We're relocating and will no longer publish on this website.
+ Click here to continue reading news and stories about South LA (and beyond). All of the previously published stories from Intersections South LA will be archived and continue to be available here.
+ You can also keep up with news from South LA on our Facebook page.
+ If you have any questions or comments, please visit our Facebook page or email us.
When Jonathan Marcelino’s parents told him he could either own a computer or a cell phone, the decision was not difficult for the 17-year-old to make.
As the eldest of four children born to Mexican immigrants living on a tight budget in Nickerson Gardens, a Watts public housing project, Marcelino knew that although he would have liked to have a phone to regularly text friends, a computer would be more productive.
“Regardless of where I go, I want to study computer science,” he said. “I want to do cool stuff, make money and then do a nonprofit. That’s why you don’t see me running with a phone.”
The lack of exposure to technology and its practical applications in daily life is a reality many students living in and around South Los Angeles face, Marcelino said.
It is an issue that has garnered a statewide conversation. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Barack Obama said “helping students learn to write computer code” is one of his goals for the coming year. The focus on the emerging sciences is also a goal shared by 46 states and the District of Columbia are trying to achieve with the roll-out of Common Core requirements, an education policy that includes the goal of bringing K-12 students up to speed in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school district in the nation, has faced criticism over the past couple of years while working to implement technology within these new academic standards.
Many of Marcelino’s friends either do not make the same decision as he regarding technology, or are not given the option. Marcelino said several of his friends’ families don’t own computers.
In 2013, LAUSD faced an iPad fiasco that led to an overhaul of the $1.3 billion Common Core Technology Project. Superintendent John Deasy, who spearheaded the project, stepped down shortly afterward. Leaders in the district are now reevaluating how to best use technology in the classroom.
While the district restructures, STEM programs are looking to fill the technology education vacuum by reaching low-income, minority communities — the demographic that makes up more than half of LAUSD— through afterschool and weekend programs.
Landscape of LAUSD
The Los Angeles public school system faces the same pressures that many urban-centered school systems encounter. LAUSD educates 650,000 students spread throughout 915 elementary, middle and high schools, according to Julie Charles, a coordinator of LAUSD’s technology initiative. The district also has a high population of low-income students, which means that many of its students, like Marcelino, might not have regular contact with reliable technology at home.
Administrators looked to corporate sponsors in order to increase opportunities for students to use computers to complete school assignments. In June 2013, the Board of Education approved LAUSD partnerships with both Apple Inc. and Pearson programs. The goal at the time was to provide students with iPads loaded with Pearson educational software to use. Every student was slated to receive a working iPad by December 2014.
“There’s layers that we have to speak about when it comes to the access to technology,” said Oscar Menjivar, founder of the Los Angeles nonprofit Teens Exploring Technology, or TXT, which introduces minority students to STEM learning. “We have to educate parents and students on the importance of having something that they can use to create. It’s about educating on the value that this computer might bring to them.”
During the LAUSD rollout, however, not every student was provided an iPad, and there were glitches in the software that had been installed to the devices. Some iPads didn’t have all the Pearson software and not every school received its shipment of iPads. A portion of the tablets were found to be missing because of holes in the device’s tracking system.
The difficulties were nationally recognized when the FBI began probing the multimillion-dollar program in December 2014. The FBI looked into potential bid rigging after claims surfaced that Superintendent Deasy, Pearson and Apple had a prior relationship before the contracts were awarded to the two companies. The district’s interim superintendent halted the program in early 2015.
Marcelino said he and his peers felt that based on their own research, iPads might not be the right technology for the classroom.
“I never got an iPad,” he said. “It’s more efficient to have a laptop than a tablet. It was an older generation iPad. It wasn’t up to par.”
In the wake of the mix-up, LAUSD created the Instructional Technology Initiative, or ITI, which allows individual classrooms to determine what technology is necessary to aid each specific learning experience.
