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January has been a busy month for TERA. I
have a suspicion that this is the promise of
things to come for 2010.
Occidental College:
This month prior TERA President Michael
Tharp, Board Member Frank Parrello, and I met
with the new president of Occidental College,
Jonathan Veitch. Over the years, concern has
been repeatedly expressed as the college
announced plans, and in some cases executed
plans to further develop the campus. The
long-standing and recurring nature of Oxy
related concerns made this meeting very
important to TERA. Under prior Oxy
leadership, the announced specific plan
application to further develop the campus was
especially concerning to TERA. President
Veitch has made encouraging comments at
larger forums. We hoped to discuss those
comments at a more detailed level. It was
also our chance to be extremely candid in our
concerns and to express a prudent degree of
skepticism. We were able to communicate directly with
Dr. Veitch, see his enthusiasm up close, and
note the consistency with which his message
was shared by other Oxy representatives at
the meeting. Responding to our concerns
regarding the proposed specific plan, he
confirmed that the plan had been withdrawn
and offered to share a copy of the notice to
the City in that regard. He also spoke of
his passion for preservation. The need for
Occidental College to adopt a good neighbor
policy was embraced. He is also dedicated to
Oxy making contributions that will improve
the overall community of Eagle Rock, not just
the area immediately adjacent to the college.
Occidental College will be the venue for a
TERA Public Meeting in the near future. This
will be an opportunity for many to see, for
the first time, the beautiful campus that
lives in the midst of our town. Most
importantly, he strongly agreed that the
partnership between the college and TERA's
land-use experts would continue. I feel our
first meeting was very positive. You will
hear more directly from Occidental College
directly in a future e.letter. Experts in our Midst:
Michael Tharp, a prior TERA President and
Frank Parrello, a current board member, bring
to the TERA's efforts, very competent land
use and development planning skills. In
preparing for the Occidental College meeting,
I briefly chatted with them regarding the
specifics of their experience. It is no
surprise to me that they are good at what
they do. How fortunate TERA and Eagle Rock,
are to have individuals this talented,
willing to work on behalf of our community.
I hope you find their background as
interesting as I did. Martin Luther King - Day of Service:
Coordinated by Mary Tokita, TERA Vice
President, 16 students from Occidental
College hit the streets on MLK Day,
soliciting support from the community for two
initiatives: We look forward for additional
opportunities to collaborate with the
students of Oxy College to benefit the
greater good of our community.
"Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" -
March 27:
The fundraiser team has been hard at work and
the initial response is encouraging. Save
the Date postcards were mailed to all members
(active and past members). Thanks to the
combined efforts of Arthur Nakata and Scott
Bogue, website development is complete and
ticket sales have begun. Full color
brochures will be mailed by the second week
in February. The same information is now
available on-line (see below) or go to http://www.tera90041.org. We need help. If you would like to
participate as a volunteer please send an
email to president@tera90041.org. Assistance
will be needed at the reception as well as
helping at host homes. Please support TERA by participating in
this event.  Bob Gotham, President
Editor's note: This just in from Julia
Salazar, Executive Director of the Center for
the Arts, Eagle Rock: Dear Friends and Supporters, As you may already know, the City of Los
Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs is
being threatened with catastrophic budget and
staff cuts. Staff reductions of 24-48% have
been proposed as well as the total
elimination of grants that the Department
awards annually. This includes grants that
have been awarded for the rest of this year
that have not been invoiced and future
funding for Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock. In addition, the City of Los Angeles
Budget and Finance Committee has put forward
a motion that could eliminate any obligation
to fund the Department of Cultural Affairs at
all. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN as IT WOULD BE
CATASTROPHIC to many of the wonderful and
vital arts organizations in Los Angeles
including ours. The arts in Los Angeles are a
14.8 billion dollar industry. For every
dollar spent by the Department of Cultural
Affairs, eight dollars are generated directly
in jobs for artists and businesses.
We need your help and we need it TODAY!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Click here
to send a letter online.
If you don't live in the City, but enjoy the
services provided by the DCA,
you should direct your Emails to either City
Council President Eric Garcetti or
CD
14 Councilmember Jose Huizar who
represents council district where the
Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock is located. Thank you for your efforts and continued
support.
Note from the TERA President: I am
sorry this information below from the
Chamber of Commerce, reached you too late for
the meeting. I did attend this meeting. The
plan to reduce emergency services was a draft
proposal and it has been withdrawn. No date
was established regarding when a new proposal
would be received. A learning experience last
night was to better understand the difference
between EMT personnel and Paramedics.
