School Board vote on Tuesday, South L.A. pollution near LAX + new Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center

May 30, 2014 By Leave a Comment


School board members | www.laschoolboard.org

LAUSD school board members | www.laschoolboard.org

LA Times: On Tuesday voters will choose the new school board member representing a vast swath of South L.A. The winner will replace Margueritte LaMotte.

LA Times: The California Housing Partnership Corp. has released a report calling for 500,000 additional housing units for L.A. County’s poorest residents.

Long Beach Press Telegram: Residents in South L.A. and other areas east of the Los Angeles International Airport could be inhaling hazardous levels of fine particulates that could lead to health issues such as inflammation, blocked arteries, asthma and heart conditions.

KPCC: The new Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center had its grand opening this week and will be operating by mid-June. It’s one of several new buildings and services replacing the troubled King/Drew Medical Center.

Los Angeles Wave [OPINION]: The L.A. County Office of Education could be taking steps to close the Wisdom Academy for Young Scientists.

CBSLA: The students at Maya Angelou Community High School voted to name their campus after this literary legend two years ago, and now pay tribute to her legacy.

Global Post: Dr Dre is on his way to becoming hip hop’s richest man, says Forbes. After selling Beats Electronics to Apple, his net worth is expected to shoot up from about $550 million to between $700 million and $800 million.

USC News: Students from South L.A.’s Augustus Hawkins high school visited USC for a day of math-based games led by USC mathematics professors.

Best Start L.A.: Construction of a new park is underway at Avalon and Gage in South L.A. It will measure about a third of an acre.

PR Web [Press Release]: The Special Needs Network gala raised half of its funds for Joe Patton Academy Camp, which it calls “the only free summer inclusion camp in South Los Angeles for kids with autism and related disabilities and their siblings, benefiting more than 300 local children.”

Filed Under: In the news Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Northgate Market and Jamie Oliver program boost South LA food landscape

May 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment


After nine years of planning, the Northgate Gonzalez Market opened in South Los Angeles in April, becoming one of the area’s few full-service supermarkets committed to offering healthy options such as fresh produce at affordable rates.

“We wanted to prove with sales that we can bring quality to low income families here,” said Victor Gonzalez of Northgate’s marketing team. “We’re having a great response on all the items on the healthy side.”

In South L.A., according to the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, an estimated 39 percent of adults and 55 percent of teens are considered overweight or obese. UCLA’s report also says 39 percent of South Los Angeles children eat fast food three or more times in a typical week, compared to 18 percent across California. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Health, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Sergio Urida and Bombassmuzik, the last of the South LA record stores

May 27, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Sergio Urida at his store, Bombassmuzik, in South LA | Andy Vasoyan

Sergio Urida at his store, Bombassmuzik, in South LA | Andy Vasoyan

At the corner of Vernon Avenue and Main Street less than a mile from the 110 freeway, the terrain is a mix of small housing and smaller shops, blending slowly from residential to commercial districts. On the very edge of that border, sandwiched between a now-defunct flooring store and a combination barbershop-taco stand, is Bombassmuzik, one of the last record stores in South Los Angeles.

Bombass is owned by Sergio Urida, a native of the Figueroa Corridor neighborhood who lives within biking distance of the shop that he’s kept alive for 16 years.

Urida works behind a counter on which he’s taped pictures of him posing with Ice Cube and other rap notables, as well as an anime-style drawing of himself that he says a customer gave him. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Arts, Culture, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , ,

South LA schools turn campus playgrounds into public parks

May 26, 2014 By Leave a Comment


A sign advertises the weekend hours for the Trinity School park. | Joey Wong

A sign advertises the weekend hours for the Trinity School park. View more photos on Flickr. | Joey Wong

 

As summer hits and schools close down in South L.A., where do the children play?

The area is low on parks, and parents are often too busy working to take kids to parks or other recreation areas. If the children have nowhere to go, they may resort to playing on the street or staying at home with video games.

Two organizations are working to provide another option. People for Parks and Beyond the Bell are partnering with schools to turn the playgrounds into “Community School Parks” open to children on the weekends and throughout summer. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Environment, Health, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

LAUSD avoids South LA parent trigger, School Board race updates + Mercado la Paloma’s creative placemaking

May 26, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Mercado la Paloma | www.mercadolapaloma.com

Mercado la Paloma | www.mercadolapaloma.com

Hechinger Report: The L.A. Unified School District is agreeing to discus parent demands at South L.A.’s West Athens Elementary School to avoid a hostile parent-trigger petition campaign.

LA Weekly:  “L.A. School Board Race May Actually Be Riveting” as candidates vie for Margueritte LaMotte’s seat representing a vast swath of South L.A.

See previously on Intersections: School board postpones decision on Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte’s vacant seat

KPCC: South L.A.’s Mercado la Paloma is in the spotlight as an example of “creative placemaking.” KPCC hosts a forum about sites like these on May 27.

City Watch: The history of the struggle to bring cable to South L.A., and a vote for net neutrality.

See previously on Intersections: The battle to bring cable to South L.A.

