DECEMBER/JANUARY 2014-15Issue 39

NEIGHBORHOOD PROSECUTOR MEHRNOOSH ZAHIRI

WHY WE GRIEVE OUR PETS

PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIESIN JEFFERSON PARK

AND ARLINGTON HEIGHTS

THE UNDERGROUND MUSEUM

AND SO MUCH MORE!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS NEIGHBORS!

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Publisher/Editor/ReporterDianne V. Lawrence

Staff ReportersCarla Pineda, Chelsee Lowe, Renee Montgomery Photographer, Social Media/Website Assistant

Dawn KirkpatrickContributing Writers

Stand-LA, Laura Meyers, Stefany De La RosaStevie Rutherford

Layout & Design/Executive Ad SalesDianne V. Lawrence

CONTENT

TNN Staff L - R Back RowChelsee Lowe,Dawn Kirkpatrick,Carla PinedaL - R Front RowRenee Montgomery,Dianne V. Lawrence 4 Freeport McMoran Update

6 Neighborhood Prosecutor Mernoosh Zahiri 8 Protecting Communities In Jefferson Park & Arlington Heights

9 School Beat

10 Crime Watch

11 The Untold LA 12 Affordable Housing in Jefferson Park 14 Pet Pause 15 Clark Library Book Club

16 The Underground Museum 17 Lou Rawls. LA High Community Partner

18 Low Income Resource List

20 Seen On The Scene

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WOW!! 2015 already!!?? TNN and its staff are in Great Spirits as we look back over the last year and forward to the next. The magazine continues to grow and attract what it needs to make sure that you, dear reader, will continue to tell us "I read it cover to cover!!" So sit back, enjoy a fresh cup of organic coffee from Grain Cafe and take a little stroll aroundyour community.....

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Today, (November 25, 2014) in an unprecedented act of solidarity, communities from across Los Angeles launched

Stand Together Against Neighborhood Drilling (STAND-LA) at a hearing on an application to expand oil drilling in a densely populated neighborhood in South Los Angeles. The communities demanded that the City not allow the project to go forward without a full understanding of the impacts of the oil extraction operations on the community and the environment.

The operator of the proposed project, Freeport McMoran (FMOG), seeks rubber stamp approval for additional oil wells at their Jefferson Blvd. (west of Western) drilling site, to bypass California’s Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Enacted 45 years ago, CEQA was designed to protect the health, safety, and environment of Californians by mandating that state and local agencies identify and mitigate the significant

environmental impacts of all projects that may have an impact on the environment. FMOG claims that the project would have no impact on the neighboring community, despite sitting just steps away from homes and schools.

Over 150 Angelenos flooded the public hearing held today by the LA City Planning Department’s Zoning Administrator (ZA) to challenge FMOG’s claims. The ZA heard testimony for over three hours, as local residents, some living as close as 85 feet from current drilling activities, provided compelling testimony about the perils of neighborhood drilling.

Calling on policymakers to make informed decisions, residents presented the ZA with a wealth of evidence documenting FMOG’s history of egregious violations in its current drilling operations. Their collective testimony cast serious doubt on the company’s willingness to operate safely and in accordance with the law. Read the letter from community groups to the ZA.

Community Shows Up in Show Down With Freeport McMoran Oil and Gas

STAND - LA

“The oil companies at this drill site have consistently and flagrantly violated the rules and established procedures that govern their activity,” said Richard Parks, President of Redeemer Community Partnership. "Through their deliberate disregard of the regulatory process, FMOG has repeatedly placed our children and community in harm’s way.”

Local residents were joined by STAND-LA members from across the city who are also fighting to protect their communities from the devastating impacts of neighborhood drilling. Brought together by shared experiences, STAND-LA strives to prevent oil companies from operating with impunity and introduce much needed transparency to the regulatory process.

“We are standing together because our communities deserve better,” said Nancy Halpern Ibrahim, Executive Director of Esperanza Housing Corporation, whose community has been battling with AllenCo. “We deserve a transparent process and informed decision making. We deserve a say over what happens in our neighborhood. We all deserve to live in healthy and safe communities.”

With drilling operations on the rise all over Los Angeles, policy is failing to keep pace with the oil industry. “This community, just like other communities in Los Angeles, knows that the patchwork of regulations in place is inadequate to ensure that their neighborhood is safe,” said Angela Johnson Meszaros, General Counsel at Physicians for Social Responsibility-LA. “While the City is protecting the oil industry from scrutiny of its drilling plans, who’s protecting the neighborhood’s residents?”

During the hearing, Associate Zoning Administrator Maya Zaitzevsky said that the sheer number of letters, testimony and new evidence submitted to the ZA would require significant time to review, with a final decision expected by January 5, 2015.

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In July, Los Angeles native Mehrnoosh Zahiri began her work as the Wilshire Division’s neighborhood prosecutor,

a position that is part of the citywide Neighborhood Prosecutors Program (NPP), overseen by the City Attorney’s Office. According to its mission statement, the NPP aims to “identify, prioritize, and address criminal problems before… [they] lead to urban decay in our communities.”

