Graphic art by Ted Amoroso and Mike Mera for the Boulevard Sentinel

Boulevard Sentinel to close

Dear readers of the Boulevard Sentinel, After a 26-year run, the Boulevard Sentinel is closing. In the weeks to come, we will be finalizing details of the closure, including reaching out personally to many of the readers, sources and advertisers who have been the backbone of this long adventure in hyper-local journalism. Bill Hendrickson, the […]

Continue Reading
Nick Taggart with two of his paintings and a big smile | Photo by Allison Agsten, courtesy of Nick Taggart

Paintings by artist Nick Taggart, a longtime resident of Glassell Park, have been acquired by the Museum of Contemporary Art

By Pablo Nukaya-Petralia

Punk girls in a parking lot; desert landscapes in Beverly Hills; religious artifact shops.

This was the L.A., circa 1980, of Nick Taggart, an artist in Glassell Park who used bright plasticine colors, smooth textures and a personal, street-level attitude to paint the early days of L.A.’s underground art and music scene.

And now, some four decades later, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in downtown L.A has acquired two of Taggart’s paintings from that era — “Rochelle and Sandy” and “Fender Buddies.” Take a look / click on the photo above.

Continue Reading
6408 Ruby Street, Highland Park | photo from MLS.

History for sale in Highland Park

Historical charm and architectural significance are two of the biggest draws for NELA real estate buyers. Far from the condominium blocks of the Westside and the cookie-cutter sameness of the Valley, buyers are clearly willing to pay a premium for an Eastside 1920s Spanish Colonial or 1950s Craftsman. These two turn-of-the-century architectural gems, which recently […]

Continue Reading
To Clayton Kershaw: No worries Clayton. They cheated! Photo shows Clayton Kershaw reacting after giving up a three-run home run to the Astros’ Yuli Gurriel during Game 5 of the 2017 World Series at Minute Maid Park. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Councilmember Gil Cedillo Says World Series Trophies Should Be Awarded to the Los Angeles Dodgers

In response to the widening cheating scandal in Major League Baseball, Councilmember Gil Cedillo has introduced a resolution in the L.A. City Council to recall the World Series trophies won by the Houston Astros (2017) and the Boston Red Sox (2018) and award them to the Los Angeles Dodgers. More details on this here.

Continue Reading
Strike supporters outside Eagle Rock Elementary School - early Monday morning, Jan 14, 2019 | Photo by Meiko Arquillos

Photo Album – L.A. Teacher Strike 2019, Day One

The rain came down this morning as striking teachers and their supporters showed up on picket lines in front of public schools throughout NELA. Here are some photos taken at Eagle Rock Elementary this morning: Here’s a photo of a Dad in front of Franklin High School about 10am this morning. He’s holding the ground […]

Continue Reading
Police seeking Public's help in Identifying this man.

Two Suspects Arrested for Burglaries on Colorado Blvd. A Third Suspect Is Sought by Police

January 24, 2019 Here’s the press release from the Pasadena Police Department: PASADENA POLICE STOP COMMERCIAL BURGLARY SPREE PASADENA POLICE ALSO SEEK THE PUBLIC’S HELP IN IDENTIFYING A THIRD ARRESTED: Juan Manuel Morales, male, 19-years old, Los Angeles, CA resident Kiyonte Levell Sowell, male, 18-years old, Los Angeles, CA resident PASADENA, CA – On Friday, […]

Continue Reading
Teachers, students and others showed up in the rain in support of LAUSD teachers getting an acceptable contract | photo by Bill Hendrickson

Photo Album – L.A. Teacher Strike 2019, Day Four – Jan 17

Teachers and their supporters were out in force again today, in the rain, again. In Eagle Rock that meant a noisy demonstration, not a celebration.  The teachers I spoke to said they would rather be in the classroom — with an acceptable contract — than on the picket line. They have been working without a contract […]

Continue Reading
Police secure the scene in front of Target at the Eagle Rock Plaza after officer-involved shooting on Jan 2.

More Details in Shooting at Eagle Rock Plaza

Glendale Police have arrested 28-year old Joseph Esposito, Jr. for attempted robbery and assault on a police officer in connection with the officer-involved shooting on Jan. 2 in the parking lot near Target at the Eagle Rock Plaza. The arrest occurred at the home of Mr. Esposito on Trent Way on the border of Eagle […]

Continue Reading
Scene in hills behind the Glassell Park Rec Center

Pregnant Woman Robbed in Daylight at the Glassell Park Rec Center

An assailant used bodily force to rob a pregnant woman of her cell phone at the Glassell Park Recreation Center on Friday, Jan. 11 at 10:20 a.m.  Officers with the LAPD have arrested Marlon Bugtong Mata, a 29-year old transient, for the robbery. This information was provided by Captain Arturo Sandoval, Commanding Officer of the […]

Continue Reading
L.A. County Supervisor for NELA, Hilda Solis, (center in colorful scarf) pictured at the rally for striking teachers today in Grand Park in downtown L.A. with Randi Weingarten, (in rain poncho), president of the American Federation of Teachers and other strike supporters.

