January – BoulevardSentinel.com

More high praise for NELA restaurants Two local restaurants – Wolfie’s Hot Chicken in Highland Park and Just What I Kneaded in Elysian Valley – have made the Los Angeles Times new list of top vegan or vegetarian restaurants. Here’s what the Times had to say: Wolfie’s Hot Chicken Highland Park American $ BY STEPHANIE BREIJO […]

Photo and Video by Alexandra Epstein for the Boulevard Sentinel.

Metro Micro Really Does Make It Easier to Get Around

01/14/202202/01/2022 Sylvia Denlinger8646 Comments

By Sylvia Denlinger

I recently used Metro Micro for the first leg of a trip to LAX. The Metro Micro van picked me up near my home in Eagle Rock and took me to the Gold Line in Highland Park (which took me to Union Station downtown where I caught the “FlyAway” bus to the airport).
Count me as a great fan of Metro Micro, the on-demand rideshare service from Metro launched in mid-2021. If you haven’t used the service yet, it’s time to try it out.

Read on to see what you need to know to take a ride on Metro Micro.

Photo | Daniel Schwen/Wikimedia Commons.

The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council supports zero bail for lower-level offenses

01/12/202201/24/2022 Bill Hendrickson and T.A. Hendrickson85717 Comments

By T.A. Hendrickson and Bill Hendrickson

The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council has weighed in on an issue that is bound to be front and center in this year’s race for mayor of Los Angeles, namely, whether people accused of misdemeanors and lower-level felonies should be required to post cash bail to avoid pre-trial detention. Bail for such offenses has not been required in L.A. since March 2020.

In a recent letter to the L.A. City Council, the ERNC firmly opposes an effort by Councilmember and mayoral candidate Joe Buscaino (Council District 15) to reinstate bail. To understand the ERNC position read on.

The seller of this Highland Park home accepted an offer that was $80,000 over asking, bringing the price to $1.065 million.

Buyers race to buy homes in NELA as the sellers’ market surges ahead

01/04/202201/12/2022 Jeffery Marino11071 Comment

By Jeffery Marino An imbalance of supply and demand continued to push up house prices in Northeast Los Angeles in November, the latest month with comprehensive sales data. The inventory of homes for sale in NELA was down 45% in November compared to a year ago, the steepest inventory decline in NELA since April of […]

Richard Rauen, the longtime owner of Verdugo Hardware on Eagle Rock Boulevard, worked in the store for more than 50 years. | Photo courtesy of the Rauen family

Remembering: Richard Wayne Rauen 1925 – 2021

01/05/202201/05/2022 admin607

Richard Rauen, the longtime owner of the family-run Verdugo Hardware on Eagle Rock Boulevard, passed away on December 16, 2021 at the age of 96.

Richard, a Los Angeles native, was raised in Glassell Park, attended St. Dominic’s Grammar School and graduated from Cathedral High School.

He served in the United States Navy during World War II.

Click on the photograph to read more.

This 3-bed, 2-bath architectural gem of a house in Eagle Rock was one of the highest priced home sales in NELA in 2021.

The Top NELA Home Sales of 2021

01/03/202201/04/2022 Jeffery Marino1246

By Jeffery Marino

We are rounding up NELA’s highest-dollar sales of the year. Three of them are presented here along with the all-time highest-dollar sale on record. How much did the top 2021 sales go for? What neighborhoods are represented on this Jeffery Marino special report giving you the details on the year’s biggest deals. Read more for more.

Recent Real Estate Sales in NELA – January 2022 edition

01/10/202201/10/2022 Jeffery Marino610

The Trader Joe's in Eagle Rock was one of several store locations robbed during a crime spree in 2020 | Photo by Google 2020

Man who robbed Trader Joe’s in Eagle Rock and other locations sentenced to 21 years

01/03/202201/12/2022 T.A. Hendrickson9383 Comments

By T.A. Hendrickson

A Huntington Park man was sentenced on Monday to 21 years in federal prison for 21 armed robberies or attempted armed robberies of Trader Joe’s stores throughout Southern California, including the Eagle Rock location on Sept. 9, 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said on Monday. Read more here.

Carolyn Caswell, MFT,M. Msc.