Zahiri and her counterparts are integral to that mission, and they spend their days in the communities they serve rather than in remote offices where they’d likely be disconnected from local issues. Each one acts as a community liason, responsible for addressing concerns voiced by residents within their jurisdiction. Zahiri represents community members within the Wilshire Division’s territory, which is roughly bounded by the Santa Monica Freeway, La Cienega Boulevard to the west, Arlington Avenue to the east and Willoughby Avenue to the north. Zahiri spoke with The Neighborhood News about her past work, as well as how she can help improve our area.

Meet Your Neighborhood Prosecutor Mehrnoosh Zahiri

Chelsee Lowe

TNN: Let’s begin with your professional history. What kind of work were you doing prior to becoming our neighborhood prosecutor?

MZ: After I went to undergrad at UCLA, I attended Southwestern Law School [on Wilshire near Vermont]. During my law school years, I actually worked for the City Attorney’s Office in the Criminal Central Trials Branch. When I graduated, the city was in a hiring freeze, so I found the next closest job — I worked for a private firm that was contracted out by numerous L.A. County cities, from Beverly Hills and West Hollywood to Huntington

Park and South Gate. The issues I dealt were criminal and quality-of-life issues, including municipal code issues. I was there for about six years, and it is great to bring that experience to the table here.

Can you elaborate on the kinds of problems residents have shared during your first few months on the job?

MZ: I think the Wilshire Division’s area is among the most diverse in the city, and the issues really range, from trespassing charges to property maintenance violations and graffiti issues. I’ve heard complaints regarding gasoline-powered leaf blowers, I’ve looked into our rise in burglaries — I’ve even worked with the burglary detectives, though that’s a little outside of my realm.

As a resident, you may be facing issues that are bothersome to you and important to you — not everyone has the same problems to bring up. If it’s a big quality-of-life issue facing the community, that’s something I’m going to try to figure out.

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Thanks to the efforts of United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council (UNNC), Council District 10,

and the Los Angeles City Planning Department, sections of two historic neighborhoods in the West Adams District - Jefferson Park and Arlington Heights - are now more likely to be conserved. Los Angeles has 35 separate community plans. The neighborhoods of Jefferson Park and Arlington Heights are part of the West Adams-Baldwin Hills-Leimert Park Community Plan. For the last six years the Planning Department staff had been working on revisions and updates to this particular community plan. In 2013 these updates were approved by the Planning Commission and sent on its way to City Hall for a vote when it was stalled.

Residents in Hollywood had filed a lawsuit against some of the items in their own plan and a judge sided with them. This sent notice to City Planning to reconsider similar items in other community plans thereby putting a hold on all of the plans.

This proved a boon to residents in Jefferson Park and Arlington Heights who had supported changes UNNC had suggested to the Planning Department prior to the final approved plan. The Planning Department had rejected their request that the zoning for a western section of Jefferson Park be changed from its current multi-family land use (allowing for apartment development) to duplex and single family zoning only. This change would prevent current single family and duplex homes from being torn down by future developers to make room for apartment buildings. UNNC also requested that Arlington Heights be protected from development due to its many identified historic properties.

UNNC’s written comments addressed what appeared to be a lack of concern by City planning and “what appears to be a failure to

conserve character neighborhoods” as is required by city policy. In particular, UNNC stated: “The West Adams-Baldwin Hills-Leimert Community Plan does add a lot of housing capacity on the corridors in the form of mixed use. However, it does not downzone existing character neighborhoods, particularly those that have zoning intensity higher than the actual use.” In a nutshell what this means is development along the major commercial streets (Washington, Adams, Crenshaw, Western etc) would allow the building of apartments with commercial use on the bottom floors, increasing the much needed housing for a growing population. But what UNNC was concerned with is that zoning for the neighborhoods, which originally allowed for high density (future building of apartments) should be “downsized” in density to fit with the current population of single family homes by preventing the growth of apartments. This would preserve the historic integrity of the community and the architecture.

Because of the stalled action citywide on the community plans, the Planning Department staff now had time to further evaluate several residential neighborhoods which included reconsidering the UNNC suggestions. In late October and early November they presented revisions to their original recommendations. UNNC had requested that “West” Jefferson Park – the area between Montclair and Jefferson, west of Edgehill to Crenshaw Boulevard, be changed to have zoning that matches “the predominant existing single-family and duplex use (and built form).” Planning staff agreed to this, and will propose the rezoning of these residential streets to a mix of single family and duplex zoning. Arlington Heights, a neighborhood bounded by the 10 freeway to Pico, Arlington to Crenshaw, has more than 1,000 residential structures, most dating from the turn of the 20th century to the 1920s. It is not yet an HPOZ (Historic Preservation Overlay Zone)

Protecting Our Communities For the Future

D.V. Lawrence & Laura Meyers

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On Tuesday, September 30, 2014, Los Angeles Senior High School had

its first Teen Court trial, which “was a success,” said Ms. Taylor, who along with Ms. Sauter, leads the school’s program, designed to give students a second chance to better themselves

The court, authorized by law, involves students, a probation officer, the Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC), and an appointed judge.

Students, initially involved with the program, began preparation over a year ago, as they visited existing teen courts at Fairfax, Dorsey, and Venice.

