Latest vote tally clarifies election outcomes

By T.A. Hendrickson

Final certification of election results in Los Angeles County will not take place until July 1, but the latest update of the primary vote in L.A. County, leaves no doubt as to what comes next in local races.

Here’s the tally as of Tuesday, June 28 at 2:37 p.m.

Here’s the tally as of Tuesday, June 28 at 2:37 p.m.

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L.A. River environmentalists rallied at this location to announce their rejection of the new L.A. River Master Plan | Photo by Alexandra Epstein/Boulevard Sentinel

Environmental groups announce opposition to L.A. River Master Plan – An Alexandra Epstein video

This three and a half minute video by Alexandra Epstein will inform you why environment groups are opposed to the L.A. decision to approve the L.A. River Master Plan. Check it out.

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Fireworks in Los Angeles 2021 | Photo Los Angeles Magazine

Enjoy the fireworks, but keep it safe for everyone

SPONSORED CONTENT FROM THE EAGLE ROCK NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL Enjoy the fireworks, but keep it safe for everyone The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council would like to remind everyone of the enormous dangers of illegal fireworks. Fires are a growing menace to our community. We are surrounded by areas prone to wildfire, and have community members living […]

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Photo/Hannah Benet, Children's Hospital Los Angeles

The best hospital for children in California is in NELA’s backyard

By Bill Hendrickson  Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), located in East Hollywood, was recently ranked the #1 children’s hospital in California by U.S. News and World Report.   That’s good news for Northeast L.A., because Children’s Hospital L.A. is only a short ride from NELA. The top-notch treatment at Children’s Hospital L.A. includes behavioral and […]

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A section of the LA River in Cypress Park. A Master Plan to create open, public space along the entire length of the river has been approved by L.A. County. | Photo by T.A. Hendrickson/Boulevard Sentinel

L.A. River Master Plan, rejected by local environmental groups, is approved by L.A. County

By T.A. Hendrickson At their board meeting on Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Supervisors approved the final Los Angeles River Master Plan, a document to guide the development of 51 miles of continuous open space along the river from Canoga Park to Long Beach, including key sites in Northeast Los Angeles.   The five-member Board […]

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Homeowners are reluctant to sell, but those who do are still cleaning up

By Jeffery Marino Two opposing factors are driving house prices in Northeast Los Angeles. Mortgage rates are up, which tends to put a damper on price growth. Inventory is down, which tends to pull prices up. Here’s how that dynamic is playing out so far: In April, the latest month with comprehensive sales data, the […]

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Before-and-after pics: This Mt. Washington remodel sold for more than $1 million over the asking price

The median price for a home in NELA hit $1.2 million in April as buyers paid 13% above the asking price on average to snag a home. It was the largest average premium over asking on record.  Of course, averages are pulled up by homes that sell for far more than their asking prices. Case […]

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Photo by Mathnasium Eagle Rock

Sponsored Content: Spend the Summer with Mathnasium! Our Summer Math Tutoring is the Best..

Mathnasium is a math-only tutoring center that provides personalized math instruction to students in grades 1 through 12. Through our Mathnasium Method™ students learn math in a way that fosters a genuine enthusiasm and love for math. Tutoring is provided by our expertly trained instructors in-center or through live virtual sessions. Over summer vacation, math […]

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Sponsored Content: RETHINKING LEAF BLOWERS

HEALTH & WELLBEING

Gasoline powered leaf blowers negatively impact air quality. The gas engines of leaf blowers emit hazardous levels of particulate matter, carbon monoxide and smog forming particles. They blow dust, pollen and dirt into the air, contributing to asthma and allergy problems.

Leaf blowers also create noise pollution. A leaf blower can create 70 decibels of noise at 50 feet away, affecting children’s naps, disrupting those working from home and scaring birds and wildlife.

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The pool at Glassell Park Recreation Center is one of several in the city that will open Monday, June 14. | Photo by JuanCarlos Chan / Los Angeles Department of Recreation Parks

Splash into summer: Public pools in Glassell Park and Eagle Rock are now open

By Mary Lynch

The public swimming pools at the Glassell Park Recreation Center and the Yosemite Recreation Center in Eagle Rock will open on Monday, June 14 at 2 p.m.

The two pools are among a select number of pools to open on June 14 — more facilities are expected to open in the coming summer weeks, according to the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department.
For more about use of the pools, including classes for kids and adults, read on.

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Aerial view rendering of the homeless shelters planned for 7570 N. Figueroa St in Eagle Rock, across from the Eagle Rock Recreation Center | Image: Board Report 6/17/21 / LA Department of Recreation and Parks

Final approval granted for homeless pallet shelters in Eagle Rock

By T.A Hendrickson

The commissioners of the Board of Recreation and Parks (RAP) approved the plan today to build 48 small, prefabricated shelter units for the homeless. Details after the click.

