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No Sleeping Here: "John, you gotta stop sleeping here" is what the emergency rescue team said to the fellow lying on the lawn in front of the Eagle Rock Library. I had noticed him sprawled out as I walked to a barber appointment. I really couldn't detect any movement but allowed for the chance he was enjoying a deep alcohol induced slumber. On my way back to my car I went much closer, looking for any evidence that he was still among the living, or barely living I guess is more accurate. Seeing no chest movement and not having the comfort level to go "face to face" to detect his breathing, I called 911. As they drove up, sirens blaring, John's chest began to move, perhaps a long-learned reaction to the sirens and anticipation that he would be asked to sleep elsewhere.
I felt the need to include this recent experience in the eLetter because it was one of the more profound experiences I have had in a long time. I applaud the EMT folks for treating John with dignity and with a familiarity that may be the closest thing John experiences for friendship at this point of his very unfortunate life. For the most part the homeless stay invisible in Eagle Rock. There are those who wish they would simply be gone. I am not sure where they are expected to go. What is clear is that there is a homeless problem and Eagle Rock is not immune to the impacts. I wonder what impact John's presence may have had on the young people visiting the library. The approach to solving the problem, if there is one, is not working. I wish I had the answer.
Public Meeting: TERA continued its long history of hosting public meetings on April 25 when approximately 50 people attended the Meet the Candidate meeting. The candidates responded to a broad range of questions, some of which focused on getting to know the candidates a little better on a personal basis. Candidates were available for one on one conversations with attendees at the end of the formal part of the meeting. Please be sure to vote on June 5.
New Board Members: Any organization is only as strong as the people who make up the organization. A few months ago Michele Espinosa Coulter, a developer professional joined the TERA Board. I am extremely happy to welcome two more extremely qualified individuals to the Board, Jay Platt and Greg Meridith. You can read more about Greg and Jay in their biographies below. The skills they bring and their dedication to community service are wonderful additions to the TERA Team. Their biographies will be found below. Please join me in welcoming Jay and Greg to the TERA Team.
Membership: If you have not already done so, become a TERA member. On a regular basis, about twice as many people open this eLetter as are found in our membership base. If you are one of those regular readers and you appreciate what TERA is doing; show your support by becoming a member.
 Bob Gotham, President
Not a member? Join now at http://www.tera90041.org/join-paypal.htm . Memberships begin at only $15.
Membership has benefits! Discounts are available for TERA Members at the following participating merchants. Look for the TERA Membership Decals at merchant locations. Just show your active membership card. Click on http://www.tera90041.org/benefits.htm to see the member benefits offered by each merchant.
If you are a merchant and would like to participate in this program, which includes free advertising in the eLetter, please email president@tera90041.org.
Greg Meridith: Greg is a recent 25 year resident of Eagle Rock and has lived in the Greater Los Angeles area for 37 years. Over the course of his residency, he has developed a deep affection for the hometown feel of the Eagle Rock community. As a result, he is interested in working with TERA to preserve and enhance the unique residential, commercial, and open space qualities of the community. He is a 25 year employee of the City of Los Angeles and currently works as Manager of Information Technology for the Bureau of Contract Administration where he served for the last 15 years. Prior to that he served in the Planning Department as the Secretary of the Board of Zoning Appeals which gave him some insight into land use and entitlement issues.
While Greg has lived in Los Angeles for the great majority of his life, he spent his childhood as a Navy brat bouncing between varied places such as New York, Virginia, and Nebraska. He completed his high school education in Glendale, which gave him his first exposure to Eagle Rock. Greg also has a Bachelor in Information Systems and Master's in Information Technology both from the University of Phoenix. Greg and his wife Minh like the experience of traveling but are proud to call Eagle Rock their home.
Jay Platt: Jay is a recent Eagle Rock transplant, but a native Angelino. He is interested in finding ways to help a community's design enhance its livability and looks forward to working with TERA to keep Eagle Rock a great place to live (and eat...). He serves as the Historic Preservation Planner for the City of Glendale and as a member of the city's Urban Design Studio. He is also an adjunct faculty member in USC's School of Architecture (despite going to UCLA as an undergrad), teaching classes in the Master's Program in Historic Preservation. Previously, he served as the Preservation Advocate for the Los Angeles Conservancy, working on preservation issues throughout the county.
Although he really does love Los Angeles, Jay lived in the Northeast for 12 years, getting his Master's in Historic Preservation at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by a move to New York City. While there, he worked for the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission, private consultant Building Conservation Associates, and the Historic Districts Council, a non-profit advocacy group. Jay and his wife Kathleen are happy to be back on the west coast and, along with their beagle Watson and a few other beasts, have found both house and home in Eagle Rock.
The importance of timing cannot be overstated. It appears more and more that timing may be an important friend for this initiative. In the early days of this effort a very experienced planner and Eagle Rock community activist said that "if the Boulevard could ever be changed, this is probably the time." Bill Roschen, President of the Planning Commission for the City of Los Angeles has indicated that our project was one of the most exciting community streetscape proposals in the city. In a recent meeting update meeting with Councilmember Huizar, Bill stressed the potential of Take Back the Boulevard to make Eagle Rock one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city. LANI (Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative) has been discretely looking over our shoulder. They liked what they saw and invited me to their annual conference, to make a presentation as part of a workshop regarding community activism. On May 13, the Los Angeles times featured an article about the resurgence of boulevards city-wide. Christopher Hawthorne, the architectural critic for the Times mentioned Take Back the Boulevard and similar initiatives that are found county-wide.