The probation officer selects first time

L.A. High Seniors &Juvenile Court Team Up

L.A. High Reporter

Stefany De La Rosa

Los Angeles Senior High School has made it to a CIF Championship game

for the first time in Fifty years. They will be going against the third seeded Monroe Vikings. Although both teams did not meet during the regular season the intensity of the game will be great. The Monroe Vikings finished 10-3 overall and went 3-3 in league, while the Romans finished 11-2 overall and 5-1 in league. The game will take place in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 11 am. It will be a close game because Los Angeles leads Monroe in rushing yards with an average of 210 yards per game while Monroe leads in passing yards with an average of 267 yards per game. Both teams came off close wins in the Semi Finals and will battle to claim their destiny.

First Time in 50 Years!La High Romans

in Championship Game

Chris Manzano and David Solorio

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Between September 19 – 25 there were 18 home break-ins in the community of 6th to 10th St. between Redondo and Arlington. Between September 28 to

October 4 there were twenty between Olympic and 8th, west of Orange and then over by La Cienaga and San Vicente. “Flockin” a term criminals use for a specific kind of home robbery, is on the rise.

It goes like this….there are two to four criminals involved. On the targeted block, criminal #1 sits low in a car listening to police car frequencies, cell phone in hand. #2 goes up and knocks on a door. If someone answers they ask if so and so lives there, apologize for getting the wrong address and move on. More likely if they hear someone coming they turn around and quickly leave. IF no one answers the door, they and others will try to get to the back of the house and break in either through unlocked doors, kicking a door in, or smashing a window. They are looking for jewelry, cash (often left in easy to find places) electronics, iPads and computers. Meanwhile #1 sits in the car acting as look out, with the seat dropped back to avoid obvious detection. He (or she) will call and warn their partners if they observe the homeowner arrive.

One neighbor described being on the toilet when a teen walked by the open bathroom door. The back door had been left unlocked and both were surprised to see each other. The kid apologized for being in the “wrong” house, claimed he was just looking for a “friend” and high tailed it out before the neighbor could get off the toilet. In another community a neighbor found some local yard dogs wandering the street during the middle of the day and led them back to their yard where the gate had been left swinging open. The dogs had been let out of the yard by thieves who took everything of value out of the house. Contrary to popular belief…guard dogs are more effective inside the house than in a yard.

Detective Porche with the Wilshire Station Burglary Division said he found it difficult to understand why people didn’t get burglary alarms claiming “even cheap ones are better than nothing.” Once neighbors know what to look for, Officer Porche suggests they keep an eye on things. If you see a suspicious stranger hanging around in a car on the street, slung low in his seat, call dispatch, 213- 928-8223 saying you suspect a burglary might be in progress. License plate numbers may or may not be useful as the cars are often rented. Share suspicious activity with your neighbors. One neighbor shared a security video with their online community group of a guy flockin their house. The video shows the stranger coming up to their door, knocking, then turning and leaving when he realized someone was coming to the door - all while talking into a cell phone. Someone else shared a

Is Your Neighborhood Getting Flocked?

D.V. Lawrence

photo of a stranger who had been hanging out on their block over a few days.

Detective Porche says it’s the crime of choice and easy money for seasoned criminals and gang members. Because of lighter sentencing, this particular crime is preferred over the old-fashioned “stick up” or nighttime break-ins when people are home. With the overcrowding of prisons, they often get only six months to two years, substantially less than what they would get when a gun is involved.

LAPD Is Looking For These Men

Southwest Gang Detectives are asking for any information related to a shooting, that occurred outside 4966 Adams

Blvd. on the night of 10-31-2014 at 9:45 P.M. Suspect(s) in the video; Susp(1) Male Black, 18-25 Yrs of Age, Wearing a Red Beanie, Gry Sweater, Dark Color Shorts. Susp(2) Male Black, 18-25 Yrs of Age, Wearing a Black Hoodie Sweatshirt, Dark Color Pants. If you have any information, please contact Detective Chavez at (323)-290-2975.

Kinney Heights NeighborhoodUp In Arms Over Prostitution Invasion

With the growing use of community online groups like Facebook or Nextdoor, neighborhoods have a new tool for fighting crime.

Prior to these options people might have shared concerns with their close neighbors but these internet “gathering” places allow for a greater variety of people in a wider radius of a community to alert and weigh in with each other about local issues such as lost or found dogs, a rash of burglaries or

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When the San Francisco native decided to accompany his wife Elizabeth Quiros-Loe, a doctoral fellow at LMU, to Los Angeles, Loe discovered the "astonishing" charms of West Adams historic neighborhoods. "My wife wanted to live in a communal house and I started looking in the Harvard Heights neighborhood of

A 360-page rich compendium of 500 photos, 70 oral histories, and two hours of behind-the-scenes videos illustrating

West Adams' architectural wonders and culture, "The Untold LA" is perfect gift for Mid-City fans who own iPads or Mac computers. It is the result of a two year documentary project by Jett Loe, a professional photographer and former BBC director who resided in London and Glasgow for eleven years before relocating to Mid City Los Angeles.

West Adams. In my search, conducted by foot and bus [Loe was car-less], I was amazed by the beauty of the homes in the district. Following my discoveries, I was astonished to find that no one had done a coffee table book of photographs of them," Loe described to the USC Annenberg Media Center.

Shortly thereafter Loe moved to a 1910 Craftsman in North University Park and set out on a Kickstarter

campaign to raise funds for the documentary project, exceeding his goal in 25 days at $9,000. The professional photographer had optimistically figured the project would take two months, but soon found it would become an extensive full-time

The Perfect Holiday Gift for Mid-City Fans

The Untold L.A.