Where NELA’s Elected Officials Stand on the Teacher Strike, Day One

The Boulevard Sentinel emailed NELA’s elected leaders – local, state and federal – asking whether they support the teachers, the LAUSD or are neutral. Here are the replies: L.A. City Councilmember Gil Cedillo, Council District 1: “Councilmember Cedillo is with teachers and hopes both parties can reach an agreement as soon as possible to minimize […]

Continue Reading
Police take reports outside Johnny’s Bar in Highland Park after the shooting on Oct. 6. - Photo by Loudlabs.com

NELA Crime Scenes

As the New Year begins, notable crimes committed toward the end of 2018 are either making their way through the courts or remain unsolved. Here’s an update: Maximo Muy, 25, the man accused of shooting three innocent bystanders outside of Johnny’s Bar on York Blvd. in Highland Park on Oct. 6, pleaded “not guilty” to […]

Continue Reading

Lani Says: Surfin’ Bird – Bird Is the Word

Birds – rentable, dockless, electric scooters -– have descended upon Eagle Rock. They dot sidewalks, rest on corners and tend to congregate at the intersection of Colorado Blvd. and Eagle Rock Blvd. when they’re not scattered along residential streets. They’re reasonably inexpensive and convenient. You use a downloadable phone app to find and rent a […]

Continue Reading
Franklin's Alfred Bobadilla takes a layup.

NELA High School Winter Sports Get Underway

Here’s an update on league play at high schools in Northeast Los Angeles – Eagle Rock, Franklin in Highland Park, Lincoln in Lincoln Heights, Sotomayor in Glassell Park and Wilson in El Sereno. Data is as of winter break in mid-December.  BASKETBALL The teams at Eagle Rock High and Franklin High have no home court […]

Continue Reading
From left, presenters at the workshop on student debt: Magaly Zapien, Sarah Moore, Victoria Wagner, Jamie Tijerina, Antonia Villaseñor.

Borrowers in NELA Seek Advice on Student Debt

By Jamie Tijerina NELearn, a series of workshops to provide people in Northeast Los Angeles with information they can use in their daily lives, held its third meeting on Dec. 15 at the Arroyo Seco Public Library. Ten people, most of them young Latinos, attended to learn more about the featured topic – Coping with […]

Continue Reading

On Homelessness — Disposing of RV Waste Safely

by Mary Lynch Some 4,600 individuals and families in Los Angeles live in RVs and vans. The human waste collected in such “housing” needs to get into the City sewer system and be treated so that bacteria doesn’t infect our water, cause disease and otherwise harm the environment. Working with L.A. Homeless Services and L.A. […]

Continue Reading

The Allure of Wild Mushrooms

A Voice in the NELA Wildernessby Christopher Nyerges With the recent rains, I have gone in search of mushrooms in wild and not-so-wild spots in NELA and the Arroyo Seco.My study of mycology began in the ’70’s. I wanted to try every wild mushroom I could find until I learned the meaning of the phrase […]

Continue Reading

Zero Waste: An Idea Whose Time is Now

A Voice in the NELA Wilderness by Christopher Nyerges It is sad but true that only a small fraction of discarded materials is recycled, while the rest goes to landfills or incinerators or winds up as immense floating plastic islands in the ocean. Leslie VanKeuren Campbell, a regular at the Old L.A. Farmers Market in […]

Continue Reading

Charter School Founder with Ties to Eagle Rock Pleads Guilty to a Felony

Vielka McFarlane, the founder and former chief executive of Celerity Educational Group, a Los Angeles charter school network, has pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to misappropriate and embezzle public funds. In her plea, reported by the L.A. Times on Dec. 21, Ms. McFarlane admitted that she had misspent $2.5 million in public funds intended for Celerity students.

Continue Reading

Sports Resume This Month Unless Teachers Go on Strike

Alfred Bobadilla, varsity quarterback at Franklin High School in Highland Park, has been named the 2018 All-City Offensive Player of the Year in Division II by the CIF Los Angeles City Section. Bobadilla, a junior, led all of L.A.’s City Divisions in 2018 with 3,267 passing yards and 36 touchdowns. He also had 10 rushing […]

Continue Reading
The money will fix the monument but not other problems that plague the square

Highland Park Veterans Monument Scheduled for Repairs

It has taken two years, but the desecrated monument at Veterans Memorial Square on York Blvd. and Figueroa St. in Highland Park is finally going to be repaired. Councilmember Gil Cedillo managed to get a motion passed on Dec. 7 to transfer money for the repairs from the Mayor’s approved city budget to the Department […]

Continue Reading
NELA neighborhoods are in or surrounded by a "very severe hazard" fire zone

New Data Suggest Vast Devastation in a NELA Wildfire    

While it’s no secret that Northeast Los Angeles is vulnerable to wildfire, it’s hard to fathom the scale of possible destruction. New data released in December give a sense of just how devastating wildfire in NELA could be. Consider: Five NELA communities rank in the top 20 of L.A. neighborhoods with the most buildings in […]

Continue Reading

Get to Know: Jan Lin

Jan Lin, a sociology professor at Occidental College, has written a book about Northeast Los Angeles. Released in December and entitled Taking Back the Boulevard: Art, Activism, and Gentrification in Los Angeles, it is the story of Highland Park and Eagle Rock, a biography of a place – and like all good biographies, it tells […]

Continue Reading
Three Little Birds float designed by Mike Mera of Eagle Rock-based Mera Group marketing consultants | Photo by Joseph Ruiz

Editor’s Notebook January 2019

Eagle Rock Consultant Wins Award for Rose Parade Float Design Congratulations go to Mike Mera of the Eagle Rock-based Mera Group marketing consultants for designing an award winning float in the Rose Parade this year.  Mike designed the “Three Little Birds” float which captured the Mayor Award for the most outstanding float by a participating […]

Continue Reading