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CD 14 Councilmember Kevin de León speaking at the groundbreaking of the 115-unit pallet shelter community for the homeless coming to Highland Park | Image: Facebook page of Kevin de León

Kevin de León and city agency officials break ground on site for homeless pallet shelters in Highland Park

By T.A. Hendrickson City Councilmember Kevin de León of Council District 14, joined by city agency officials and neighborhood leaders, broke ground on Tuesday morning  on a 115-unit pallet shelter community for the homeless coming soon to Highland Park. Each of the pallet shelters, also known as tiny homes, will include built-in fold-up beds, shelves, […]

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A portion of the new play area at Sycamore Grove Park | Photo by Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks

A new children’s playground opens at Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park

By Bill Hendrickson

Just in time for summer, Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park has a new children’s play area with rubber safety resurfacing and shade toppers to help keep kids cool at play.

And that’s just the start of many improvements that await. Keep reading to know more.

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Philip A. Washington, CEO, Metro

Sponsored Content: Letter to community from Phillip A. Washington, CEO, Metro

Dear Community Members, It has been an honor to have served as CEO of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) for the past six years. The passage of Measure M in 2016 launched an ambitious slate of transportation projects designed to transform mobility in Los Angeles County. One of those projects is the […]

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In NELA real estate, the asking price is just an opening bid

By Jeffery Marino Bidding wars are breaking out all over Northeast Los Angeles.  The sale-to-list ratio for homes in NELA hit a record in April of 107%, which means that, on average, homebuyers paid 7% more than the list price. However, some homes sold at far higher-than-average premiums. Here are the three NELA homes that […]

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The prize in the L.A. River Public Art Project is named for the late Lewis MacAdams (shown above), the pioneering champion of L.A. River restoration. \ Photo from Patch.com

Art, Culture and You in NELA in June

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia As the economy reopens, opportunities are increasing to view and create art and participate in cultural activities. Here’s a sampling of what’s on offer in Northeast Los Angeles in June.  L.A. River Public Art Project The LA River Public Art Project seeks artists, writers and makers to compete for the 2nd annual […]

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Aerial view rendering of the homeless shelters planned for 7570 N. Figueroa St in Eagle Rock, across from the Eagle Rock Recreation Center.

Approval expected this week to build pallet shelters for the homeless in Eagle Rock

By T.A. Hendrickson The plan to build small, prefabricated shelter units for the homeless in the Eagle Rock Rec Center overflow parking lot on N. Figueroa Street will come before the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners on Thursday, June 17. The five-member Board is expected to approve the plan, championed by CD 14 Councilmember […]

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Visitors can now tour the interiors of the Victorian mansions at Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights | Photo courtesy of Heritage Square Museum

Happening now: Art and culture in NELA

By Pablo Nuykaya-Petralia
Deadlines are approaching to participate in the Highland Park Independent Film Festival and the L.A. River Public Art Project, so act soon if you want to enter.
Local museums, including the Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights and the Southwest Museum in Mount Washington, continue to reopen, revealing treasures from eras past.

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A dog walker entering Ernest E. Debs Regional Park in Montecito Heights | Photo by Rick Loomis/L.A.Times

Best trails in NELA to walk your dog

By Mary Lynch

A trail through Northeast Los Angeles has been named one of L.A.’s best urban trails for dogs by the L.A. Times.

Dubbed the Montecito Heights Urban Trail, the walk begins at the southern entrance to the Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, just off Monterey Road in Montecito Heights.
For more on the trail, plus info on another local gem of a trail, click on the photo.

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Timothy Hall lectured on primary water at a recent meeting of WTI, a nonprofit in Highland Park. | Photo by Christopher Nyerges

Water for a thirsty world: Lessons from a maverick

By Christopher Nyerges Timothy Hall, a former Highland Park resident who has worked globally to plant trees and find underground water, recently gave the Sunday lecture at WTI, a community service nonprofit in Highland Park.  Hall’s topic was the life and work of Stephan Riess, a Bavarian-born mining engineer who came to the United States in 1923 […]

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Images by Bill Hendrickson, Graphic presentation by Boulevard Sentinel.

More Scrutiny for Nursing Homes Hit by Coronavirus

By T. A. Hendrickson and Emily Jo Wharry

Nursing homes, ground zero for coronavirus cases and deaths in Los Angeles County, will soon come under the scrutiny of an inspector general, a new position created recently by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

The mandate of the inspector general – to determine what must change to improve nursing home conditions, oversight and enforcement – will extend to all skilled nursing facilities in the county. CLICK THE IMAGE TO READ MORE.

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The volunteers at Iglesia de la Comunidad Presbyterian Church in Highland Park carry boxes from the food delivery truck to the food pantry, where the groceries are packed for distribution. | Photo by T.A.Hendrickson

Keeping Hunger at Bay, NELA Food Pantries Face New Challenges

By Emily Jo Wharry

The surge in unemployment amid the coronavirus pandemic has led to longer lines at food pantries in Northeast Los Angeles and, at the same time, new distributions methods to maintain social distance.

The dual need – for food and for distance – poses a logistical and spiritual challenge: At the twice-monthly pantry run by Iglesia de la Comunidad Presbyterian Church in Highland Park, what used to be a two-hour shift for volunteers now takes a full day of work, said Pastor Roberto Ramierez.