Renee Montgomery

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When thinking back on growing up in Jefferson Park, I recall a rundown Fatburger on a shady side of Western

Avenue. I distinctly remember a German Shepherd who wagged his tail as my mom and I walked past his Jefferson Boulevard chain link fence on our way to 6th Avenue Elementary. During our four-block walk to school we would also encounter homeless people hiding in abandoned corners along the street. This was at least 20 years ago when the average gross rent in South Los Angeles was $525.

Today, the scene down Jefferson Park’s main arteries -- Western Avenue and Jefferson Boulevard -- looks a little different. The site of the first-ever Fatburger on Western and the friendly dog’s home on Jefferson have recently been converted into residential buildings for community members who need housing assistance.

The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s latest report indicated the city’s streets are home to 58,423 homeless people and according to Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti, the city will need 82,000 affordable housing units between now and 2012.

Two new housing projects in Jefferson Park are examples of collaborations between public entities and private companies coming together to tackle the city’s housing crisis. They will provide 100 new affordable housing units to the Jefferson Park community. City Council President Herb Wesson said “It’s a reminder of what can be accomplished when we work together.”

Affordable Housing Comes ToJefferson Park

Carla Pineda

The corner of Jefferson and 4th Avenue is now home to Jefferson Square, a new 40-unit apartment building. The complex has one, two, and three-bedroom homes, and residents have access to a community room, fitness center, computer lab, television room, and library. Renting a unit ranges between an estimated $593-$1,253. Applicants were required to have incomes below 60 percent of the median income for Los Angeles County.

According to a Los Angeles Times neighborhood profile, the 1.42-square-mile Jefferson Park had a median household income of $32,654 in 2008 and 26.6 percent of families are headed by single parents.

Developer Thomas Saffran & Associates, maker of more than 5,000 units of affordable housing units for seniors and low-income families, received about $6 million in public subsidies from the state’s Proposition 1C Affordable Housing Bond, the Community Redevelopment Agency, and the City of Los Angeles Affordable Housing Trust, according to the Los Angeles Sentinel.

At Western Avenue and 30th Street stands the four-story, 60-unit Jefferson Park Terrace. The apartments have between one and four bedrooms, plus access to a picnic area, computer center, community room, and outdoor play area, among other amenities. The waitlist is currently closed. “Every individual has the right to live in safe, affordable and

Jefferson Square

Jefferson Park Terrace

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quality housing,” said County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas when Jefferson Park Terrace opened. In addition to private funding, this project received funds from the city’s Community Development Block Grants, the Los Angeles Housing Department, the California Housing Finance Agency, and the county Community Development Commission.

Developer Mercy Housing offers Jefferson Park Terrace apartments to low-income families and has allocated six units for people who live with HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS rates were 38 percent higher in South los Angeles than the rest of the county, according a housing study from 2000. Between one-third and one-half of Angelenos living with HIV/AIDS are either homeless or close to becoming homeless due to the financial burden of HIV-related disabilities, job discrimination, or the cost of healthcare.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has set goals to tackle what he calls the worst shortage of housing in the city since World War II. His plans include building 100,000 housing units by 2021 to help meet current demand, raising the minimum wage, and preserving the city’s tenant protections.

As for fans of the first-ever Fatburger on Western -- even though the restaurant was shuttered to make room for Jefferson Park Terrace, the stand has been preserved as a symbol of black entrepreneurship. A team of historic architecture specialists worked to protect the stand’s 1952 character in honor of owner Lovie Yancey, who is known to have nurtured musicians and entertainers including Redd Foxx and Ray Charles.

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"A dog is just a dog until you are facing him. Then he is Mr. Dog.'- Haitian saying.

One winter, as my studio in L.A. was being earthquake-proofed, my two dogs Peggy and Crystal and I were invited

to live in a small trailer at the 29 Palms Inn in the high California desert. We were nestled in between some palm trees next to an oasis with a spectacular view of the desert hills. The owners of the Inn owned an old hound, Rex, who had run of the property but slept outdoors. The desert winters are cold and hounds are short coated so I went to the thrift store and bought an old sleeping bag. Every night as the sun went down, Rex would show up and I would bundle him up outside my trailer door and he would go

to sleep. In the middle of the night when he ran off to bark at something, I would open the door to the clear winter air and star-filled skies and wait for him to rush back so I could bundle him up again.

One night my dog Crystal was anxious for me to let her sit outside with Rex so I made room for her next to him, leashed her, covered them both up and went inside the trailer. Later that evening I opened the door to check on things and saw a simple

image that opened my heart and mind to a truth about animals. As they lay next to each other, facing the desert, Crystal had put her paw over Rex's while they gazed out into the dark desert landscape. Two friends, touching for comfort, listening for danger and I like to think, peacefully enjoying the view.

I realized that in the moments we witness animals acting in ways we have identified as "human" -- reaching out for an affectionate touch, trusting, mistrusting, expressing jealousy, being playful, happy to see us arrive, sad to see us go and many other similar emotional behaviours -- we are witnessing emotions that belong to the animal kingdom.

There are 15,000 identified species of mammals which include us, the human species. Chimpanzees share 95 per cent of our genetic material. While we have tried to separate ourselves from our animal brothers and sisters believing we have dominion over them, in truth we share many qualities -- a capacity for

affectionate attachment being one of them. Recognition of this is what has fuelled the animal rights movement.

