TNN ISSUE #13 Aug2010

2ND ANNIVERSARY ISSUE!

August - September 2010Issue 13

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content 4 Seen on the Scene - Photos by Dianne V. Lawrence Feature Teen: Youth On Fire - Renee Montogomery

7 Interview: Papa Christo - Dianne V. Lawrence

9 Resident: David Raposa - Mitzi March Mogul

11 Featured Architecture: The Lucy Wheeler Residence - Laura Meyers

12 WAHA’s Living History Tour, Trailblazing Women - Laura Meyers

13 Places I Remember: Life On 21st St. 1926-1936 Roma Tillman

14 Restaurant Review: Vees Cafe - Jennifer Deaton

17 In Memory Of: Lillian Edwards - Joy Williams Israel Hicks, Founder of Ebony Repertory

18 Art In the Corridor: Yuppets - Renee Montgomery

23 Free Community Events

24 Community Reports Back Page - Business Location Map

Publisher/Executive EditorDianne V. Lawrence

Associate Editor/Proofreader Renee Montgomery

Staff WritersDianne V. Lawrence, Renee Montgomery,

Carla Pineda, Rachael JOhnsonContributing Writers

Mitzi March Mogul, Roma TillmanLaura Myers, Jennifer Deaton, Joy Williams

Layout & Design/Executive Ad SalesDianne V. Lawrence

TO ADVERTISE OR SUBMIT IDEASContact us at: 323.871.8580

[email protected]

Your Very Own Copy Delivered to Your Desktop!Weekend Website Updates!

Email us and state your preference [email protected]

or call 323-871-8580It takes a village to grow a community newsmagazine! Along with all our advertisers I would like to thank the following people for their contributions to our success and growth:Buck Henry and Irene Ramp, Jay Levin, PJ Torokvei, Cecilia Uribe, Denise Domergue, Gary Kemper, Lynn Pearl, Steve Wallis, The Mar-keting Action Group Network, Scott McNeely, Tony Shibata, Allan DiCastro, Dr. Martin Ross, Linda Ottobre, Danny Miller, James the Gardener, Carla Weber, Carmen and Claudia Mathew, Ivy, Lauren Green, Marva Maxey, Peggy Hill, Tod Hunter, Jackie Morie, Kim Lai-Jones, Judy Walker, Jeff Copeland, Carol Holiday, Carlton Stubbs, Eric Handel, DigiRob, Dessie Green, Bruce Whiteman, Bernie Oliver,

Two years ago I woke up with an overwhelming urge to create a

vehicle that would connect all the different groups in our community and provide a place for community celebration, transparency, inclusive-ness and accountability. In an era when newspapers are shutting their doors and losing readers in unprecedented numbers, I am especially grateful for the continued growth of this newsmagazine, The Neighborhood News (TNN), now celebrating its second anniversary! I attribute TNN’s growth, despite a recession, to three main reasons: #1 TNN is sincerely dedicated to helping local businesses, orga-nizations and entrepreneurs connect to our community. They feel it and support us. #2 TNN is in the right place, at the right time. There was a thirst in the community to know about itself. Some of the most often heard comments from TNN readers is “I didn’t know about that!” and my favorite, “I tried that restaurant and it was delicious”. TNN is committed to continuing it’s focus on the things you have told us you are interested in. Reason #3 will be found in the following story; while walking the dog down my block in Western Heights, I ran into Mr. and Mrs. Terry Tillman. They were looking for the house his mom, now in her 90’s, grew up in. It turned out to be the house currently owned by my neighbors Ted and Mas. Terry agreed to interview his mom for us (see pg.13) and I found out that in the 20’s, the parents living on my block, created a community newspaper written by local children. The name of that paper? “The Teeny Weeny News”! Now, almost 90 years later, this little block has produced another community news source with TNN. Clearly, the Spirit of the Teeny Weeny News, itching to grow up and get back to business, planted that idea in my head and now contin-ues it’s reincarnated mission to keep our community informed. In this bi -anniversary issue I decided to focus primarily on the people who embody amazing creativity and commitment to the growth of our community. My thanks and gratitude to you, our readers, contributors, distributers and advertisers, for two years of enthusiastic support , involvement and feedback.Now get yourself a cuppa joe, relax and take a stroll around your community.

Gavin Glynn, Bob Ferber, Lara Elin Soderstrom, Mason Bendewald, Gloria Garner, Joy Williams, Jackie Dupont, Angela Bond, Kigan, Patricia Walker, Stacy Edwards, Kenneth Jordan, Charlotte Austin Jordan, David Sroaf, Carol Jones, Carol Hall, Laura Meyers, Sonia Hakim, Chin Thammasaeng, De’Lois Jacobs, Robin D. Williams, Renee Montgom-ery, Allan DiCastro, Bruce Durbin, Lora Davis, Deborah Charles, Carla Pineda, John Arnold and a special shout out to all our dedicated volun-teer neighborhood distributers and all you WONDERFUL READERS!

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2nd Anniversary Kudos!

Congratulations on your 2nd Anni-versary. It’s great to see a relevant, well-designed and smartly reported local publication grow so fast and well and get real traction in it’s com-munity. You’ve created a valuable little gem for your neighborhood.

Jay Levin, founder LA Weekly

When I opened up the restaurant in 2008 there was no local paper. We needed a face, a voice, an outlet. Starting with a few $100 dollars, the support of local business ads and some donations, reporter/editor/publisher/community activist, Dianne Lawrence, saw the need and has been successfully fi lling it for two years. The neighborhood now has a face, The Neighborhood News.Tony Shibata The Atomic Cafe

TNN is the new front porch in West Ad-ams. Gavin Glynn The Avenues

I am so fond of reading The Neighbor-hood News I’m thinking of moving into the neighborhood. Buck Henry

This is such a great service you offer! I love this news!!! Mandy Schutt

Please add me to your mailing list for weekly updates. I found your magazine at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center. I have never seen it before and learned so many things about my community in read-ing it - Thank you Daria Hall

You’re doing a real service with your newsmagazine, reaching and touching people in ways we may never know. And I loved interviewing mom and hearing some of her history I’d never heard be-fore. You’ve helped to bring our family closer together. Terry Tillman

Love The Neighborhood News. Keeps me up to date on the news and new businesses and restaurants. Sally Turner

Its great for Neighborhood Council out-reach. We’ve had a lot of stakeholders come in and contact us because of our ad. The community has really embraced it. Allan DiCastro

You’re the Bomb Dianne. The Neighbor-hood News is friendly, inviting and full of great stuff going on in our neighborhood. Love ya! Kwesii

