||||||
EAST L.A. COMMUNITY PLAN WORKSHOPS UNDERWAY | |||||||
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As East L.A. revitalization efforts continue, it's important for the community to have a voice when it comes to future development for the area -- especially on Third St. along the Eastside Extension corridor. This light rail line is scheduled to open by the end of this year and we anticipate lots of interest in economic and community development here. Many older East L.A. residents still remember how freeway construction in the 1960s -- the last major development to affect East L.A. -- permanently divided, polluted, and scarred the area. We want to avoid a similar outcome by drafting a new East L.A. Master Plan and involving the community from the outset. To reach this goal, we held six workshops in our county parks where residents, merchants, activists, and civic leaders studied maps and other relevant data on the area. Then they swapped ideas on what they'd like to see East L.A. look like. Workshop topics covered everything from zoning laws and housing density issues to transportation and public safety concerns. Participants' input will be incorporated into an Environmental Impact Report -- and the East L.A. Master Plan should be complete by June of 2011. | |||||||
STUDENTS SAVE 4,000 PLASTIC BAGS FROM GARBAGE HEAP! | |||||||
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Plastic bags notoriously pollute our rivers and overload our landfills. So we partnered with Heal the Bay and the San Gabriel Valley Conservation Corps to inspire a new generation of Earth Defenders through our Green Bag for a Clean Earth initiative promoting canvas bag use. We gave over 1,450 students at four Florence-Firestone elementary schools a canvas bag and a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle prize card. For the next two and a half months, students amassed stickers on it each time they or their parent shopped with a canvas bag instead of a plastic bag at local El Super or Superior Grocers stores. The ones who got the most stickers received prizes. We recognized our top three Earth Defenders at an official Board of Supervisors meeting -- complete with a visit from the notorious Bag Monster! All winners attended Lillian Elementary School, which did an outstanding job of participating. First place winner Dylan Mayorga collected 262 stickers and got an on-field experience at the Aug. 1st Dodgers baseball game. Second place winner Rogelio Viera collected 193 stickers and won a free bike. Third place winner Karla Sanchez collected 103 stickers and got free tickets to a Dodgers game. All three top Earth Defenders and 75 runners-up also received Walt Disney goody bags. Ultimately, our Clean Bag for a Green Earth initiative saved 4,000 plastic bags from the garbage heap! | |||||||
POMONA, MONTEBELLO FOSTER STUDENTS' GRAD RATES UP | |||||||
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Foster care placement can be among the most distressing events in children's' lives. This is especially true since they're often forced to change schools -- sometimes repeatedly. And that leads to higher drop-out rates. So we started a pilot program involving foster care students enrolled in the Montebello or Pomona Unified School Districts. Key to its success was the cross-referencing and data-matching required of social workers. They kept track of which students were participating in the program; all the schools they formerly attended; and what coursework they were in the process of completing. But this extra work was vital since our foster kids often transferred schools -- so they frequently lost credit for courses they actually finished. In fact, in just our first year, pilot program staff recovered 300 credits! This past school year, 80 kids participated. None dropped out -- and 62 percent of them dramatically improved their grade point average. Of our 19 graduating high school seniors, 15 of them are attending two- or four-year colleges now. And this Fall, we expanded our program into the Bassett, El Monte, and Hacienda La Puente Unified School Districts. | |||||||
ART SHARE YOUTH MAKE THEIR MARK ON L.A. COUNTY | |||||||
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Since 2005, Art Share has worked county Probation Dept. youth and their families to build language and self-sufficiency skills through the arts. Art Share's Families and Communities Together (FACT) program provides weekly in-home parenting classes for Probation families. And once a week over a six-month period, staff bring these families to Art Share's 30,000 square-foot headquarters in downtown L.A.'s Arts District for an intensive family instruction program. During these sessions, staff uses the arts to unearth each participant's creative spirit -- and, hopefully, help guide them down a healthier, more productive, and more inspired life path. Praised by the Los Angeles Times and honored by both former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, Art Share is a terrific organization that brings tangible improvements to the lives of at-risk families and to the community itself. For example, it was youth from Art Share who created the ceramic tile mural (pictured) welcoming visitors to Vista Hermosa Park adjacent to the Miguel Contreras Learning Complex in downtown L.A. For more information about Art Share, go to www.artsharela.org or call (213) 684-4278. | |||||||
H1N1 FLU VACCINES AVAILABLE -- BE PREPARED! | |||||||
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With flu season fast approaching, the H1N1 flu virus -- commonly knows as the "swine flu" -- is making the news once again. We declared a local public health emergency back in April so L.A. County could receive federal funds to combat the flu. Since then, our Dept. of Public Health has worked with the Centers for Disease Control to supply over 1 million H1N1 flu vaccines to about 900 L.A. County health care providers. If you want a vaccination, call your doctor to arrange one. If you do not have health coverage, call 2-1-1 and operators will help you find the nearest flu clinic -- or you can go to http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/ to find out. | ||||||
Though anyone can get a flu shot, we strongly encourage vaccinations for youth between six months and 24 years of age; pregnant women; people caring for infants younger than six months of age; individuals with respiratory problems; and health care personnel. In the meantime, there is no need to panic. You cannot get the H1N1 flu from eating pork or pork products. You do not need to ear a mask to prevent its spread. Do not purchase penicillin or antibiotics over-the-counter -- or at botanicas--since they will neither prevent nor cure the H1N1 flu. Just be prepared by being informed. If you get the H1N1 flu, treat it the same as you would treat ordinary flu symptoms by staying home, getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of water, washing your hands frequently, and taking over-the-counter medicines that ease flu symptoms. And if you or your child gets sick, stay home from work or school until at least 24 hours after fever symptoms have passed. | |||||||
CRACKING DOWN ON UNLICENSED USED CAR DEALERS | |||||||
Unlicensed used car dealers turn certain local boulevards into virtual used car lots week after week. So we're crafting a new county ordinance to outlaw the practice -- while sill allowing the occasional car sale by a private party. We want to improve residents' quality of life while permitting people to advertise a family vehicle for sale from time to time. Used car dealers clog the same street each weekend in almost every First District unincorporated area. In the past, we've addressed the issue neighborhood by neighborhood. Later this year, we're hoping to prohibit unlicensed used car dealers in all L.A. County unincorporated areas. |
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4801 East 3rd Street
Los Angeles, California 90022
Phone: (323) 881-4601
Fax: (323) 887-7286
500 West Temple Street, Room 856
Los Angeles, California 90012
Phone: (213) 974-4111
Fax: (213) 613-1739
molina@lacbos.org
3400 Aerojet Avenue, Suite 240
El Monte, California 91731
Phone: (626) 350-4500
Fax: (626) 448-1573