One of the best things about the internet has been the explosion of evidence of friendships and altruism in the animal kingdom often between animals of different species. All of the following examples can be found on You Tube- In Chile a dog pulls an injured dog on the highway out of harms way. - A dog rescues kittens abandoned by a road. - A tortoise adopts a baby hippo orphaned by the tsunami.- Two men rescued a lion cub from a department store sale, raised him until he was a year old and then introduced him to the wild. A year later they came back to the spot where they left him and called out. The lion, fully grown, came out of the jungle and leaped into their arms with joy and then introduced his wild female companion. - An elephant whisperer is credited with saving the lives of a herd of wild elephants intent on breaking down fencing designed to keep them away from the villages. Through bonding and communicating he convinces them to stop. When he dies, two herds he previously bonded with, travel 12 miles through the jungle, both arriving at his home within two days of each other. "A good man died suddenly," says Rabbi Leila Gal Berner, Ph.D., "and from miles and miles away, two herds of elephants, sensing that they had lost a beloved human friend, moved in a solemn, almost 'funereal' procession to make a call on the bereaved family at the deceased man's home."

If you are an animal lover and in your senior years, chances are you have said goodbye to more than a few pet companions. One dog died in my arms from cancer, another from old age, one was killed by another dog and one died while I was on vacation. My grief for each one was no less than the grief I've felt for the passing of a beloved human. I have heard people say they grieved more for their pet than any human.

Mammals form bonds. A more pragmatic person might say this is simply because there is safety in numbers. But our animal companions connect us with something that lies in the heart of the natural world; innocence, authenticity, freely given affection and unadulterated expressions of joy, qualities that have been grossly undervalued in our over civilized world and allowed only in our relationship with children...and pets. I believe that along with the personality of our animal companion, it is the sudden loss of these qualities when our pet dies that we grieve and why, despite the pain of the loss, we eventually become willing to bring another into our lives.

The author has written and illustrated a book about life after life for our pets called "Puck Goes to Heaven." It is available on Amazon with 5 Star reviews. This article was originally published on Canadian Huffington Post Nov. 2014.

Why We Grieve Our Departed Pets In Memory of Ginger, Girlfriend & Turbo.

Neighborhood Friends

D.V. Lawrence

Join us on twitter#midcity_tnn

15w w w.thene ighborhoodne ws .ne t DEC/JAN 2014

undertaking, requiring several months simply to gain access to certain properties, e.g., UCLA's Clark Library. The result is an amazing resource of beautifully photographed residential and public architecture -- street views as well as intricate exterior and interior details, -- that has been applauded in the Huffington Post and The Craftsman Bungalow.Loe explained to TNN that local residents were overwhelmingly supportive in his quest to photograph as many great Victorian and Craftsman edifices as possible. Besides lush photographs, Loe conducted 70 oral histories chronicling life in the area, running a wide gamut of residents back to 1902, including Kinney Heights's Wally Matsura who hosts a weekly salon in his home.

The important "Untold LA" interactive book can be easily accessed for iPads and Macs at the iTunes store for $9.99, with 50 of Jett's favorite photographs available for free Pdf downloads.If people want to be notified if and when the book comes out in print they can sign up to the ‘keep me updated’ list by going to http://untoldla.com.

shared video of suspicious people “hanging around”. Recently the Kinney Heights (north of Adams and west of Western) FB FB page was lit up with a rousing discussion of the prostitution business growing along Western. Prostitutes engage in flagrant business in parked cars along the streets of beautifully restored craftsman houses and neighbors are starting to organize. Kudo’s went out to Senior Lead officer Tracy Banuelos, who was spotted by several neighbors patrolling and rousing out prostitutes in the wee morning hours. But there is some frustration with a perceived lack of responsiveness by CD10 where a local deputy told the community a year ago the “FBI was on it" because of a suspicion that human trafficking was involved. Yet prostitution continues and grows. Some neighbors expressed frustration at the lack of police involvement while others expressed concern that the police did not have enough resources to manage the stings involved in shutting the business down. UNNC President Jeff Camp has weighed in offering to organize the community with local police and CD 10. TNN will update as the issue is addressed.

Book club members used to reading ChicLit in their friends' family rooms can now step it up. A new monthly

book club at the UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library in West Adams offers a novel opportunity to discuss historical fiction in the stunning interior of one of West Adams preeminent estates. Started in October in the historic North Book Room of the Clark Library, the Book Club gives the public a chance to lavish in the estate's fine molding and tapestries, while comparing contemporary literature to some of the rare books in the Library's famous collection.

The Clark Library Book Club

Renee Montgomery

A Rare Treat For Book Lovers

Untold LA Cont. from Pg. 11

Prostitution in Kinney Heights Cont. from Pg. 10

Clark Library Fellow Rebecca Munson developed the monthly reading series after she organized a seminar for UCLA's English Department and recognized that the opportunity to compare contemporary fiction to 17th-18th century antiquarian books should be opened to a wider audience. "I see the Book Club as a kind of public seminar for the friends of the Clark to socialize with one another and learn more about the collection," Munson told TNN. For instance, in the first October meeting, the group discussed Peter Ackroyd's "Hawksmoor" then perused original editions of texts written by some of the real characters, such as John Locke.