“They’re exploring the usage of laptops versus iPads,” said Charles, the coordinator of ITI. “Schools are now given a choice between what kinds of devices best fit their instructional program.”
Options include iPads, Google Chromebooks and Microsoft Service Pro, Charles said.
Yet, students agree that improvements could still be stepped up.
Marcelino, who attended public school until his junior year of high school, said he eventually transferred to a private school because its classes were more technology-focused. For his first two years of high school he attended South L.A.’s Alain Leroy Locke Senior High School, which came under the supervision of Green Dot schools in the fall of 2008.
“There were no electives at Locke to dive deeper in technology,” Marcelino said. “There’s no computer science. Back at [middle school] they had a computer class, but it was a typing class.”
Instead, Marcelino said, he would have liked classes that taught him how a computer worked and what needed to be done to make it function. He said he believed it was important to know that extra step.
“I felt like it was just me,” Marcelino said about wanting to be taught more. “Other people were always just talking in class. In high school I found people who wanted to get it but never took the initiative to go and explore.”
Hands-on learning
Part of bridging the digital divide, students and educators said, is finding a way to effectively place technology into students’ hands. Before his parents bought him a computer, Marcelino remembers handwriting his essays. His classmates had to type their essays on their phones. Some still do.
Marcelino now attends Verbum Dei High School in Watts, where he says he uses iPads and other computer technology in the classroom at least once a week. In his free time, he still tinkers around with breaking down and rebuilding computers.
“They realize the importance of having the computer,” Marcelino said of Verbum Dei administration. “If you don’t have a computer, the lab is open for anyone if you need to do work. I like that shift of ‘We have the resources, use it.’”
Educators who run after-school programs focused on technology have said the LAUSD curriculum doesn’t emphasize understanding the mechanics that go into building the technology or how it works once the students have devices in their hands.
Chris Baccus, co-founder of Limitless STEM Academy, a coding camp that runs Saturday sessions in the basement of Southside Church in Inglewood, said a majority of his participants attend public schools within LAUSD. In his program, the 21 middle school students learn in non-traditional ways and work toward semester-long goals of writing code to make robots function.
“The problem with LAUSD and the system that they’re currently using is that a lot of them aren’t actually teaching coding,” Baccus said. “They’re teaching ‘click-and-drag’ software.”
Within the Common Core, there are not specifications for students to learn code. Yet, Baccus says the Common Core’s emphasis on critical thinking and math skills aligns perfectly with what he’s teaching his students to do.
“The difference between what they’re doing and what we’re doing is that our students actually have to write the line of code down to the semicolon, comma, everything,” Baccus said. “Our students in fourth and fifth grade are writing 30 to 40 lines of code each week.”
Writing a line of code is a tedious process similar to learning a new language. All of the words and symbols must work together in order for the computer to understand which output the code is looking for.
One of the sponsors of Limitless STEM Academy is the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics. KIPR has been around since 1994, making the long-term educational benefits of robotics accessible. The program has been trying to establish a partnership with LAUSD, Baccus said.
KIPR board member and Limitless co-founder Minda Wilson said piquing student interest early on is key.
“What makes a good program is one that actually teaches kids how to program,” Wilson said. “You need that critical thinking part. No matter what your goal is in life for yourself, the skills that you learn in technology are helpful.”
Other extracurricular programs are also capturing students’ interest in the technology fields.
Marcelino said he first found his passion in coding through TXT, which holds semester-long and 15-week summer programs operated in classrooms on the University of Southern California campus. Students gain proficiency in several coding languages, including HTML and CSS.
In high school, Menjivar, now 37, was like Marcelino in that he wanted more technology programs offered to him. Menjivar said once students from minority communities are exposed to this technology it is possible for them to begin realizing career possibilities in STEM.
Nearly 80 percent of LAUSD students live in poverty and about 30 percent are learning English as a second language, according to LAUSD statistics.
“Raising the bar is really important,” Menjivar said. “For example, we don’t just teach them how to code. We tell them, ‘You have to build a product.’ You get them to that level and at the end, their confidence is up.”