Update: Staying safe as the economy reopens

01/26/202107/26/2021 T.A. Hendrickson38021 Comment

By T. A. Hendrickson

A volunteer delivers food and personal hygiene products to unhoused at the Figueroa encampment. | Photo by Audrey Mandelbaum

City commission recognizes the Chicano heritage of Highland Park

01/21/202107/25/2021 Bill Hendrickson16360

By Bill Hendrickson

Pedestrian at Ave 50 and Monte Vista reads the new sign telling people to take care while COVID-19 rages in Highland Park. | Photo by T. A. Hendrickson / Boulevard Sentinel

Signage for CD-1 in the time of COVID-19

01/21/202107/26/2021 T.A. Hendrickson15533

by T.A. Hendrickson

Jimmy Gomez, NELA’s Congressmember, is partially visible behind Rep. Jason Crow (center) and Rep. Susan Wild (foreground). Lawmakers who were in the House gallery when the mob reached the chamber had to take cover and await evacuation. | @andyharnik for AP Photo

Jimmy Gomez talks about the path forward after the Capitol siege

01/18/202101/26/2021 T.A. Hendrickson152116 Comments

By Matthew Reagan

Fall sunrise in NELA | Photo by Bill Hendrickson / Boulevard Sentinel

NELA Weighs In: The top 10 posts on the Boulevard Sentinel’s Facebook page

01/08/202101/26/2021 admin13449

In the last three months of 2020, the top 10 posts on the Boulevard Sentinel’s Facebook page reflected the complicated world we all are navigating. Breaking news — a fire in Highland Park and a fatal car crash in Glassell Park — grabbed readers’ attention, as did several posts on local aspects of the pandemic […]

Dodger Stadium is being transformed from a mass COVID-19 testing site to a mass vaccination site | Photo by The Guardian

How to stay safe in NELA as the COVID-19 vaccine rolls out

01/11/202107/26/2021 T.A. Hendrickson15457

by T.A. Hendrickson

This craftsman in Eagle Rock, listed for sale for $949,000, sold in November for $1.285 million -- after only 33 days on the market. | Photo by The MLS.com

NELA Real Estate: Rising supply meets bottomless demand, boosting prices

01/03/202101/08/2021 Jeffery Marino3848

By Jeffery Marino
Residential real estate in Northeast Los Angeles is a seller’s market like no other.

In November, the latest month with full sales data, both the number of homes for sale and the number of homes sold increased in NELA. Inventory rose by 7% year-over-year, boosted by a 34% increase in new monthly listings, while sales increased by 8% year-over-year. It was the third month in a row of rising inventory and sales.

And yet, through it all, home prices just kept climbing.

What’s going on? Click to know.

Photo by Irhan Khan, Los Angeles Times

At overwhelmed local hospitals, the number of COVID patients keeps rising

01/11/202107/26/2021 T.A. Hendrickson146681 Comment

By T.A. Hendrickson

Photo by Irhan Khan, Los Angeles Times

Latest COVID data show dire conditions in local hospitals

01/04/202107/26/2021 T.A. Hendrickson15213

by T.A. Hendrickson

The Mechicano Art Center, as it looked in the 1970s, was located on Figueroa Street at Avenue 54. City officials will decide this week whether to designate the building a historic-cultural monument. | Photo by Oscar Castillo/pinterest.dk

Speaking up for Highland Park’s Chicano heritage

01/19/202107/25/2021 Bill Hendrickson158471 Comment

By Bill Hendrickson

Eagle Rock resident Victor Migenes is the owner of La Plata Cigars, est. 1947, by his father. | Photo by Christopher Nyerges

Cigar talk with Victor Migenes

12/31/202001/04/2021 2356185 Comments

By Christopher Nyerges

Lani Tunzi on electric guitar. | Photo by Leslie Tunzi

Lani Says: Listen to the Music

12/31/202001/04/2021 Lani Tunzi13829

By Lani Tunzi

GPIA’s New Board after swearing in by Gabrielle Taylor- From left to right: Gabrielle Taylor, Neighborhood Prosecutor, City Attorney’s Office, Melinda Martinez, Secretary, Helene Schpak, President, Zazu Faure, Area Representative, Marge Piane, Area Representative, Jennifer Campbell, Area Representative, Donald Nollar, Treasurer, Molly Lynn Taylor, Improvement Chair | Photo by Bill Hendrickson

Glassell Park Improvement Association Get a New Board, Sets Unique Format for CD-14 Candidates Forum

01/10/202001/10/2020 Bill Hendrickson17628

Glassell Park’s Improvement Association got a new Board of Directors last night. Sets the bar for ingenuity, initiative and transparency in public service in 2020.