Slated for the December 18th meeting is Hilary Mantel's "Bring Up the Bodies," the story of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, and recipient of the 2012 Man Booker Award. Munson promises there are no exams and no prerequisites -- just an interest in history, reading and fun conversation. "We will spend time with spies and alchemists, witches and traitors, printers and players, and many famous figures in literary history," Munson notes in the library's blog.

The Book Club meets monthly at 4 pm at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 2520 Cimarron St., Los Angeles 90028, phone (323) 731-8529, www.clarklibrary.ucla.edu.

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Among the used restaurant supply houses and church storefronts lining Washington Boulevard west of

Crenshaw, three galleries have popped up lately, most notably The Underground Museum, an alternative art space and studio founded by successful artist Noah Davis and wife Karon Davis.

The Artists Are Coming!The Artists Are Coming!

Renee Montgomery

Editor's Note: Washington Corridor between Crenshaw and Western is seeing a burst of new Art Gallery's. When galleries move in, community renewal often follows. We are excited to bring attention to this activity and start with a report on

The Underground Museum

Known in the art world for his large scale figurative paintings, Noah Davis's work can be found in the collections of San Francisco MOMA, LACMA, and the Studio Museum of Harlem. The thirty-something artist, who relocated to LA after graduating from the progressive Cooper Union School for the Advancement of Science and Art, was featured in the Corcoran Gallery's prestigious "30 Americans" exhibition, in addition to group shows at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and Columbia University to cite a few. The site of a former pupuseria, the Underground Museum space between Crenshaw and Arlington Boulevards, was established by the Davis's to bring a high end non-profit gallery into a place devoid of cultural outlets within walking distance -- "an oasis," Karon describes. "Grab a book, see a great show and hang in the Purple Garden [scheduled to open next year]" Karon encourages TNN readers. Karon has lived in the area for years, going to USC. Noah has long been interested in art serving a role in the community, completing a series of paintings last Summer inspired by the Pueblo del Rio housing complex designed by Richard Neutra and Paul R. Williams in 1942, and being heavily affected by a series of New York exhibitions about the destruction of high end art that has become more about affluence and influence than worthwhile message. Davis' series "Imitation of Wealth" was comprised of sculpture replicas of overpriced works by blue chip

artists Jeff Koons and Donald Judd. At 6,000 square feet, the huge Underground Museum was conceived by the Davis's to house more than his own work and studio-residence. Since opening last year, the Museum has hosted several group exhibitions as well as offering performance art, film, plus a handsome library, sculpture gardenm shop and

wellness programs open to the public. The Spring exhibition "Veils" curated by Jhordan Dahl and Ariana Papademetropolos featured icons Chris Burden and Wallace Berman as well as several emerging artists. The recent "My Self is an Other" closing on November 22nd, was also guest curated. Not to mention special events like a seance organized by artist Jeff Vallance calling up the spirit of Andy Warhol, or free guided meditation sessions

designed to introduce as many West Adams residents as possible to the spiritual practice. In the next show "Ouroboros" opening on January 15, paintings and sculptures by Grant Shumate will form the centerpiece of performances scheduled throughout the exhibition. The Underground Museum joins the long-standing St. Elmo's Village in its mission to provide an experimental arts complex serving the local community. It is committed to working with small local businesses and individuals in contracting jobs. Davis' paintings blend vintage and surrealist images with reference to the Black experience and serious art history. For instance, his Osirus series shows an updated Egyptian goddess before a broken fan in a row house, and his "Just My Imagination"was based on the singing Temptations stage set which reminded him of a Sol Le Witt painting. Davis and The Museum were the focus of an

Cont. on Pg. 19

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Continued on Pg. 23

His voice is as distinctive and instantly recognizable as any in music. From his early days in gospel to his

collaborations with Sam Cooke, from The Dick Clark Show at the Hollywood Bowl in 1959 to the opening for The Beatles in 1962 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, from his monologues in the Seventies that presaged rap music to becoming a “crossover” artist before the term was invented, there has been one constant in Lou Rawls’ career — a voice that one critic has called “sweet as sugar, soft as velvet, strong as steel, smooth as butter.”

Guess Who Used To Live Here

Lou Rawls Residence1120 South Gramercy Place

From West Adams' Landmarks of African American History

Not surprisingly, he began by singing gospel. Raised on the South Side of Chicago by his grandmother, he was a member of his Baptist church choir when he was seven. In the 1950s, Rawls ventured to Los Angeles and joined the Chosen Gospel Singers and, later, the Pilgrim Travelers. Early in his career, Rawls purchased this West Adams-area residence from Dr. William Jamison, a veterinarian.

Rawls was performing in Los Angeles at Pandora’s Box Coffee Shop for $10 a night plus pizza in late 1959 when Nick Venet, a producer at Capitol, was so impressed with his four-octave range that he invited him to make an audition tape. He did, and Rawls was signed to Capitol. I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water, his

1962 solo debut album, became the first of more than 20 albums on that label in only a decade. It was Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing in 1966 which shot Rawls to the top.

During this period, Rawls began his hip monologues about life and love on World of Trouble and Tobacco Road, each more than seven minutes long. Called “pre-rap” by some, for Rawls they grew out of necessity. “I was working in little joints where the stage would be behind the bar. There had to be a way to get the attention of the people. So instead of just starting in singing, I would just start in talking the song.” His “raps” were so popular that 1967’s Dead End Street won him his first Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance.

