Perry re-elected as L.A. City Council’s President Pro Tempore

July 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment


imageDistrict 9 Councilwoman Jan Perry, who is serving her third term in the Los Angeles City Council, was re-elected as President Pro Tempore in vote of 12-1. Councilman Richard Alarcon voted against her appointment.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue to address the challenges ahead,” Councilwoman Perry said in a statement.

The city’s new fiscal year began July 1st. Eric Garcetti, of District 13, was unanimously re-elected as Council President.

Councilwoman Perry is only one of two women on the City Council. That’s why, she says: “this position is even more meaningful to me; I hope that young women will see that they too have a place in local politics and can be leaders in their community.”

Perry was first elected to the City Council in 2001. She will be ineligible for re-election to her current seat at the end of her term, but is currently exploring a possible mayoral bid in 2013.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , , ,

Jefferson Branch Library: Never judge a book by its cover

July 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment


By Alex Abels

The third of a four-part series on Jefferson Park and the changing urban neighborhood.

imageThe Jefferson Branch Library, open for nearly a century, is a building that has witnessed the changing landscape and make-up of the Jefferson Park community. It is one of the few buildings in the neighborhood placed on the National Registrar of Historic Places, recognizing its early 20th century Spanish-style architecture.

Over time, the functions of the American public library have changed, particularly found in urban communities. In some locations, patrons use the library’s computers to look for jobs. Homeless people use it as a respite from the elements. Some locations increasingly use it as a community center. Virtually all libraries have expanded their scope in one way or another, and the Jefferson Park branch is no exception.

Named in honor of Vassie D. Wright, founder of the first Black History celebration in Los Angeles in 1949, the library has long offered the surrounding community a rich menu of activities. Wright began the Our Authors Study Club, devoted to studying Black History which later launched California’s first Negro History Week, later transformed into the Black History Month that is nationally recognized today. The Our Authors Study Club still meets at the Jefferson Branch Library the third Saturday of every month, often working to raise money for college scholarships for students, one of a library’s newer functions in a new century.

Read more…

Filed Under: Arts Tagged With: , , ,

The Ins and Outs of the Greek Theatre

July 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment


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The Greek Theatre is a concert venue at the northern tip of Vermont Avenue that attracts nationally and internationally-renown acts.

Find out more about the Greek Theatre:

‘The State of Vermont’ explores the businesses, restaurants and activities on Vermont Avenue. A collection of audio slideshows, the series was produced by the Visual Journalism class at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.

Filed Under: Arts Tagged With: , , , ,

Carbon monoxide detector mandatory starting today

July 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment


The Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act (Senate Bill 183) is one of the many laws that has gone into effect today in California.  This law makes it mandatory to install carbon monoxide detectors in single family homes with an attached garage or fossil fuel source (like gas heaters, stoves).  Failure to do so could result in a $200 fine.

Multifamily units, like apartment buildings and condominiums, have until Jan. 1, 2013 to comply with the new law and install the detectors.

It’s estimated about 30 to 40 people die each year in California of carbon monoxide poisoning, with some other 300 to 400 people ending up in hospital emergency rooms.

Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that can kill a person within minutes.

Earlier this year, two Willowbrook women, a mother and daughter, died from carbon monoxide inhalation.  They had apparently left oven door open in an effort to stay warm.

Filed Under: Blog

Plastic bag ban starts today in L.A. County

July 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment


Starting today, if you’re going grocery shopping, you may need to carry your own bag if you live in some of L.A. County’s unincorporated communities.

Large supermarkets and pharmacies in South L.A. communities of Baldwin Hills, Athens, Willowbrook and Florence can no longer give customers disposable plastic bags.  That ban will extend to smaller stores by January of 2012.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors passed the ban last year on a 3-1 vote, as a way to get people to bring reusable bags when they shop. Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas was among those approving the anti-polluting measure.

Other unincorporated areas that have to comply with the new ordinance: Rowland Heights, Hacienda Heights, Altadena, La Crescenta, Topanga Canyon, Marina del Rey, Rancho Dominguez, Valencia, East Pasadena and East Los Angeles. More than one million people live in the unincorporated areas of L.A. county.

Filed Under: Blog

Tale of woe sends sweet roll vendor to the street corner

July 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment


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Columbus Lopez and his mother started selling Mexican sweet rolls and coffee off the corner of Vermont Avenue after a run-in with the police destroyed his original livelihood.

Listen to his story:

‘The State of Vermont’ explores the businesses, restaurants and activities on Vermont Avenue. A collection of audio slideshows, the series was produced by the Visual Journalism class at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , , , ,
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