One of the latest initiatives Menjivar has worked on is bringing hackathon competitions, or all-day coding programs, to public housing complexes. The first one was held in August in Nickerson Gardens where Marcelino lives. The second hackathon was on Dec. 12 and brought more than 100 elementary and middle school students to the gym of Pueblo Del Rio Housing Development in South L.A.
Students learned how to code, with the promise of a free Dell computer to be awarded as the top prize.
Students, mostly African American and Latino, came out in droves to participate in programs as their parents walked around the gym to watch what their young ones created on Google-powered technology..
Coordinators of both TXT and Limitless STEM Academy have said LAUSD teachers have reached out to them to try to engender this same commitment to STEM in all students in their classrooms.
With the recalibration of the technology initiatives from the district’s high-level officials, Baccus and Menjivar said they hope this becomes a district-wide reality soon.
Rolling out the finished product
The first step, Baccus noted, begins in educating students in elementary and middle school. Coding, like a language, is processed at a faster rate in younger brains.
Some LAUSD teachers have already reached out to Limitless STEM Academy and TXT inquiring how accelerated programs could be integrated into public school curriculums to teach a large number of students how to effectively code.
As the district hits restart on its technology plan, it is better addressing the way students learn with the technology it is instituting. After ITI tackles the technical issues and make sure every student receives their device, Charles said, a second phase will roll out.
“We haven’t done a deep dive yet into the instructional opportunities and potential the device holds,” Charles added. “That’s really what we’re starting now and moving forward with.”
In Sept. 2015, the district released a follow-up report on its instructional technology initiatives spearheaded by the American Institutes for Research. The report showed that LAUSD made sure all schools involved in its technology program had Wi-Fi capability. It has also increased its technical and instructional supports.
There are still strides to be made, the report acknowledged.
“Although the desire is for positive change to be immediate, the reality is that educational settings are complex and implementation processes take time,” the authors wrote.
One remaining hurdle is educating teachers and getting them to the level of effectively teaching students how to harness emerging technology.
“We’re asking teachers to do a huge shift in how they teach,” Charles said. “One of the things we’re really looking at is how we are providing professional development over not only the course of two or three weeks, but really ongoing professional development for teachers in that shift.”
Many coordinators say they understand the district’s limitations and believe they’re able to help.
“We’ve got a couple schools where we already taught the teachers at the LAUSD level and they’re struggling to implement it just because the resources at the school level,” said Baccus, who worked in the city’s public school district for 17 years.
As the district continues to work out the kinks in its technology plan, Marcelino, who is wrapping up his college applications, said he hopes younger students like his 11-year-old sister will benefit from the initiative in ways that interest them in STEM.
“My sister has just gotten a laptop,” he explained. “I want her to be exposed to not just being a consumer but knowing that there’s more than just going to a website and playing games.”
]]>Some see a dark side to Powerball frenzy — the toll on poor players
Although one expert called the lottery “a cheap way to buy a license to fantasize,” for lower-income families, the lottery indirectly costs more than just $1 to play. (LA Times)
Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi’s LocoL Opens January 18 in Watts
The first 100 people to visit the location will receive a free swag bag and free food. (LA Eater)
]]>Kendrick Lamar and TDE’s Holiday Concert and Toy Giveaway (Recap)
Angelenos gathered at the Nickerson Gardens Projects for the second annual free concert and toy, food and shoes giveaway on Dec. 22. (Examiner.com)
At 77, South L.A. doctor is still making the rounds
One doctor is not only still working but spreading his passion for healthcare to a younger generation of doctors entering the field in South L.A. (LA Times)
5 art shows you should see in L.A. this week
Leimert Park’s Papillon gallery features Andy Robert’s “Blind Contour” show, taking cues from a common drawing exercise in which the artist does not look at work they are creating while drawing a subject. (LA Weekly)
]]>Next month the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services plans to open a recuperative care facility adjacent to the Martin Luther King Community Hospital. The facility will treat homeless patients who have been discharged from the hospital or the nearby county-owned Martin Luther King Jr. Outpatient Center.