Happy second anniversary and many more! I have enjoyed this newsmagazine since the fi rst issue, and it just gets bet-ter with age. I learn about new restaurants and services right around the corner from me, not in West L.A. or Silverlake. Peggy King

The Neighborhood News is such a great resource. Just goes to show the difference that one person can make with dogged per-sistence and vision! Ruth, W.Adams

Got my 1st client from the ad. Wow. My family & I were so excited. Thank you,Edward Garcia Free Motion Studios

The Neighborhood News does all my homework for me. I never wonder what’s happening in my neighborhood, I just read The Neighborhood News. Jennifer Johnson

What a fabulous idea. Thank you for shar-ing this terrifi c communication. Colleen Mason Heller

I love it because I was there at the start and have watched it grow. Very informative with information we wouldn’t normally have and easy to understand. I like “Eye on Wesson”. More about Neighborhood Councils. ( we hear you Joy! - Ed.)Joy Williams

I appreciate the objectivity and informa-tion so we can be informed about what is happening. Lorraine Genovese

It helps me to know all the people and businesses interested in our community.Barbara Williams

The TNN jump-started our business. Di-anne goes the extra mile to help us suc-ceed. Muriel Mureil’ Of Course

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Washington area. Titled Youth on Fire, their ministry focuses on empowering young people through Christ. Raised in the Exposition and Slauson areas, Juana and Erron’s spiritual quest began in high school when they began at-tending a local “Simple Church.” Evolv-ing in reaction to the bureaucracy and trappings of large organized religions, Simple Church is a contemporary evangelical movement concentrating on pure faith and one’s relationship to Christ and each other. But Juana and Er-ron were troubled by seeing teenagers fall away from church after high school and so decided to develop their Youth on Fire church as a congregation kids could con-nect with. Conducted in a residence on 20th street, the Youth on Fire weekly services are lively and sincere, like the congregants. The meeting opens with worshipers shar-ing how they used prayer to overcome such challenges as school exams or ten-sions with parents. The non-judgmental atmosphere brings out the youths’ brutal honesty, for instance, one member con-fesses he still has sleazy thoughts from

Most 19 year-olds are focused on completing their general col-

lege requirements, their next date, or losing their ‘freshman fi fteen.’ Juana Molina and Erron Harris on the other hand are preoccupied with opening up their second church site. Juana and Erron are the starters and leaders of a novel church in the Vermont/

YOUTH ON FIRE!Juana Molina and Erron Harris

Create a Church for TeensRenee Montgomery

WAHA’S Annual Historic Home Tour“Art in Historic Places”

WAHA brought to-gether local artists and historic homes for a particularly suc-cesful annual event.

Lisa SchoeningJohn Kurtz

Painter Sue Ann Jewers

Painter Dianne V. Lawrence

Artist Georgia Toliver

Dave & Corinne PledgerLara Elin Soderstrom

Sally Turner

WAHA PresidentJohn Patterson

WAHA’s Annual4th of July

SeElcy Caldwell, CandyWynne, Jean CadeMira Advani, Kirk

Honeycutt

Tom Rourke, BrianIde, Wendy Calhoun

Art Lovers

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his old way of life, but explains his old friends see such a positive change in him, he has become their go-to man for divine intervention. Erron tenderly follows up with members to let them know they won’t lose support in dealing with prob-lems. “We’re a body, -- a family,” he as-sures the teens. Juana and Erron plan to multiply their church, soon opening up a second con-gregation. Adult mentor Bryan Cullison describes Juana and Erron’s unique infl u-ence: “The highschoolers see these two, really their peers, only two years removed from high school, as being courageous and intentional and stepping out in faith to help lead this simple church out of the home. This encourages them to step up and do the same. Young people are un-derstanding that they can do both small and great things through God.” When not gospel leading, Erron studies political science at L.A. Trade Tech and Juana is studying psychology and busi-ness at Mount Saint Mary’s.



Adorning the walls of the popu-lar Papa Cristo’s Greek Res-

taurant are pictures from the 1948 grand opening of what was then just a simple Greek market. Sam Chrys opened C & K Importing Company, with the intention of bringing the foods and wines of Greece to Los Ange-les. In 1968, Sam’s son and now the current owner, Chrys Chrys, purchased the busi-ness from his father to carry on the legacy and continues to import fi ne products from Greece like meats, seasonings, cheeses, ol-ive oils, and other culturally true products. In 1985, Chrys wanted to create the feeling of the famous Greek taverna in the middle of the wholesale meat market in Athens. He bought the adjacent prop-erty, and opened a small kitchen with 12 seats. Since then he has purchased the 2 buildings on either side and opened a dining room with seating capacity for 100 and a delightful sunny patio/garden. His ability to create old world hospital-ity, that feeling of welcome and comfort, along with incredibly delicious traditional Greek food, makes Papa Christo’s one of L.A.’s premier Greek restaurants and a fa-vored destination. It’s reputation extends as far as the east coast and Greece itself.

As new businesses and restaurants start to populate the Mid-City landscape I thought I’d interview Chrys who runs a friendly but tight ship. How has he sur-vived? What advice can he give to new struggling business? The interview re-vealed a caring and attentive businessman who never rests on his laurels.

TNN: Were you always convinced this was the kind of business you wanted to run?Chrys: There was a time when I needed to make up my mind about what direction I wanted to go. Did I want to become a store that sold Frito’s, shoelaces, chips etc.? No, I decided I only wanted to sell imported Greek food indigenous to the middle east, the Balkans and to Greece.

TNN: What were some of the biggest changes you’ve made to adjust your busi-ness to the changing landscape?Chrys: We had to change things several times. When a middle eastern contingent moved in we carried those items which were often the same as the Greek items but with different names. Then we had Turk-ish people, then Italian people. This neigh-borhood is constantly changing. It was Mexican and now it’s becoming Korean and Salvadorian. When my father moved in it was Japanese but he started this place

because he knew the Greek church, St. Sophia, was to be built across the street so he knew it was a good opportunity.

TNN: What was one of the smartest business decisions you’ve made over the years. When you look back you can say “I’m so glad I….”?Chrys: I’m so glad I opened Papa Chris-to’s Taverna. The restaurant did more than just add foot traffi c. It offered an opportu-nity to be creative and being creative is the part that brings out your best. You don’t compete with others, you compete with yourself. If you come to work everyday with the idea that you are going to bring something new, do something better, if you come in with the attitude that you are going to elevate your business in any way, little, big, doesn’t make a difference, then you will have a good day. So, all of us here try to come in and have a better day today.

