HIV in South LA, Ron Finley profile + Tijuana-style tacos



Felipa Mayo cooks on the street in South L.A. | Daina Beth Solomon

Felipa Mayo cooks on the street in South L.A. | Daina Beth Solomon

A roundup of recent news stories about South Los Angeles:

KCET: Rudy Espinoza writes that street vendors can bring healthy food to South L.A. (See from Intersections: South LA street cooks could soon go legit)

LA Weekly:  In South L.A., Young Gay Black Men are Mired in Old Taboos — and HIV

KCET: Going green, the South L.A. way

The New Yorker: How Magic Johnson fought the AIDS epidemic

LA Weekly: A profile of Ron Finley, South L.A.’s “guerilla gardener”

LA Weekly: A profile of Gia Medley, “First-Generation Spitter” from South L.A.

LA Times: Food critic Jonathan Gold visits Tacos Los Poblanos in South L.A.

Environmental Protection Agency [Press Release]: The EPA has awarded the Los Angeles Conservation Corps $200,000 to continue providing “job training and skills to unemployed and economically-disadvantaged residents of South Los Angeles.”

Allenco to pay for upgrades at South LA oil drilling site



Allenco | Emmanuel Martinez

A gate barricades the AllenCo oil drill site from the street. | Emmanuel Martinez

The Environmental Protection Agency announced an agreement with the Allenco Energy Inc. Friday that will cost the South L.A. oil production facility $700,000 for site improvements after it was found to be in violation of industry standards and receiving hundreds of residential complaints.

This deal is a result of an EPA investigation that uncovered several health and safety violations.

“When a company is operating in extremely close proximity to a neighboring community, it is essential that steps are taken to ensure the safety of the residents,” said Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest division, in a statement. “Today’s order requires Allenco make the investments necessary to comply with the federal Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.”

Also see: City Council votes to halt oil drilling in South LA and throughout city, West Adams neighbors seek to oust oil productionAllenco addresses South LA oil field complaints [Read more…]