“If you’re homeless and you’ve been discharged from the hospital you often don’t have anyone to treat your wounds, change the dressings or help you manage with a broken leg,” said Marc Trotz, director of DHS’ Housing for Health program. “You can’t deal with these conditions properly if you are living on the streets.”
The MLK Recuperative Care Center, which will begin accepting patients Jan. 5, will be housed on the hospital campus, in a former dormitory for Charles Drew University medical students. The center will have 50 rooms and 100 patient beds, making it the county’s largest facility of its kind.
Lamp Community—a Los Angeles based group that advocates on behalf of the homeless—and the L.A. County DHS operate a similar 38-bed facility in East Rancho Dominguez, but this will be the only one on a hospital campus. The proximity, Trotz said, will help simplify the transfer of patients from the hospital to the Recuperative Care Center and improve communication between officials at the hospitals and those at the care facility.
With an operating budget of approximately $3 million, the care center will be staffed largely by registered nurses and nurse practitioners overseen by a licensed physician who serves as medical director.
The facility also aims to help cut long-term costs associated with the care of homeless patients. L.A. County reports it spends $70 million a year on inpatient costs for the homeless.
“You can’t discharge them because they have no place to go and yet it’s not really appropriate to be in a hospital bed,” said Yolanda Vera, senior deputy for health advocacy and chief counsel to L.A County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. “A hospital bed is very expensive. The federal government and health insurance won’t cover the cost of the bed because it is not medically necessary so it is a huge cost that the county is eating.”
Staying in the hospital longer than is medically necessary also puts patients at greater risk of developing additional infections. According to a study published by the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2011, approximately two million patients develop healthcare-associated infections per year.
Housing for Health officials and those at Supervisor Ridley-Thomas’ office began discussions for the project in 2013, but because the dormitory went unused for many years, it had to undergo substantial renovations. Vera said the elevators were initially not operational and bees had nested in some of the walls, while others had holes or had sprung leaks.
Renovations are now complete and officials are putting final touches on the facility including selecting artwork.
In addition to recuperative care, the center will feature a program to engage residents with art and has partnered with a community group that will provide meditation services aimed at reducing stress levels as patients prepare to reintegrate into the community.
Michael Hochman, an internist and health deputy for Supervisor Ridley-Thomas, said a safe, communal and social environment is instrumental in ensuring recuperation and preventing future hospital visits.
“The best thing about being out of the hospital is you are able to get up and go outside if you want,” Hochman said. “It prevents your bone mineral density from decreasing like it would lying in a hospital bed all day.”
Additionally, he asserts that access to daily meals is important for regaining strength and is often something the homeless lack.
Both Trotz and Vera emphasize that the facility will not serve as a long-term housing option for the homeless. County hospitals have a screening process under which they will determine if a patient is eligible for the Recuperative Care Facility. Patients will likely stay for no more than six weeks.
As patients recuperate, officials at the center will work to link them to social services and help them find permanent housing while collecting data that will track how long they’re there, what services they’re getting and what their health needs are.
The facility plans to gradually begin accepting more patients after the initial opening this january.
“We want to slowly ramp up so that we can make sure we don’t get overwhelmed,” Vera said. “If you don’t get folks through properly, if it’s not connected with overall strategies concerning homelessness and if we’re not being holistic, it will fail.“
Trotz said the new facility is indicative of a broader shift in tackling both healthcare and homelessness and in viewing the needs of the homeless with a larger scope. He hopes the facility will serve as a model for other county hospitals in Los Angeles and throughout the country.
“At other hospitals with patients in need of recuperative care,” Trotz said, “this type of facility has real possibility.”
]]>Shanice Joseph is a resident of Watts and a former member of the Intersections South LA Reporter Corps.