TNN: And what’s the worse decision you ever made?Chrys: That I didn’t start the restaurant earlier! (laughter) I don’t think there have been any bad decisions. But it would have

Papa Christo Talks ShopWhy One of the Community’s Oldest Businesses is Still Thriving

Dianne V. Lawrence

Continued on page 22

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NEW IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD


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Recently “This Old House” maga-zine sited West Adams as Califor-

nia’s best place to buy an old house. The revival of this historic community owes much to the efforts of local realtor David Raposa. As a young man

growing up in Bos-ton, David Raposa was always interest-ed in architecture, checking out houses that were for sale or under construction, sketching the homes and fl oor plans he had seen and some-

times even creating his own designs. Graduating from Harvard University in 1980 with a Masters in Business Adminis-tration, David became a CPA, working in New York City. He eventually found work with a large fi nancial institution and soon found himself on a plane to Los Angeles to help manage their West Coast offi ce. With a mind for business and a love for beautiful things, David be-gan buying property, a home on the edge of Palm Springs, a Spanish-style

duplex in the Pico Robertson area and by 1986 he was devoting himself full time to real estate and historic architecture.His interest and his professional back-ground merged when David purchased City Living Realty in the mid-1980’s. It was an ad for vintage houses that brought David to the West Adams Dis-trict. Enchanted by the quality and di-versity of design, he felt a connection to the community. David’s commitment to Historic Preservation has been more than mere rhetoric. Literally putting his money where his mouth is, David bought diffi cult homes and meticulously restored them to their original luster. The fi rst property he purchased in West Adams was a house designed by noted architect Frank Tyler, which had been chopped up into nine illegal units. David restored it to a glorious single-family residence. He rescued another neighborhood nuisance that had been used as a crack house. Anoth-er had been clad in aluminum siding, paint-ed bright pink, and had serious foundation problems. Many of these are now listed as either City or National historic monuments. David has served on the Board of Direc-tors of West Adams Heritage Association (who recently awarded him the Martin Eli Weil Historic Preservation Award), the Los Angeles Conservancy and he cur-rently serves on the Board of the North University Park Historic Preservation Overlay Zone. He and his partner, Ed, live in a beautifully restored Craftsman home designed by the Heinneman Brothers.

David RaposaRestoring West Adams One Property At a Time

MItzi March Mogul

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The Lucy E. Wheeler Residence, a 1905 Craftsman Bungalow home

in Harvard Heights, is a signifi cant and rare local architectural treasure designed by Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, mas-ters among master architects. The original own-er, Lucy Emery Wheeler, was a pioneer in her pro-fession as a court reporter, a leader in literary circles and an infl uential member of Los Angeles society. Her West Adams home was eventu-ally converted into a three-unit resi-dential building (after Ms. Wheeler moved out, in the 1930s) but it survived with nearly all of its original Greene and Greene features intact. In the

mid-1980s, noted restoration architect Martin Eli Weil acquired the property and began a 25-year journey of returning thestructure to its original single family residence confi guration. Weil passed away

in 2009. The designs of Greene and Greene houses, including the Lucy E. Wheeler Residence, express the Craftsman ethic and aesthetics: the nobility of natural materials, simple volumes, expansive use of wood, and intimacy with the landscape. Their work is often referred to as “designs for living.” Infl uenced by Asian/Pacifi c Rim designs, the Greenes used cloud-lift joints, irimoya tile roofs, and jutting rafters. On their interiors, Charles and Henry Greene created their hallmark style in their handling of the cabinetry, wood trim, stain glass win-

dows, and self-designed light-ing fi xtures. In contrast to Gustav Stick-ley’s straight lines and plain-spoken detail, the Greenes’ designs were

sinuous, and featured elaborately pegged joints and intricate hand-done inlays, the mark of master craftsmen. Of the approximately 200 residences and other structures designed by the Greenes

scattered throughout the West Coast, few-er than half remain standing in their origi-nal location. The Greene brothers only designed a handful of homes within the city limits of Los Angeles proper and the Wheeler residence has the distinction of being the ONLY Greene and Greene-de-signed residence still extant in the City of Los Angeles. It is pending designation as a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument.

THE LUCY WHEELERRESIDENCELaura Meyers



On September 25, the West Adams Heritage Association’s 2010 Living

History Tour will celebrate the 100th anniversary of California women’s vot-ing rights by focusing on pioneering women who dared to venture in new di-rections in their lives and in a variety of professions. Amid the elaborate headstones and mon-uments of the historic Angelus Rosedale Cemetery, established in 1884, costumed actors will bring to life and tell the often-riveting stories of these fascinating fe-males from Los Angeles’ earlier times.

She’s been dead since 1914, but on Satur-day, September 25, Caroline Severance will come back from the grave to describe what it was like when she was fi ghting for women’s right to

vote, and before that, for Abolition and other so-cial reforms. She’ll be joined by fellow South-ern California Suffrag-ettes Clara Bradley Bur-dette, and Dora Fellows Haynes (fi rst Los Angeles

president of the League of Women Voters). Born to former slaves in 1895, actress Hat-tie McDaniel, who was the fi rst African American to win an Oscar (for her role in

emy Award winner to appear on a postage stamp. McDaniel wished to be interred at what is now Hollywood For-ever Cemetery, but it’s then-owners would not

Caroline Severance

C.B Burdette

Dora Fellows Haynes

WAHA’S 2010LIVING HISTORY TOUR

Presents Trailblazing Women

Gone With the Wind), is credited with a series of other fi rsts: she was the fi rst black woman to sing on American radio, the fi rst to star on a network show (Beulah), and, in death, the fi rst African American Acad-

break their color line, so when she died in 1952 she was buried instead at Rosedale, the fi rst cemetery in Los Angeles open to all creeds.

Anna May Wong, the fi rst Chinese-Amer-ican movie star, was born in the U.S., a laundry-man’s daughter who succeeded in Hollywood, but the stigma of race

never disappeared. Wong was not permit-ted to kiss any white leading male actors (which limited her fi lm roles), nor could she marry a white man in America, yet she had signifi cant roles in fi lms such as Thief of Bagdad (1924) and Shanghai Express (1932) that today are cinema classics.

Georgia Ann Robin-son was another Suf-fragette and in 1916, the fi rst black female police offi cer in Los Angeles and possibly the nation. Robinson was hired by the LAPD as a jail matron, but she became a detective. She was a leading member of the Sojourner Truth Industrial Club, and one of the found-ers of the NAACP’s Los Angeles chapter.