Sinatra once said of the two of them that they were saloon singers—voices reaching into hearts and souls. Through the years, Rawls stayed true to his voice. “People may not know what I’m doing,” he said of his changing styles, “but they know it’s me.”

L.A. High School Wants to Partner With the Community!

Public schools are the civic centers of our local communities. And local communities are real- life learning environments

for students. Schools and neighborhoods working together have a positive affect on the quality of all our lives. So what can we do to increase it?

Los Angeles High School (LAHS) has opened its gates for neighborhood meetings. In mid October, the Longwood-Highlands Neighborhood Watch held a town hall meeting in the school's Corwin Theater. Off-campus stakeholders are welcomed on campus to attend sports events, dance and music productions, and membership on councils overseeing operations and budgets.

To help increase school and neighborhood collaboration, a project to create greater communications among off and on-campus populations is underway. The LA High Fresh Breeze is a calendar of activities and events, electronically distributed by email and posted on websites.

Help bring our schools and neighborhoods together by supplying the Fresh Breeze team with your schedules of events, meetings and activities. We put it together and distribute it to the larger community to benefit both individual organizations and the larger community.

Send an email listing of your organization's planned events, meetings, etc., to Ken Marsh, kmarsh@ca.rr.com or call 310-903-2173.

Ken Marsh

18 Keep our Local Businesses in Business. Use local Services!DEC/JAN 2014Shop Locally

Did you know that residents of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County have a considerable number of free

or sliding scale resources, support and information services available?

Stevie Rutherford is an amazing and highly accomplished local Go Getter. One of her many passions has been her focus on the Senior Community. She wrote, produced and hosted, the long running cable television series “Options in Eldercare” interviewing many noted heath care leaders, individuals who had endured catastrophic health issues and nationally recognized medical experts and elder/disabled professionals. This led to her documentary “Options in Eldercare: Preparation Before Need.” Her next major publication was “Disability and Eldercare Resource Guide: A 1001 Tips,” and is dedicated to families with disabled and elderly family members. She can be reached at mediator.stevie@yahoo.com.

Ms. Rutherford graciously agreed to put together a very comprehensive resource list for our community. CUT IT OUT AND SAVE IT. We at TNN are sure you will use it one day.

3-1-1 for information on services within L.A.Provides immediate access to information of more than 1,500 non-emergency city services. Calls are answered from 8 am to 4:45 pm everyday by agents who are trained to provide information or refer calls for service to the correct City agency the first time. Service is available in English, Spanish, the hearing or speech impaired, in more than 150 other languages through the use of language translation services

2-1-1or (800) 339-6993 https://www.211la.org/search-211-database-2/211LA County provides free, confidential services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in English, Spanish and more than 140 other languages via a tele-interpreting service. Services are also provided for individuals with hearing impairments.

Cityride (213),(310),(323) or 818 area codes then dial 808-7433Transportation assistance program available, for persons 65 or older or disabled in Los Angeles and select areas of Los Angeles County.

Paratransit (213),(310),(323)or 818 area codes then dial 808-7433Transportation door-to-door program for frail seniors and disabled that need assistance with accessing and utilizing transportation. Call for additional information.

Access Services (323) 780-9777 Service/Intake www.accessla.orgPickup and drop off transportation provider for senior or disabled residents. Fees for travel are minimal, caregiver can travel with rider. Call for information and scheduling.

Domestic Violence Hotline 800-978-3600http://www.lapdonline.org/get_informed/content_basic_view/1398The confidential service is available 24-hours a day - 365-days a year, The Domestic Violence Program, Shelter-Based Operations provide emergency or transitional housing and services exclusively dedicated to survivors of domestic violence. Emergency shelters offer refuge for up to 90 days. Transitional shelters offer refuge for 6-18 months.

Bulky Item Pick UP (800) 773-2489 (213) 473-4180Everyone is encouraged to recycle your bulky items through charitable organizations and thrift stores. If you are unable to do so, the Bureau of Sanitation (BOS) will pick-up large or bulky household items, such as mattresses, couches, and other furniture from residents serviced by the City of Los Angeles.

Rent Payment Assistance. 2-1-1Help with paying rent may be available from the County of Los Angeles. Call Los Angeles County’s 2-1-1 for more information.

Senior Citizen Lifeline Rate/Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 800-342-5397http://www.utilitybillassistance.com/html/los_angeles_department_of_wate.htmlPermanently disabled and senior citizens over the age of 62 may be able to apply for a monthly discount on their utility bills.

The Handyworker (213) 808-8803 Program provides free minor home repairs to low-income senior (62 years and older) or disabled resident homeowners or homeowners with disabled relatives residing with them. Emergency repairs that directly affect the health and safety of occupants are also provided to other low-income homeowners.

Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 800-342-5397LADWP fully support the federal government funded Low Income Energy Program. It involves a partnership of local governments and well as nonprofit organizations, and cash grants can help pay heating, cooling.

AIDS Patients (213) 202-2750 http://lacityaids.org/Support services for residents living with HIV/AIDS. Information and referrals for AIDS Testing Sites are also available.

Comprehensive Resource Listfor Seniors and Low-Income Residents

Stevie Rutherford

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Is there anyone else helping you?