When I asked my little brother what he wanted for Christmas, I was surprised when he replied, “nothing.” In the history of my twenty-four years of living, I have never heard a child, especially one under ten years of age, say that they wanted “nothing” for Christmas. As much as I wanted to inquire more about what appeared to be a nonchalant and defeatist attitude toward Christmas, I had to start getting ready for work, so it would have to wait until later.
I have been a airplane cleaner for American Airlines at LAX for two years. Although my job is stressful at times, it financially supports me, my family and my education. I usually dread going to work and wanted to call off today, but I needed all the hours that I could get so I could buy everyone something for Christmas….or at least that was the goal until my brother declined the gesture.
I got into my mother’s car and sat in between my younger brother and younger sister for the ride to my job. As I looked outside, it appeared it was going to rain. “I don’t want to go to work,” I sighed for the four millionth time. I wasn’t looking forward to cleaning up international throw-up and picking up blankets that people threw everywhere onboard the plane. The thought of calling off again played with my head until my mom pointed out a homeless woman.
“You have to admire her dedication. Rain, snow or heatwave, she’s out here hustling,” said my mom.
My heart sunk in my chest knowing that my mother wasn’t exaggerating. This homeless woman really did stand all day, at this busy intersection (on a small island divider) for long hours holding up a sign, asking for change for survival.
“Yesterday when I saw her, it was pouring rain but something else caught my attention,” said my mom. “I was driving down the street when I saw this man and woman both pushing a stroller each, with a young girl walking behind them.”
“Wait this street?” I asked, looking out the window and frowning. It was a wide and busy street. There were not many lights. There were no sidewalks, but there was a bike lane that the family must have been walking on, and the speed limit was 40 mph. There was no way I was going to walk down this particular street, especially not in the rain or with three small children. The slightest turn of the wheel could seriously injure a pedestrian.
“Yes,” my mother continued. “At first, I wasn’t going to stop but it was raining hard, it was Sunday [meaning that the Metro bus was going to take forever], they had kids with them and none of them had on a jacket. They all had on light cotton sweaters or long sleeve shirts, but nothing rainproof. So, I yelled out my window, ‘do you want a ride?’ They hesitated to answer, but I pulled over anyway and they all eventually got in”
Now, here was something that wasn’t surprising at all. I love that my mother is so helpful, but I worry about her. She is always giving a stranger a ride somewhere. She has been doing this for as long as I could remember.
“They all got in. They were soaking wet like they had been walking in the rain for a while,” continued my mom. “At first they were quiet, but I start talking so the mother replied back. She explained that they had seen a flyer that said this building was giving away Christmas toys, and they went. It was a long line that went down the street. They stood in that line for hours and then it started raining. She said they tried to stand there as long as they could to get their kids some gifts, but the rain just got worse, so they had to leave.”
I shook my head. That was so unfortunate, but something told me my mom wasn’t done.
She saw my facial expression and continued, “I felt so bad for them that I start looking for things in the car to give them, because I didn’t have any money and I didn’t have anything in the car to give. I looked at the father and he was just so distant and maybe even disappointed in himself. So I asked them where were they going and it got awkwardly quiet, so I thought I said something wrong. I asked again and the father spoke for the first time since he been in the car. He said, ‘Western and Lomita,'” I frowned again.
My mother knew exactly why I was frowning and nodded her head slowly. “Yes they are homeless” she said, confirming my thoughts. Although, according to a recent article published in The Los Angeles Times, “13, 000, people fall into homelessness each month,” it still bothers me to hear such stories, especially when certain factors like children and the holidays are involved. Unfortunately, their situation is nothing new or uncommon. California has one of the highest number of homeless individuals in the country (over 20% of the state’s population is homeless,) and the numbers are increasing, forcing the state declare it as an emergency situation. It’s so upsetting that I would give up a lifetime worth of Christmas presents to solve the problem.