Cyndi Otteson

12/27/201912/27/2019 T.A. Hendrickson16772

Cyndi Otteson talks about the most important issues in the race for Los Angeles City Council, 14th District.

Raquel Zamora

12/27/201912/27/2019 T.A. Hendrickson179844 Comments

Raquel Zamora talks about the most important issues in the race for Los Angeles City Council, 14th District.

John Jimenez

12/27/201912/27/2019 T.A. Hendrickson18905

John Jimenez talks about the most important issues in the race for Los Angeles City Council, 14th District.

Mónica García

12/27/201901/16/2020 T.A. Hendrickson17074

Mónica García talks about the most important issues in the race for Los Angeles City Council, 14th District.

Kevin de León

12/27/201912/27/2019 T.A. Hendrickson17177

Kevin de León talks about the most important issues in the race for Los Angeles City Council, 14th District.

The contenders, from left: Kevin de León, Monica García, Cyndi Otteson, Raquel Zamora and John Jimenez.

Race Heats Up to Represent NELA in the City Council

12/27/201902/04/2020 T.A. Hendrickson20432

Professional Politicians and Grassroots
Candidates Qualify for the Ballot

Jose Huizar, shown in the L.A City Council | Photo by Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times

Politics: Huizar denies new retaliation claim, City Council takes slow road to reform in face of scandal

12/26/201912/28/2019 Bill Hendrickson16534

City Council takes the slow road to reform in the face of scandal. Read the latest here.

Oxy Pool to Open….Soon?

12/26/201901/10/2020 Matthew Reagan16585

Only technical and bureaucratic hurdles remain before the Oxy Pool can open. When will it open? Read here.

Crime Brief

12/26/201912/27/2019 Laura Brady-Allen15755

The saga of Manny Espana continues.

The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council Bungles the Metro BRT Issue

12/26/201912/27/2019 T.A. Hendrickson15578

Flawed from the start, Metro’s proposed BRT process divides Eagle Rock. We update this story here.

LA Plaza is the place to begin your exploration of Mexican and Mexican American history of Los Angeles. LA Plaza has something to offer casual and curious visitors; elementary, high school and college students; and teachers and researchers alike. | From La Plaza Facebook page.

Big Grants for NELA Nonprofits

12/26/201907/26/2021 Mary Lynch18714

Children, Teens, Artists and Audiences to Benefit from grants by U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. Read how here.

Count the Homeless

12/25/201912/27/2019 admin15333

The 2020 Homeless count in NELA will take place in January 2020. Details are here.

Yajaira Castillo (inset), a member of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, addressing demonstrators at an anti-gentrification gathering in Highland Park on December 7.

On Gentrification: Activism in Highland Park Continues on Multiple Fronts

12/25/201912/27/2019 16818

Gentrifying newcomers, residential and commercial meet Activism and Resistance in Highland Park. Here’s our update.

On Homelessness: New Training Helps You Help Others

12/25/201912/27/2019 Jane Demian16206

Want to how you can help the homeless in your neighborhood? SELAH volunteers are doing this now providing weekly suppers, showers, clothing and more. Get started here.

Lani says: For Whom the Bell Tolls

12/25/201901/09/2020 Lani Tunzi4110

There are schedules good and bad. Lani is fighting for a good one for Eagle Rock High. Read about why here.

Franklin’s Alfred Bobadilla looking down field for a receiver in the championship game at El Camino College

NELA Sports: Great Year for Local High School Athletes Closes with Honors

12/24/201903/22/2020 Dave Abbott of NELA One Sports8366

The year 2019 closed out with top honors for local football players, college commitments for three athletes in three sports and athletic achievements by NELA alumni.. Read more here.

Cooking the Native Way

12/25/201901/09/2020 3909

The Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park is indeed a happy place. Will it stay happy after Oscar Duarto moves on? Here’s the story. . . . .

Meet “Zed,” a Columbia mammoth skeleton from the tar pits displayed in the George C. Page Musuem. The museum is free on Tuesdays.

Editor’s Notebook: Happy New Year, 2020 – fun things to do, important things to know, ways to get involved and events to put on your calendar

12/24/201901/05/2020 T.A. Hendrickson6020

This Editor’s Notebook contains fun things to do, important things to know, ways to get involved and events to put on your calendar.