Hattie Mc Daniel

Anna May Wong

G. A. Robinson

Nicknamed the “Diamond Queen,” Clara Baldwin Stocker was the heir-ess to “Lucky” Bald-win’s fortune. She was one of the only women to name a street ‘Stocker Bou-levard.’ for herself

in Los Angeles. Stocker made millions more when she sold the acres for develop-ment as Leimert Park.

C. B. Stocker

and singing engagements with Nat King Cole, among others. Lutcher later became the fi rst African American female board member of the Musicians Union Local

Nellie Lutcher was a jazz pianist/vocal-ist whose bluesy swing riffs won her fame as the “Real Gone Gal” in the late 1940s, leading to worldwide tours

The women of the nation’s press made their way into newspapers in the face of strong male opposition. Young Minnie Roswell (picture unavailable) left her Minnesota farm country home at age 15 in 1878 and made her way to Chicago, where she became the Windy City’s fi rst “Gal Friday,” interviewing John D. Rock-efeller, J. Pierpont Morgan, William H. Vanderbilt and other fi nanciers of the era for the Chicago Record newspaper. The Living History Tour was fi rst pre-sented twenty years ago to bring the sto-ries of early Los Angeles citizens to life and thereby tell the story of Los Angeles itself. In the intervening years WAHA has showcased more than 100 historic person-ages (mostly men), and this year’s 20th an-niversary tour is departing from that tradi-tion to present the women of the cemetery.To attend the tour, visit w w w. We s t A d a m s H e r i t a g e . o r g to download the order form. Tickets are by reservation (and advance payment) only, and cost $25 until September 15, and $30 after September 15. (Children under 10 attend free.) Mail your ticket request to: WAHA Living History Tour, 2280 West 21st St., Los Angeles, CA 90018. For more information, e-mail [email protected] or phone 323-732-4223.

Laura Meyers

Nellie Lutcher

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We loved the house. There were these wonderful stairs that had a banister that you could slide down. Right up at the top of the stairs was Uncle Fred’s hobby room, you know, desk, big long worktable where he made radios and that kind of stuff. There was a bedroom to the right and a bathroom, I think, and that’s where Mademoiselle our governess lived. And then when you’re facing the house there’s a kind of a dormer window that comes out, which would be above the dining room, and that was my room. The two story garage was in the backyard. That’s where we had the monkey in a cage up on top of the garage. There was a room upstairs in the garage which Uncle Fred used as a studio and he did a lot of fi lming and he had a darkroom up there. I remember there was a whole bunch of bamboo. We’d climb up the steps and slide down the bamboo like a fi reman’s pole. There were some wonderful trees in the backyard, the bark was kind of shaggy-looking and kind of fl at across the top of those trees. Elizabeth Crispen and I would climb up those trees and you could put an air mattress or something down on the top of the trees and we’d lay up there in the sun. I remember that. It was a nice backyard; it was fun. There was also an alley or a walk that went between 21st and 20th. On our side of the street, next to us were the Bakers, who were the grandparents of my best friends, Betty Pat and Barbara

Wallace. And they had this wonderful three-story house. When you’re facing the houses, it’s the one on the right. They had a pool room up on the third fl oor and a balcony out from that. We used to go out on the balcony and use the pool cues as javelins and thrown them down to the lawn. Well, we put a stop to that after we broke a couple of pool cues. Across the street, in about the middle of the block, was – I don’t remember his name, but he wrote the comic strip The Katzenjammer Kids. And then there was a captain in the Salvation Army who lived down the street. There were a lot of kids. We had the Slaters across the street which of course isn’t there anymore. That’s where the freeway now cuts in. Peggy Slater had three brothers and they had this wonderful sailboat. She did a lot of sailing and she be-came an outstanding woman sailor and won numerous races. Even though it was unusual for women to sail then, she be-came one of the top women sailors on the Pacifi c Coast. Long Beach to Catalina and then over to Honolulu. The Slat-ers asked me to go along some-times when Peggy was younger, before she started sailing her-self. We’d sail over to Catalina. Then there were the Crisp-ens and Elizabeth. I’m still in touch with Elizabeth; she lives up at Mt. Shasta. Her father was a doctor. They had a beautiful big house with a tennis court and an extra lot on the other side of the house, where my dad and Mrs. Crispen grew gladiolas and entered them in the fl ower show at the Biltmore Hotel. Took a lot of blue ribbons with the glads that they grew. Over on 24th was the grade school, 24th Street School, of course long gone, but it was a typical, old-fashioned type of school building with the big wide steps up in front. And they had three stumps from dead trees. We had fl ag-raising in the morning and the classes lined up out there. If somebody had announce-ments or something, they’d get up on the stump. The princi-pal, Miss Fouche, I thought she was ancient. She had white hair in a bun at the back of her neck, and very strict. And if anybody needed discipline, they’d have to go into her offi ce and she’d make them sit there with their seat down into the

My dad, Harry Theobald and I moved to 2143 w. 21st Street (in Western Heights) in 1924 from Saint Louis

when I was probably about four. My mother died in childbirth with me. We stayed until about 1936. It was a fun neighborhood with all kinds of stuff going on. Uncle Fred Kingsbury and his wife, Aunt Para Love Kingsbury owned our house. He was a min-ing engineer with a couple of gold mines up in the mother lode country. He also had an offi ce in the architects building, which I think was on Wilshire Boulevard at that time. But he was a very interesting person; fun and a golfer.

wastebasket. She didn’t put a dunce cap on their heads, but they were em-barrassed. Yeah, it was something. Then there was Berkeley Square, which is no longer there. That would have been 22nd Street, I think. There were gates going into that one block, and some nice homes in there. I think Hal Roach of Hal Roach Studios, Our Gang comedy, lived over there and Tom Mix, the cowboy. I went to camp with Thomasina Mix, they