For some people, the holidays are the best time of the year, meanwhile for others it’s a heartbreaking reminder of how they have struggled financially throughout the year. Also, a lot guilt and stress falls upon the parents, especially homeless ones, for not being able to provide the necessities, let alone toys. I have witnessed the stress pass down from the parents to the children, which causes children to be selfless and either not expect anything for Christmas or not want anything for Christmas. I looked over at my younger brother and wondered if this was the case for him.
“Yeah, I felt so bad. The dad probably felt worse; he was probably beating himself up for standing in the rain and still not being able to get anything. To add insult to injury, no one wanted to pick them up and drop them off,” my mother continued.
“They are residing at a broken down motel which is in walking distance of Palos Verdes, one of the richest neighborhoods. All of these nice warm cars passing them by and not doing anything….but that’s another story. I just told you that to remind you of how blessed you are and how thankful you should be. The next time you feel like calling off work, don’t. Some people have the hardest time finding a job or financially supporting their families, and you are complaining about the one job you do have,” she said. My mom was absolutely right, I had no right to complain.
When we arrived at my job, I managed to change my attitude and turned to my younger brother once more. I asked again what would he like for Christmas and he paused as if he was thinking. My mom looked at me through her rear view mirror and said, “I heard someone say, as we get older our Christmas list get shorter because what we want, money can’t buy.” It was an interesting concept. However, my brother smiled as if a light bulb had clicked over his head.
“I want some Pokemon cards, and you have to play Pokemon with me,” he laughed. I smiled back at him, “Sure, we can do that.”
It wasn’t much, but sometimes the bare minimum, be playing cards or a kind gesture like giving a family a ride out the rain, was something people greatly appreciate.
]]>
Christmas Comes Early to South L.A. At 50th Annual Ruth Moore Christmas Party
Hundreds of disadvantaged children gathered at Fremont High School to receive gifts and watch holiday performances. (CBS Los Angeles)
South L.A. Man Defiantly Builds Tiny Houses For Homeless People Across L.A.
As temperatures drop and Christmas approaches, one man says that he will keep constructing tiny “eyesore” homes built for the homeless in spite petitions to stop him. (CBS Los Angeles)
LAUSD Shutdown May Have Cost The District $29
The decision to send home over 640,000 LAUSD students in response to an emailed threat could cost the district $29 million in funding due to a loss of average daily attendance, according to California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson. (LAist)
]]>
One community organization has a grant to plant trees in South Los Angeles, but first it has to convince local residents that picturesque, tree-lined streets aren’t just for neighborhoods in Beverly Hills.
“If you’re struggling on a daily basis, trees might not be the first things you’re thinking about. These communities deal with crime, a large homeless population, illegally dumped trash, graffiti, and gang violence … Most people are just trying to get by,” said Ryan Allen, Environmental Services Manager of Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC).
However, Allen and the staff at KYCC know that planting trees can have positive effects in low-income communities. The benefits of having densely planted trees include reduction of energy costs, creation of shade, and the beautification of neighborhoods.
In neighborhoods like South Los Angeles and Pico-Union, which both scored poorly in air quality evaluations, planting trees can help reduce the effects of pollution by removing toxins from the air.
“One tree on its own will do those things, but there is the idea of strength in numbers,” Allen said.
KYCC received nearly $330,000 in grant money from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to make the vision of dense tree cover a reality in the South Los Angeles and Pico-Union areas.
The funds stem from a cap-and-trade program passed in California in 2006 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Under cap-and-trade, companies have to pay for emissions over a certain limit, increasing the incentive to reduce air pollution. At least 25 percent of the revenue from the program is distributed to greenhouse gas emissions-reducing projects in low-income neighborhoods.
South Los Angeles struggles with high levels of pollution that are compounded by other problems. A case study of the area shows that the South Los Angeles area is “disproportionately burdened” by poverty, unemployment and linguistic isolation.
KYCC got the grant to plant 1,120 trees over a four-year period starting in 2016. Its goal in the project is to use the grant to see that at least half of the potential tree sites on neighborhood streets planted.