Our streets, on the move on Page A1 of Sunday, May 13, 2012 issue of Los Angeles Times. We are at a very important milestone. Approximately 20 meetings have been conducted in the last 10 months involving 300 participants. The community has spoken and the way in which they would like to see Colorado Boulevard improved has been fairly consistent from the first meeting to today. On June 5 everyone is invited to attend the third community meeting - see flyer above. At this meeting we will share the goals and objectives that have been requested by the community and speak about next steps, taking us closer to the day when improvements for the Boulevard will be more than hopes but reality. Please be part of this important milestone meeting.
For more information regarding this initiative go to http://www.takebacktheblvd.org.
The initiative also will be found on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/takebacktheboulevard
The following is a recent update provided by the CD14 Council Office on the status of the efforts to better control the presence of dispensaries in Eagle Rock and throughout the city. The inclusion of "Gentle" in the title relates to a new provision allowing those with a medical need, under certain guidelines, to establish small groups in order to grow marijuana for their personal needs.
The City Planning Commission approved a report 8-0 Thursday to move forward with Councilmember Huizar's plan to repeal the City's medical marijuana ordinance and ban medical marijuana while allowing limited access for patients. It was the second such vote by the commission in support of the plan.
Councilmember Huizar introduced the repeal and ban legislation after a court ruled that the City of Long Beach's medical marijuana ordinance violated federal law prohibiting marijuana use. Long Beach's ordinance is similar to Los Angeles'.
Several other court rulings and more than 50 lawsuits from medical marijuana dispensaries have left Los Angeles' medical marijuana ordinance in limbo. While the California Supreme Court recently stated they will hear the Long Beach case, as well as others, their decision could be as long as two years away.
While waiting for the state's Supreme Court to rule and bring some clarity to municipalities grappling with this issue, Councilmember Huizar thinks the City of Los Angeles needs an immediate plan to control for the over-proliferation of unchecked medical marijuana dispensaries.
Colorado Boulevard and Eagle Vista:
Many have reasonably assumed this project is another abandoned project. The good news is that it is not abandoned. The bad news is that when the project will be resumed is uncertain.
My understanding is that toxic material was found in the soil and must be abated before construction can begin. Given that the location has been focused on automotive related uses for many years, it hard to understand why that would not be anticipated. I am attempting to reach the developer to confirm first-hand that toxic soil is the issue and to better understand when the project will be resumed.
DHM Lofts:
It is indisputable that the abandoned project on Colorado Boulevard, close to the 134 freeway ramps, is the worst case of blight in our community. Doing something about this eyesore is the item I most frequently hear as concerning to the community.
When TERA began working with the Council Office to try and find a solution, I acknowledged that we did not have a solution in our back pocket; and that there would be a considerable learning process as we moved forward. As a result of TERA's invitation to work on this together, the Council Office, which has always been supportive of a solution, is more focused on the issue. If hope was enough to solve this it would be solved. But this is a very unique abandoned project.
According to the broker, interested buyers are not a problem. Many have expressed interest. However, in the process of performing their due-diligence they conclude that this property would not be a prudent investment.
Paramount in the challenges of this development is the nature of the property. The fact that this project includes a retaining wall supporting a severely excavated hillside introduces considerable engineering challenges and risk. The city has found the wall to be stable and adequate as currently constructed. However, once a new developer restarts construction, the city reserves the right to reexamine the retaining wall, potentially reaching a conclusion that could require extensive and expensive reengineering and construction. The same principal concept applies to all other aspects of the development that are already constructed.
Building codes have changed since this project was initiated. It is possible that complying with code changes could involve considerable expense.
Finally, the engineer who designed the project is no longer available to defend and/or explain the work completed to date. Consequently, it is likely that the new developer will have to reverse engineer the project and provide new structural engineering plans.
Given the numerous factors that cannot be resolved with certainty, some of which are listed above, it is very difficult for any would-be investor to build a business plan that does not include an unacceptable level of risk. The high degree of investment risk that is inherent to this project is the reason we have not seen progress to date.
The Council Office is making further inquiries to the Building and Safety Department to determine if there are any ways to reduce the considerable number of unknowns that confront any developer when he or she considers purchasing this troublesome property.
Unless you know someone ready to invest a couple of million dollars with no promise of any return, very unfortunately this is probably going to remain an eyesore until the multitude of risks to any investor can tolerate can be reduced to a manageable level. In the meantime, TERA will continue to meet regularly with the Council Office to ensure that all possible solutions continue to be explored.
The Eagle Rock Rock and Eagle Shop:
This is one of the coolest places I have visited for a long long time, and it's right here in Eagle Rock - at least for a short while. Bettina Hubby is an artist and who has created an entire shop as work of art in every way. Her work of art pays homage to the Eagle Rock Rock and to Rocks and Eagles in unimaginable ways. Rocks warmly ensconced in a crocheted web, eagles soaring from pillows, tiny pet rocks with a look that says "hold me", and a myriad of other art forms celebrating eagles and rocks.
Don't delay; her shop is only open through June 3. Visit The EagleRock Rock and Eagle Shop at 4765 Eagle Rock Boulevard soon. You won't be sorry. Contact info: 310.801,9952 or http://www.hubbyco.com
TERA could not exist without the support of our membership. Many thanks are extended to the following individuals who have recently become TERA members or renewed prior memberships. We couldn't do it without you!
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