Uncle Fred and Aunt Para ona shooting range in the Valley

The author with puppies

Life on 21st St. 1926 - 1936 Roma Tillman Remembers When

Roma Tillman

2143 W. 21st St. today.


Continued on Pg. 23

14

For more local restaurant reviews go towww.theneighborhoodnewsonline.netnow with Spanish/Korean optionsGo to TRANSLATE in left column

the outdoor tables, where I enjoy a Breakfast Burrito or a thick fruit smoothie. For lunch and dinner, I’m often on the run and keep Vees menu in my car. I phone in my order and it’s ready for pick-up in less than ten minutes. The paninis are especially scrumptious - fresh bread that is grilled to make it crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. The tastily rich Caprese Grill, like the un-grilled Caprese Sandwich, is full of fresh buffalo moz-

zarella, basil, and perfect tomatoes. For a spicier kick, the Spicy Chicken Panini has a yummy homemade jalapeno dressing, avo-cado, provolone, lettuce, and tomato. There are more traditional options like tuna salad or turkey melt as well. And every sand-wich comes with a side salad (though you might want to ask for extra dressing). For those who dine in, more menu options are available - such as pasta (which I look forward to trying in the near future). The cozy interior space is very cool – as the owner, Hector Aquino, displays artwork by up-and-coming visual artists. There’s also free WiFi and a bulletin board for goings-on in the community. You’ll be delightfully fi lled up and guilt free for less than seven dollars. That’s only a dollar or two more than a fast food Value meal – and isn’t the health and longevity of you and your family worth it? Plus, you’ll be supporting one of our fi ne locally-owned Mom and Pop restaurants on Adams Blvd. 5418 W. Adams Blvd. 90016Tel (323) 931-8337Hours: M-F 6am-9pm, Sat-Sun 7am-7pmwww.veescafe.net

Vees Cafe

Located on Adams, just east of Hauser, Vees

Cafe offers so much more than great coffee - and it does offer great coffee. Breakfast, lunch, or din-ner, the food always incor-porates fresh ingredients in tasty combinations. For breakfast, my dog likes to accompany me on the walk to Vees to sit at one of

Jennifer Deaton

An Affordable, Delicious, Healthy Alternative to Fast Food




Support our struggling local economy.Use one new service a month!

If only 1,000 of our 20,000 to 30,000 readers did this, our local businesses would

benefit greatly! Be the one!

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Lillian Edwards 1926 - 2010

Lillian Edwards passed away on July 2, 2010. For over 20 years Lillian was an active member of the Alsace Block

Club and a highly respected leader in her community. During that time, she helped organize and coordinate toy drives, hosted Christmas Block Club parties, cooked Thanksgiving dinner for LAPD Offi cers at the Wilshire Division and was the Treasurer for 7 years for the Alsace Block Club. She will truly be missed on Alsace Avenue. Joy Williams

Israel Hicks1944 - 2010

Israel Hicks, Founding Artistic Director of Ebony Repertory Theatre (ERT), died Saturday, July 3 after a valiant battle with

prostate cancer. He was 66. Mr. Hicks was the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Ebony Repertory Theatre, the resident com-pany and operator of the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, a role he assumed in 2007. Most recently, Mr. Hicks staged ERT’s annual Celebration of Black History: A Journey In Four Parts: History, Love, Men, and Women. He re-ceived the 2009 NAACP Theatre award for his direction of ERT’s inaugural production of August Wilson’s Two Trains Running. Mr. Hicks also directed the critically ac-claimed Los Angeles premiere of the hit musical, Crowns.“Words cannot express my depth of love for this extraordinari-ly brilliant man,” said Wren T. Brown, Founder and Pro-ducer, Ebony Repertory Theatre. “The entire ERT family has been immeasurably blessed and fortunate to have worked alongside this gifted man of grace, generosity, gravity, vision and profound artistry. His love of actors was unparalleled. He was an artist whose work will live on through the many ac-tors, students and designers with whom he worked and taught.”


18

After meeting Blackstone Director, Jones, it’s not diffi cult to understand Geppetto or Dr. Coppelia inventing puppets that seemingly coming to life. Puppeteers develop a close relation-ship with their creations, spending hours, sometimes months crafting the head and body, painting the face, sewing the costume, developing the puppet's movements. Each has its own personal-ity. Some are easily manipulated on stage, others less fl uidly. Favorites emerge. As we pass through the studio, Gary gives a reassuring word to puppet “Iris” once the prima donna but now seeing much less stage time since she’s become dated. Puppet “Hoola” was injured in a fall during an exhibition and hasn’t been the same since. Following some repairs, her weight and balance are off. Gary creates puppets fi rst based on different character types, then writes a script and “auditions” the puppets for roles. Inspired at age 18 as a visitor to the Chicago Kungsholm Miniature Grand Opera, Gary returned ten years later as an employee, then went on to establish the Blackstone USA Theatre with a troupe in 1974. After ten years he moved the production to L.A. because something just told him it was right. Since that time Gary and his puppets have traveled the world performing. But his home base has remained Washing-ton Blvd., where the 68 year-old Gary seems ageless, moving agilely on stage, showing off each puppet’s characteristic gesture. The puppets’ expressively carved arms and legs move through the nonstop dance of the puppeteer. These two levels of perfor-mance are mesmerizing, childlike but sophisticated, the kind of creative play that adults envy. One of the puppets was designed

YUPPETS!

Renee Montgomery

to honor Judith Jamison. Jones moves like an Alvin Ailey dancer. The narrow white theatre seats 200 children or 50 adults. Gary explains that children used to constantly shift off to the rest-room. They were simply looking for an excuse to wander into the back workroom, attracted by the puppets lining the walls and those under construction. Now performances are interactive and a studio tour is included so kids can experience the inventive process that begins with a lump of clay molded and cast into a head. Performances tailored for chil-dren or adults are arranged by group reservation. With a $350 minimum for 30 adults, plus $10 for each additional person, the Blackstone Theatre is one of the best entertainment values in town. 4619 West Washington Blvd., (323)-936-6091, [email protected] www.yuppets.comTo see more colored photo’s go to our website

Celebrates its 25th Anniversary

Along the Washington Corridor, behind the mysterious green awning marked "Yuppets"

lies the magical home of the Blackstone USA Pup-pet Theatre, 187 rod puppets and one genius, Gary Jones.