After the initial planting, KYCC will provide funding to maintain the trees for the first three years. After that, the trees will have grown substantially and will need less maintenance work. Despite the benefits of having trees planted, not everyone is on board with the plan.
Community members have voiced concerns about tree roots breaking up sidewalks, having to water, prune and maintain the trees, and the trees dropping leaves. Allen also cited a mental barrier that trees might not fit the culture of South Los Angeles neighborhoods. In the past, trees planted incorrectly caused sidewalks to crack and fall into disrepair.
That’s what the KYCC grant is for. Beyond buying trees to plant, the organization plans to reduce barriers and address community concerns. If community members voice worries, then KYCC can use some of the grant money to remove stumps or invasive trees, repair sidewalks, check sewer lines, and other incentives.
“We are going to try to address different concerns people could have so they don’t have reason to say no,” Allen said.
KYCC is qualified to mitigate these potential issues because the organization has been involved in tree planting efforts since 1999, and has expertise in selecting the right tree species and planting them in the right places to ensure they won’t damage sidewalks.
The task of physically getting the trees planted is expected to be an undertaking that will require community engagement. Previously, KYCC has gone door to door knocking and asking if residents would like a tree. The new grant is based on individuals taking responsibilities for their own streets and talking with their neighbors to get trees planted.
KYCC also plans to help organize community planting events to help get residents’ hands dirty and encourage involvement with the cause.
“It takes somebody dedicated, and a certain amount of legwork to work with neighborhood and to get people interested,” Allen said.
KYCC will be working through community organizations to streamline the process. Allen said the team is just now beginning to work with other organizations from existing partnerships and make new connections.
One new organization KYCC could be partnering with for a tree planting project on a different grant is the Redeemer Community Partnership.
Redeemer has an independent initiative focused on Jefferson Boulevard to “Make Jefferson Beautiful” by beginning a tree canopy, repairing sidewalks, and integrating bike lanes for safer transportation. Niki Wong, the lead community organizer at Redeemer Community Partnership, said she wants all the area surrounding USC to benefit from the university investment.
“USC is right next door. Vermont Avenue kind of serves as this invisible line between two cities….Part of what we are hoping to do is kind of dissolve that line and make the closeness beneficial for folks in the neighborhood,” Wong said.
Wong said one of the most important benefits of partnering with KYCC on a tree planting project is the commitment to long-term maintenance and community engagement. The grant Wong applied for through the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative would maintain 15 trees, plant 14 new trees, and replace two dead trees. Although the shade will not be provided immediately, within a few years well-tended trees will provide the full benefits.
Besides the environmental advantages of having trees planted, Wong also said attractive tree cover could encourage residents to go outside more and help draw businesses to the area.
Further, Wong pointed out that even though grant money is being set aside to help remedy these problems, under-resourced communities may not have the time or expertise to complete complicated grant application processes.
“This is for a community that has been overlooked, and at the bottom of the priority list for all sorts of improvements. Our crosswalks are faded, our sidewalks are broken, and a lot of tree wells are empty or have dead trees in them. It’s just very clear that there has been neglect,” Wong said.
Applications for annual grants will be available for the KYCC grant funds in the spring. Community organizations can apply and individuals can also get support to build up a tree canopy in South Los Angeles. Both Wong and Allen emphasized that in order to move forward with the projects, community support and engagement is essential.
“We want to be helping communities and residents to make their vision for a better neighborhood happen,” Allen said.
]]>A new documentary looks at the story of four ‘unlikely gardeners’ in South L.A. whose lives were positively impacted after getting involved in the recent urban gardening phenomenon. The film comes shortly after a change in L.A.’s land-use policy, which now permits gardens in parkways. (Take Part)
SoCal Gas May Take Months to Fix Ongoing Gas Leak in Porter Ranch
A methane gas leak from the Aliso Canyon storage facility in Porter Ranch is expected to take three to four months to complete. Impacted residents have been complaining for months about the bad odor, and have received an apology from the chief executive of the Southern California Gas Company. (ABC 7).
]]>