The story is similar at Iglesia Pentecostal Esmirna, also in Highland Park, which runs a food pantry once a week. A third local pantry, at Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services in Highland Park, recently switched to distribution by appointment.

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Two tent communities—one on Broadway, above, one on Figueroa—are home to mostly local people with diverse backgrounds and stories. Many want help, some don’t. | Photos by Joel Sappell

Homeless in Eagle Rock: Life in the Encampments

Encampments Expose Harsh Realities for People on the Street and Those Trying to Help. Read about it in this report by Joel Sappell for the Boulevard Sentinel.

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Activists in NELA Continue to Take On the NRA

Drain the NRA, the anti-gun violence group co-founded by Laura Mannino of Highland Park, has notched another success: On May 9, the $225 billion California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) adopted a gun-control policy developed by John Chiang, the California state treasurer, and promoted by Drain the NRA. Under the new policy, CalSTRS will pressure […]

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Help for Veterans

Wellness Works, an organization in Glendale that helps veterans self-heal through training, education and treatment, is holding a weekend workshop from Friday evening, June 8 through Sunday, June 10. Led by Fr. Michael Lapsley, founder of the Institute for the Healing of Memories, the workshop’s focus is on  emotional healing by exploring and acknowledging veterans’ […]

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Kudos

A four-member team of math, science and engineering whizzes from Luther Burbank Middle School in Highland Park took second place at the state level of the National Engineering Design Challenge at UC Irvine on May 12. Team members Julissa Merino, Kimberly Rizo, Sherla Chen and Won Joo Joswick, will all move on to high school […]

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June is Gay Pride Month

The Dodgers will host LGBT night at the home game against the Atlanta Braves on Friday, June 8. Pre game festivities start at 5:30 p.m. with the 2018 L.A. Pride Kickoff Party in the Right Field Plaza Pavilion Bar, lasting until the first pitch at 7:10 p.m. The event will also include an LGBT Dodger […]

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Photo source:.flickriver.com

Trash Pickup Fight Lands in Court

Universal Waste Systems (UWS), the designated garbage collector for businesses and apartment buildings in Northeast Los Angeles, has been named in a new lawsuit to overturn the trash-collection system imposed by the City of L.A last July.  Four other trash haulers, each of which has a city contract to collect garbage in other parts of […]

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Photo source:latimes.com

The Ref Rodriguez Chronicles

The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council (ERNC) has added its voice to the chorus calling for Ref Rodriguez to resign his position as NELA’s representative on the Los Angeles school board. In a letter sent to Mayor Garcetti on May 14, the ERNC said it had lost confidence in Mr. Rodriguez to fulfill his duties and […]

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New Mural Is a Magical Ode to Highland Park

Highland Park has a new mural. It is Crea mementos Majicos (Create Magical Moments), on the side of the Tinfoil Liquor and Grocery Store on Figueroa Street – a brightly painted mural with the community’s landmarks under a flying alebrije, a fantastical mystical creature that came to artist Soledad “Sol” Luongo in a dream. “I […]

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Wanted: Your Opinion

As part of the Los Angeles River revitalization, a ranger corps is being developed to ensure the public’s safe and enjoyable access to recreation along the river. A survey asks for you to rank your safety concerns on the river – lighting? pollution? crime? etc. – and help define the role of a river ranger. […]

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Calling All Artists

Building on its successful year-long collaboration with Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park, the Arroyo Arts Collective is calling on artists to submit their work, either individually or with fellow artists, for possible display at the studio. The Collective will also review submissions from curators who wish to put on exhibits of artists’ work. This […]

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Q&A: Josh Shaw Is Staging a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opera in Highland Park

Josh Shaw is the founder and artistic director of Pacific Opera Project (POP), which has staged over 10 operas in Highland Park since 2012. His latest project is La gazzetta, a rarely performed Rossini opera that will open on June 28 for a five-night run at the Ebell Club on S. Avenue 57. This will […]

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Get to Know: Max Arias

In 1980, when Max Arias was five years old, his family – father and stepmother, mother and two sisters — fled the civil war in El Salvador, where his father, an economist, was active in politics and labor organizing with the then-outlawed leftist FMLN party. For young Arias, it was the second time he had […]

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NELA Real Estate in 2018: Big Money and Big Issues at Stake in Regulating Short-Term Rentals

Los Angeles is awash in short-term rentals (STRs) and neighborhoods in Northeast L.A. are no exception. A recent glance at Airbnb and other STR sites turned up 251 offerings in Highland Park at an average rate of $98 per night, 159 in Eagle Rock at an average rate of $159 per night and 118 in […]

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Lani Says: In the Summer Time

by Lani Tunzi Summer in Eagle Rock has always been a time of fun, ease and possibility. School is finally out and students can spend the time that had been taken up studying for finals on seeing their family and friends. They can sleep into the afternoon, procrastinate on starting their summer reading lists and […]

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