Photo’s Renee Montgomery


www.theneighborhoodnewsonline.netclick Art In The Corridor

now with Spanish/Korean optionsGo to TRANSLATE in left column

19

The Black Seeds Mural of Jeffer-

son Blvd, unveiled in 1991, was the in-spired vision of local resident, Gus Harris Jr., a United Neighbor-hood Neighborhoods Council (UNNC) mem-ber. One day Councilman Robert Ferrell pointed out the empty wall border-ing Leslie N. Shaw Park on Jefferson and 3rd and suggested that it would

be a great place for a mural. Gus had an image he had been thinking of for years and got together with artist Moses X Ball who put those ideas on canvas. But the canvas nearly met its end when it fl ew out of the back of Gus’s truck into the middle of the highway. He

I Had a DreamHow Gus Harris Jr.’s Dream

Was Nearly Lost On a HighwayDianne V. Lawrence

To view the mural in color go to www.theneighborhoodnewsonline.net

and click on “Art In the Corridor”.now with Spanish/Korean optionsGo to TRANSLATE in left column

Photo D.V. Lawrence

pulled over, jumped out of the van and watched a truck ran over it, the wind throw it up in the air and a semi-truck smash into it. Gus stood there and watched the semi speed down the highway, knowing he had lost the painting forever. Sud-denly a miracle. He saw it lying in the middle of the highway! He was able to retrieve it and miraculously,

it was salvageable. It now hangs proudly in Gus’s corner store at 5th and Jefferson Boulevard. In 2009, the mural, based on the canvas, was restored to its original vibrancy. Well worth the visit down to Jefferson and 3rd, a few blocks west of Arlington.




been great to have opened the restaurant earlier. It’s given people more reason to come here. Come for a little Greek coffee and some sweets. Buy some spices, bread, cheese, meat. Have a meal. Everyone is welcome!

TNN: You’ve succeeded in that. It’s so much fun to come here. You get free sam-ples, buy some baguettes, olives. And the Greek coffee is amazing!Chrys: And when you get greeted by some-one here, its real. It’s not just someone do-ing what they’ve been told to do. One of the things that irks me in other restaurants is some kid walks by and asks “how’s it tasting?” They aren’t taking the whole experience into account. They aren’t ask-ing if everything was enjoyable. We ask “is everything okay? Are you enjoying yourself?” We try to convey real care and concern for the customer.

TNN: So we have new restaurants open-ing up in our community. What are the kinds of mistakes they want to avoid making?Chrys: I don’t know if mistake is the right word. Anyone opening up a new business is a brave young person. An entrepreneur. They should be applauded for taking a step and opening something. But that being said they have to under-stand what the need for their product is. They have to fi gure out what their role is and do the research. Are they go-ing to be a convenience, a destination?

TNN: What’s the difference?Chrys: A convenience is like 711. I’m a destination. If I didn’t have a parking lot I wouldn’t have customers because they come from far away. Downtown, Century City, Beverly Hills, Orange County. A new business has to fi gure out what their mes-sage is and make sure the whole experi-ence works. You also can’t be too far from

a freeway if you want to be a destination. TNN: Tell me more about creating a des-tination business.Chrys: A destination isn’t created over-

night, it’s created over years. You have to be funded and you have to pay your dues so persistence is important. You have to market and recreate yourself in your mar-keting. You can’t stay with one style. You need to expand your marketing agenda and probe to fi nd out what’s going to bring in new customers. And when you bring in new customers are they enjoying the ex-perience enough to bring someone else? You have to regenerate the people that do come. Use incentive plans to bring them back if they’ve enjoyed your place. Getting them in the door is one thing getting them to come back is another. If you can do that you are on the road to being successful.

TNN: It’s diffi cult to sustain a business.Chrys: It’s much harder to stay in business than to open a business. Offer more than you expect to receive. I’ve never come into the store expecting to make any kind of money. I come in hoping to do a really good job and if I do, something will be left over.

TNN: Talk about the people you work with.Chrys: We have a very strong family ethic. We hire people who use “please”, “thank you”, no “hey you”. We talk to each other by name. The biggest word in the English language is respect. We respect each other and the people who come in. We respect the fact that they come out of their way to come here. Respect. Respect. Respect. We don’t take anyone for granted.

TNN: How do you handle a complaining customer. Chrys: The only money you lose is the

customer who doesn’t come back. The customer who complains is your friend. The customer who walks out and doesn’t say anything isn’t helping you. But if a customer says “this is what I’d like to see” listen to him. He may like everything else but this one percent is bothering him. Let your customer interact with you.

TNN: Any other tips?Chrys: Keep the place clean. Very impor-tant. People don’t want to eat in a place that’s below their standards.

TNN: What are some of the danger sig-nals for a business? At what point do you have to become alert to potential disas-ter?Chrys: Overconfi dence is as bad as it can get. I think you wake up every morning scared. If you think you’ve done a great job and done everything you can do…that’s dangerous. You have to be open to checking every part of your business. You can’t conquer the world overnight.

TNN: What is your defi nition of a suc-cessful business?Chrys: One that makes you happy. There is no such thing as dollars and cents mak-ing you happy. You will never get enough wealth. If you only work for money I think you are not a successful person. If you work with pride and at the end of the night your feet hurt, your back hurts, your head hurts and your workers and customers are happy, that’s Perfect! That’s as good as it gets. That means you did your very best that day. And if you walk out and you’re not tired and your feet and back don’t hurt and you didn’t talk to a lot of people then you probably didn’t do a very good job that day. If you work and you’re happy doing it, it’s the right thing. Work is good. Labor is not good.

TNN: Any last words of wisdom for our new businesses?Chrys: You need to accommodate your community, sell something you are proud of and believe in what you do.

Thursday night Big Fat Greek Dinner


Papa Christo continued from Pg.7

Answer to riddle: a hole

neighborhood with a monkey, all dressed up in his little outfi t. He used to come by every so often, and you could hear him coming down the block, Everybody’d come out and give the monkey nickels and dimes and stuff. The Good Humor Man, would come by and we’d all run out with our nickels and dimes. You could

Roma Tillman continued from Pg. 13

South Seas House2301 W. 24th St. 323.373.9483Free LA Kids ClassesDance, Basketball, FitnessFor class start times and to register please con-tact us.After school Program beginsSeptember 14, 2010Sign ups begin August 16, 2010$75 per month.Ages 6-12 yearsPark Advisory Board Meetings2nd Tuesday of every month6:15pm-7:15pmAll are welcomeMeetings will resume September 14, 2010

Friends of the Library Bookstore Mon & Wed 12:30-3pm Tu & Thur 1 - 4:00pm Washington Irving Literacy Center Call Beverly Pichardo (213) 623-4078 x14190.Aug 03 - English Conversation Class 2:00 PM Free, no advance registration1st Tues. month. Friends of the Library6:30 PM Help support, assist, and promote library programs. Aug 04 - Job Skills Workshop 3:00 PMfor Adult and TeensAug 10 - English Conversation class2:00 PM Free, ChildrenAug 05 - Make Your Own Drum! 4:00 PMComputer Class 2 pm

Washington Irving Library4117 W. Washington Blvd.