 

Filed Under: In the news Tagged With: , , , , ,

Future of Crenshaw District’s Marlton Square still looks uncertain

May 23, 2014 By 1 Comment


An old mural stands out from the rest of Marlton Square. | Daniel Carr- Crawford

An old mural stands out at Marlton Square. See more photos on Flickr. | Daniel Carr-Crawford

Many driving through the Crenshaw district might head straight for the massive Baldwin Hills Mall — or simply pass through on their way to other parts of Los Angeles.

Few notice the massive, weed-filled lot that is Marlton Square, or know about its long history.

Learn more in an audio story from Annenberg Radio News:

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Crenshaw, Development, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

South LA’s $1 house, Metro fare hikes + Compton mayor Aja Brown a “political rising star”

May 23, 2014 By Leave a Comment


The $1-a-month house | KCET (video screenshot)

The $1-a-month house | KCET (video screenshot)

KCET: The house for rent at $1-a-month — yes, you read that right, $1 — in South L.A. Read more and watch a video.

LA Weekly: As Metro considers bus fare hikes, low-income riders are speaking out. At one protest, student and South L.A. native Tekoah Flory said mayor Eric Garcetti “stabbed us in the back.”

Washington Post: Compton mayor Aja Brown is named one of “top 40 political rising stars who are under 40 years old.”

KPCC: AirTalk’s Larry Mantle checks in with councilman Jose Huizar about plans for legalizing street vending in L.A.

Streetsblog LA: Streetsblog writer Sahra Sulaiman is a finalist for “Best Online Journalist of the Year.”

Business Wire [Press Release]: Kaiser Permanente gives South L.A.’s MLK Jr. Community Hospital $2 million to expand its maternity services.

Filed Under: In the news Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Plaza aims to boost Leimert Park community

May 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment


South Los Angeles residents, vendors and artists come together near the iconic white fountain in Leimert Park Village a place of commerce and community. | Jordyn Holman

South Los Angeles residents, vendors and artists come together near the iconic white fountain in Leimert Park Village, a place of commerce and community. | Jordyn Holman

When Magic Johnson helped lead the Lakers to victory over the Boston Celtics in the NBA championship of 1987, South L.A.’s Leimert Park Village burst into festivities that ran late into the night. Jerri Wingo remembers residents breaking into joyous cries and blasting R&B music on boom-boxes, while restaurateurs cooked enough food to fill Wingo and her friends for days to come. Wingo also remembers that it was this moment that made her feel welcome in Leimert Park after moving to L.A. from a small town in Michigan.

Every weekend for nearly three decades, Wingo has set up shop in the grassy park that anchors the neighborhood. With a stand next to the iconic white fountain, she sells wide-framed sunglasses and Afro-centric pins along with handcrafted beaded necklaces and wooden earrings. Although she lives in Ladera Heights a few miles away, Wingo said events like the monthly Art Walk draw her back into the area for art, music and shopping.

For this reason, Wingo said she hopes Los Angeles City Council approves a proposal to permanently close off part of the street to create a pedestrian plaza, which she thinks would enhance the feeling of community. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Community, Leimert Park, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , ,

South LA krump dancer, LAUSD teacher jail + Watts Girl Scouts

May 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment


Krump dancer Krucial from the documentary "Stand" | facebook.com/standmovie

Krump dancer Krucial from the documentary “Stand” | facebook.com/standmovie

USC News: A South LA krump dancer (and USC student) has her story told in a documentary called “Stand.”

The Nation: Crenshaw High choir teacher Iris Stevenson doesn’t belong in the “gulag of administrative detention known as ‘teacher jail.’

LA Times: Two years ago the LAPD, city housing authority and Grape Street Elementary School teamed up to create a Watts Girl Scout troop, which now counts close to 80 cookie-selling members.

RH Reality Check: A woman from South L.A. remembers her family feeling “shamed” for receiving welfare aid, and advocates for repealing the Maximum Family Grant.

USC News: Nelson Mandela appeared at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1990; now a commemorative plaque at the Court of Honor bears his name.

KPCC: Michelle Obama’s “Turnaround Arts” program will be offered at 10 of California’s lowest-performing schools, including Warren Lane Elementary in Inglewood and Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary in Compton.

Filed Under: In the news Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Inglewood poised to revamp its streets and its image

May 20, 2014 By 2 Comments


The freshly renovated Fabulous Forum | Olivia Niland/Neon Tommy

The freshly renovated Fabulous Forum | Olivia Niland/Neon Tommy

Inglewood-based architect Chris Mercier sometimes likes to play a word-association game with people when he talks about the place he’s called home for the past decade:

“If I say to you, ‘let’s go to Inglewood,’ you probably don’t picture a city, do you?”

As an artist and partner at (fer) Studio, an architecture firm in Inglewood, Mercier is an outspoken advocate for revitalizing Inglewood—starting with a city-wide rebranding.

“You probably imagined four things,” said Mercier. “The Forum, Hollywood Park, rap music and crime.”

For some, Inglewood is a place better known for its past—as the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers for 32 seasons, site of the iconic Randy’s Donuts, and a ubiquitous name-check in ‘90s West Coast rap—than its current endeavors or future plans.

“The city has created income from these things,” said Mercier. “It’s created a brand that isn’t good branding.” [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Inglewood, More on Intersections Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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