MZ: I work very closely with our Senior Lead officers, who have a great grasp of the community’s concerns. They’ve given me summaries of those issues.

How do you see the neighborhood prosecutor position helping local residents? Why do we need it?

MZ: Based on my experience so far, it’s much easier for the community’s concerns to be heard when there’s a representative within that community available. When I hear about a problem, I’m not hearing it from a report made by an officer I don’t know or that’s somehow made its way to my desk. I’m here at the station, I can tell the officer to take me to the issue, I can see the magnitude of it.

Additionally, a crime may not seem like a big deal once it makes its way up the channels. However, if I know that this issue is important to the community, I can give it the attention and care it needs. Before this, a problem could easily get lost. So having someone that knows the area well is important.

How do people reach out to you to share a concern?

MZ: I tell everyone: email me. Tell me what’s going on, and if it’s something I can help with, I most certainly will. What exactly I can do may vary. It might be getting Building and Safety to go out and conduct an inspection; it might be to file a criminal complaint; it might be to meet with the problem business or property owner to get them to understand why they need to comply with the law.

This could lead to a lot of emails. Do you imagine there will come a time when you have too many problems on your plate? MZ: At this point, there have been enough hours in the day to address the concerns I’ve heard, though results take longer than I expected, because of the size of the city and the limited resources available. But solutions do come.

Eventually, I will have to prioritize, yes. But that doesn’t mean that concerns will be put on the back burner. If it’s something that another department should and can be dealing with, I will get them involved. A lot of times people come to me with concerns, for example, that are clearly a department of transportation issue – something that I’m not permitted to overstep – so I definitely redirect them. If an issue is something that clearly needs my attention, I will look at it, especially if it’s one that I’ve heard about from multiple residents.

Residents can email Zahari at mehrnoosh.zahiri@lacity.org to voice a local concern, or call 213-978-2220. For more information on the NPP, visit http://atty.lacity.org/CRIMINAL/NeighborhoodProsecutorProgram.

interview in the preeminent magazine Art in America in March 2013 on the eve of his solo exhibition at Roberts & Tilton gallery in Los Angeles. Also filling out the burgeoning Washington Corridor art scene is the Martos Gallery at 3515 Washington just west of Arlington and a yet to be named gallery On Washington just east of Arlington. With three new galleries in the Arlington Heights district and the Culver City Arts District at the western end of Washington, is LA Council district 10 becoming the new Venice? The Underground Museum at 3508 W. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, is open Wednesday through Sundays from noon to 6 pm.; phone (323) 989-9928 or go to theundergroundmuseum.com for further information about program and performance schedules.

Neighborhood Prosecutor Cont. from Pg. 6

but is filled with homes and small apartment buildings that were identified in Survey L.A. – the citywide survey of Los Angeles’ historic resources – as potential individual landmarks and/or contributors to historic districts. Its current zoning is complex: “RD,” or restricted density, which actually has fewer restrictions than the name implies.

UNNC asked that the Planning Department create zoning that would help protect those historic resources. The current zoning allows - without any special clearances - a would-be developer to demolish a series of adjacent homes and then build large apartment buildings over multiple lots that would be out of character and scale in the neighborhood. UNNC commented, “the RD zoning, in and of itself, is problematic in certain character neighborhoods since it allows for the joining of lots/parcels, and thus massing of new structures that are often over-bulked in comparison to the neighborhood and its surrounding residential structures.”

In response, Planning Department staff did NOT remove the RD zoning and instead created a new, “Character Residential Overlay,” zone that restricts new construction to single lots, with the same setbacks, height and massing of the adjacent character period homes. In other words, if someone tears down a house to build an apartment, they could only build one building per lot. They cannot buy three adjacent lots and build one big apartment. They would have to build three separate building each with similar height and front yard areas to the neighbors houses. This new overlay would conserve the Arlington Heights neighborhood and be a step along the way to possibly become a unified historic district in the future.

Since the West Adams-Baldwin Hills-Leimert Park Plan has already been approved by the City Planning Commission and is waiting to move forward for the City Council vote, these new changes will need Council President Herb Wesson to introduce a motion at City Council, with the attendant notice to property owners, public hearings and City Planning Commission approval before becoming part of the Plan.

Protecting Communities Cont. from Pg. 8

The Underground Museum Cont. from Pg. 16

DEC/JAN 2014 Keep our Local Businesses in Business. Use local Services!20

Did you know you can read EVERY back issue of The Neighborhood News at

www.issuu.com/theneighborhoodnews

Congregational Church of Christian Fellowshipmisdemeanor cases to be heard in Teen Court and gets parent approval to have the case heard in Teen Court, rather than Juvenile Court.

Ms. Taylor chooses twelve, trained, students, to serve on the jury. The jury listens and determines the defendant’s guilt or innocence. Then, they decide the appropriate way to deal with the situation, such as assigning community service hours or counseling.

L. A. High’s Teen Court cases involve those who attend other schools, to prevent jurors from knowing a defendant and seeing each other around school after the trial.

The punishment, when assigned, lasts for about six months. After those six months are up and the student follows instructions, the case is erased from the minor’s record.

LA High Teen Court Cont. from Pg. 9

AnnualFish Fry

Health Fair YardSale

OPNC, Midtown Shopping, Heal One World,Health Fair

Photos by Dawn Kirkpatrick

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