323-734-6303

PEACE AWARENESS LABYRINTH & GARDENS

FREE WORKSHOPS & CLASSES (donations welcome)

3500 W. Adams Blvd., W. of Arlington www.peacelabyrinth.org [email protected] contact Judy 323-737-4055 ext 1137 THURSDAY AUG 5 & SEPT 2 SOUL DANCE EVENING 7:30-9:00pm SUNDAY AUG 8 2:00-5:00pm ABUNDANCE & PROSPERITY WORKSHOP, MSIA President, Paul Kaye & SUMMER EVENING BARBECUE AT THE GARDENS5:00pm (Cost $12) RSVP WEDNESDAY SEPT 8 BILINGUAL Q&A WITH DR. JOHN MOR-TON (English with Spanish translation) 7:00-9:00pm (Donation: $15) EVERY MONDAY 7:30-8:30pm SACRED TONES MEDITATION TUES. THRU FRI. 11:00am-3:00pmSUNDAY 12 - 4PMLABYRINTH & GARDEN TOURS EVERY WEDNESDAY 7:30-9:30pmFREE-FORM WRITING CLASS (located 2 short blocks west at 3726 W. Adams Bl.) WORKSHOPS CONDUCTED IN SPANISH 7:30-9:30pm EVERY FRIDAY VIDEO PRESENTA-TIONS with Drs. John-Roger and John Morton sharing teachings of the spiritual heart. 7:30-9p

Papa Harry and baby Roma

get all kinds of different ice cream bars and ice cream cones and stuff like that. And then, another thing, every-body had ice boxes out on their back porches. You didn’t have refrigerators so the ice man would come and take that big huge thing of ice and put it in your ice box. We’d all go out and get behind the ice truck and eat the chips of ice, suck on them. That was always fun. The Japanese had vegetable gardens out in the San Fernando Valley; wonder-ful, wonderful fresh vegetables. The Japanese vegetable truck would come by probably every couple of days, and it was kind of an open truck with all the fresh vegetables out on it, and you’d go out and pick out what you wanted, and that was always good. There was a milkman and in the beginning the milk man’s wagon was pulled by a horse. I remember the milk man would let me climb on the back of the horse and ride down to the end of the block when he was delivering milk. The Baruch Baking Company would deliver the bread. All the kids of the neighborhood used to get the little newspaper called “The Teeny Weeny News”, a four-page fold over thing, with news about the neighborhood. The parents started it and all of us kids used to write stuff for it. People would write stories about the neighborhood and about people that were on a trip someplace, or the kids playing at a baseball game. We included Berkeley Square and up to 24th Street School. It went on for quite some time.

new library hoursMondays Closed

Tuesdays 12:30 pm – 8:00 pm Wednesdays 10:00 am – 5:30 pm

Thursdays 12:30 – 8:00 pm Fridays 10:00 am – 5:30 pm

Saturdays 10:00 am – 5:30 pm Sundays Closed

Sat. Afternoon - YOGA for all 12:00 PMFree 45-minute basic Hatha Yoga Class Aug 04 - Mah Jongg 12:00 PMAug 07 - Knitting Circle 10:00 AMSaturdays- Used Book Sale 10:00 AMFor information, please call 323-938-2732. TeenTHURS. Chess 6:00 PM All age/ levels Aug 12 - 3:30 PM Teen Volunteer OrientationThis is where you fulfi ll your community service requirements for classes, graduation, and college applications. Please RSVP.Aug 14 - Summer Reading Club: Trash to Art Contest Last DayAug 18 - 4:00 PM Summer Reading Club: TAC - Surprise MovieAug 21 - 1:30 AM Teen Crafts - Board Games.ChildrenFRI. - 10:00 AM Toddler Storytime TUES - 3:00 PM Summer Reading ClubAug 14 - 3:00 PM Silly Second Saturday: Disaster PreparednessGAB Every Tues. 5pm - Ms. Sylvia; Fri. 3pmBooks come alive for kids when they share the fun of reading with GAB library volun-teers. - Grandma Bobbie; Sat. 10am - Ms.

Memorial Branch Library 4625 W. Olympic Boulevard

Los Angeles, 90019

FREE


Frustration permeated the room at two recent Olympic Park Neighborhood

Council (OPNC) meetings. OPNC Presi-dent Peter Schulberg was eager to con-duct business including the swearing in of new members, at a July 12 emergency meeting, the group’s second attempt in a two-month period. However, the board had its hands tied because the meeting still could not reach a quorum –half the mem-bers plus one. Of 18 OPNC board seats, at least 10 members must be present. Schulberg called for an emergency meet-ing on July 19 hoping to meet the quorum. “People are interested in doing business for the community and we have to do it,” Schulberg said. Some unoffi cial business was con-ducted. Matters stemmed from the seri-ous: the newly constructed Ralph’s was hit with a lawsuit regarding over-charging customers; to the green: how/if at all, to use the community garden across the street from the Eco-Logi-cal Art Gallery on Pico Blvd; to the mundane: providing translation ser-vices to the public during meetings. Attendance at the special July 19 meeting still fell short of a quorum by one member.A police offi cer spoke about an upcom-ing request for funding a children’s sports

Olympic Park Neighborhood Council

OPNC

Rachael Johnson & Carla Pineda

w w w.thene ighborhoodne wson l ine .ne t span ish/kore an op t ions24 AUG/SEPT 2010

Ruth Jones-Sawyer Myrna Allen

Mid-City Neighborhood CouncilMINC

MINC elections turned out well. Ac-cording to President Allan DiCas-

tro 80% of their email outreach showed up to vote. Most recently MINC nominat-ed and elected their new board members. President Allan DiCastro, Vice-President Bruce Durbin, Secretary Valaida Gory, Treasurer Bette Bryant and Parliamentar-ian Marguerite Davis. MINC is currently waiting for confi rmation of their $45,000 budget for the new fi scal year, preparing their yearly budget for Board Approval and looking forward to new Board mem-bers stepping into committee positions.

Dianne V. Lawrence

United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council UNNC

A concern over a push by local devel-opers to become more of a force on

the United Neighborhoods Neighbor-

Dianne V. Lawrence

hood Council (UNNC) had local resi-dents rallying. Their aggressive outreach with fl yer’s and recommendation sheets paid off with a record turnout, (placing them in the top ten turnouts citywide) and with all of their recommendations elected.