Paramedics are the most fully trained and
have the ability to provide the much more
significant immediate medical assistance than
EMT's (Emergency Medical Technicians) are
allowed to provide. Whenever the next
proposal is published, potentially
substituting EMT's for paramedics is an
important nuance that we need to notice if
proposed. Here is the note from the Chamber of
Commerce: From: Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce
President Michael Nogueira, & Kaye Beckham
Corresponding Secretary This information is being sent to you
because it is pertinent to each of us - all
of us that live and/or work, or attend school
in Eagle Rock will be affected. Please read
the information, make your phone call and
pass it on. We will be without a rescue
ambulance for 9 days in a row- not the 6 stated.
The Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council will
address this issue on Feb 2nd, at the Center
for the Arts, Eagle Rock at 7 p.m. Pat
McOsker will be speaking along with a City
Representative. Your presence will be
appreciated. Our goal is to have the
emergency service that each of us in our
community deserve and that which we are
entitled to.
Editor's note: This recent
communication from the
"Friends of the Southwest Museum" is shared
in the hope that you will support their
efforts to preserve this gem in the middle of
Highland Park. Results from our January Meeting -- we
certainly engaged in a robust discussion!
There was good energy to push forward, harder
and faster. At the time of our meeting, we
shared information that Autry had plans to
meet with their donors this week to unveil
their "new plan" so time was extremely
limited. News FLASH: confirmation just came
that Autry cancelled the Jan. 28th donor
meeting and pushed it to an unspecified date
in the future. Councilmember Jose Huizar's staff member
Zenay Loera gave everyone at our Coalition
meeting an update that indeed Autry had just
met with CM Huizar to discuss the City's
significant financial offer for funding to
bring back a fully functional Southwest
Museum. This news was greatly appreciated!
It looks like our Councilmember put together
a generous offer that would be hard to say
"no" to. But after so many years of stalling
tactics by Autry, the general question was
"How long will it take for their answer?"
So, with the hope that Autry is truly
considering the City's financial offer for
the Southwest Museum, we can wait a short
amount of necessary time for Autry's Board to
meet. To that end, we need your continued
engagement and actions. Here's three:
We have made it easy with a big yellow
DONATE button on our website,
with paypal or a credit card. Also, we have
just established a Facebook Group - it's easy
to join our Friends of the Southwest Museum
Coalition. Then you can ask all of your
Facebook friends to help too!
Why is this critical now? The Highland
Park Heritage Trust, one of the founding
Coalition organizations, has received a
significant dollar for dollar challenge gift
that will support the work of our Coalition.
So, your contribution of $20 will actually
give the Coalition $40!
And, sadly, recently we've heard that
Autry was still searching for someone to take
the the historic Southwest Museum building.
We have hope that they will honor the Merger
Agreement and take up the Councilmember's
offer, but the reality is we must continue to
prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Your Help is Needed to Save Los Angeles'
First Museum.
More information: http://www.friendsofthesouthwestmuseum.com/
A study recently performed by the LA times
provides various metrics (income, education,
ethnicity, etc.) by neighborhood. As the
saying goes "who knew" that there are more
people with earnings in the range of $60,000
- $125,000 in Eagle Rock than in Brentwood.
Did you know that the level of education in
Eagle Rock is better than the average for the
city of Los Angeles? Here's the link,
check it out. You will see many myths blown
up by this study. And many suspicions
affirmed as well.
Descanso Horticulturist Mike Brown shows
how to reduce or remove your lawn to comply
with water restrictions, save money and to be
environmentally conscious in this one-day
workshop on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 9
a.m. to noon. Mike will also discuss
alternatives to the traditional routine of
mowing lawns.9 a.m.- noon., Feb. 6, Descanso
Gardens, 1418 Descanso Dr., La Canada.
$30, $24 members (818) 949-7980, http://www.descanosgardens.org.
L.A. STREET SUMMIT 2010 Biking, Walking and
Beyond!
Saturday, March 27 - Tickets Now On
Sale Purchase your tickets now for TERA's
fundraiser, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?,"
a celebration of fine dining and community
camaraderie, set for Saturday, March 27,
throughout Eagle Rock. Host dining
assignments will be made based on the date of
ticket purchase and TERA membership status.
The sooner you purchase your tickets the
better your chances are of dining at your
number one host choice. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" will begin
with a festive poolside reception at the Hill
Drive residence of Michael and Eugenie
Nogueira, leaders of the Eagle Rock Chamber
of Commerce and the 20th Century Women's
Club. After appetizers, refreshments and
live entertainment, participants will head
off to one of 18 dinner parties at homes
throughout Eagle Rock. Most importantly, "Guess Who" will provide
TERA the critical funding we need this year
to support community projects and activities
that improve the quality of life in the town
we all love so much.
TERA is a 501-C3 organization and tickets
will be tax-deductible as allowed by law.
For more information, email
TERAdinner@TERA90041.org or call TERA at
(323) 799 1190.
For additional information, send an email
to TERAdinner@tera90041.org
If you are not a TERA member, please use
the link below to become a supporting member.
We need your financial support to continue
our work for the Eagle Rock Community.
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