Neighborhood Council Elections are over and their new fi scal year has

begun. Based on suggestions by members of the community TNN will be reporting on the activities of our local NC’s. These councils are meant to provide a service to you, the residents and we thought this was a great opportunity to keep you informed and educated about how they are run, the ways they serve you and the opportunities they offer. If you have questions email us at;[email protected] we will consult with our resources to get your questions answered to the best of our ability. The Editor

On July 14, the P.I.C.O. Neighborhood Council (PNC) began their special

meeting with a goal: fi nish the special meeting held to appoint two new board members and get to the general meeting. But fi rst they had to be in compliance with the meeting notice requirement of Califor-nia’s Brown Act. The Brown Act, passed in 1953, was enacted by the California State Legisla-ture to guarantee the public’s right to attend and participate in meetings of local legislative bodies. It came out of a response to growing public concerns over informal backroom meetings held by the offi cials of local government agencies in-cluding city councils. In order to conduct business in the PNC’s general meeting, two more members had to be appointed to the board during the special meeting in order to meet a quorum, the minimum number of people required to conduct the business meeting. The at-tending city offi cial from the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) who oversees Neighborhood Councils, al-lowed them to appoint the new members during the special meeting. But the business meeting ran into trouble.Under the Brown Act, agenda items and meeting notices must be publicly posted and the items the group wanted to discuss in the general business meeting had not been posted. As a result, the DONE coor-

Pico Neighborhood CouncilPNC

Rachael Johnson

event. Other issues on the fl oor included an Air Quality Management District fl ier notifying the public about applications from two automobile body shops to con-tinue their spray painting activities. A public hearing will be held to discuss the issue, though the businesses are within compliance of air quality standards. The council discussed its participation in the National Night Out Against Crime on Aug. 3 and Vice President John Jake proposed an event to bring together block clubs and local restaurants. By 8 pm, gen-eral neighborhood council bylaws were debated but disatisfaction with the inablity to meet the required quorum was evident.“It might take a Saturday meeting to get people to be here,” a disappointed Schul-

dinator opposed moving forward with the offi cial business of the general meeting. At one point, members of the board be-came frustrated and questioned whether they could lawfully be stopped from con-ducting offi cial business. DONE advised against proceeding and informed them that the consequences may result in at the least an offi cial warning or at the most de-certifi cation. The board decided to take a vote to move forward with offi cial busi-ness but it was voted down. Unoffi cial business was then conducted during the general body meeting.

www.piconc.com

olympicparkneighborhoodcouncil.org

www.unnc.org

span ish/kore an op t ions w w w.thene ighborhoodne wson l ine .ne t 25AUG/SEPT 2010

New Bus Line On VeniceDOWNTOWN TO SANTA MONICA

Replacing limited service on Line 333 with Metro Rapid 733. Line 733 will

operate from Patsaouras Transit Plaza to Santa Monica between 5am & 11pm.

On July 6, the city planning depart-ment issued a notice of completion

of the fi nal environmental impact re-port (FEIR) for the new mixed-use de-velopment proposed for the Washing-ton Square Market. While this document is one of developer Root 3’s fi nal steps in the proposal process for the residential/

commercial complex, there is no guaran-tee city engineers will certify the report and give the project the green light. Many neighbors have griped about the proposals in letters included in the report. With com-munity integration, historic preservation and traffi c leading the list of concerns, residents hope the city considers both op-tions individually from each other, if any are approved at all. The property at Washington Boulevard and 10th Ave. is 7.8 acres and is currently home to three buildings built in 1961, in-cluding a Googie-style coffee shop. The 114,000 square feet of rent-able space is anchored by an indoor swap meet and a grocery market. The two options being proposed simultaneously consist of A – a mix of 547 rental and for-sale residential units plus 106,800 square feet of commer-

Washington Square Market Development Update

Carla Pineda

New Water Rationing Schedule

The LA Board of Water and Power Commissioners approved an amend-

ment in the water rationing ordinance, which would allow residents to use their sprinklers three days a week instead of the current two. Odd-numbered addresses would irrigate on Mondays, Wednes-days and Fridays, and even-numbered addresses on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays for up to 15 minutes. Also, residents would be able to turn on “non-conserving nozzles,” such as sprin-klers and bubblers, for up to eight minutes a day, or 24 minutes a week. “Conserv-ing nozzles,” such as multi-stream rotary heads, could be turned on twice a day for up to 15 minutes each time, for a total of 90 minutes a week. The amendment is now waiting for a sign off by City Council

Out of the 6 UNNC areas, Area 2, Harvard Heights and West Adams Heights/Sugar Hill, had the largest turnout. As of press time the Executive Board had not been elected.

SLO Summit At Nate Holdena Success

Residents gathered at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center to listen to

their community Senior Lead Offi cers give informative presentations on drugs, gangs and other local crime issues.

Offi cers and CD10’s Elizabeth Carlin.

cial space and buildings reaching heights of up to 202 feet; and B – a total of 342 residential units plus 237,100 square feet of commercial space and building heights of up to 85 feet. The property is within the West Adams-Baldwin Hills-Leimert Community Plan and its Community Design Over-lay, the city’s General Plan Framework and the Los Angeles Community Rede-velopment Agency’s Mid-City Recov-ery Redevelopment Plan area. The new complex depends on numerous amend-ments to the aforementioned plans. The West Adams Heritage Associa-tion is among the dissenters of the project because the project ignores it’s Arlington Heights location in terms of it’s out-of-character heights, aesthetics and shad-owing of the adjacent St. Paul’s Catholic Church and Rectory. Other commenter’s included represen-tatives of the Avenues Neighborhood Watch and Association and resident Pa-tricia Judice, who worries that the pro-posed project appears to be “an urban walled fortress, unfriendly, unwelcoming and disconnected.”The city is soon expected to issue a public hearing notice on the matter. To view the full version of the Final En-vironmental Impact Report visit http://ci-typlanning.lacity.org/EIR/WashingtonSq/Feir/issues/Final_EIR.pdf

07-24-10 / 4:00 PM : A Theft occurred on Crenshaw Bl. and Washington Bl. The suspect (male Black, 15 yrs. old) asked to borrow the victim’s phone. When the vic-tim asked for the phone back, the victim was hit with a stick. The suspect fl ed with the victim’s phone.

Thief Makes Off With Cell Phone

Rash of Car Burglaries

Between July 12 and July 18 three car burglaries occured, two on Vineyard

and one on the Washington. Items sto-len from two of the cars were property that had been left in plain view, camera, checks and credit cards. Registration tags had been lifted off the third car.

to fi nd out which NC you belong tohttp://done.lacity.org/ncdatabase/

nc_database_public/click the area on the map you live init will bring up the NC’s in that area.Clicking on an NC will bring up infor-

mation including boundaries.

Would you like to get weekly website updates about events in

our community?Something going on you want us

to know about?

send us an email [email protected]

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TNN ISSUE #13 Aug2010