Calendar of Events

Tues., Aug.28, 2007
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
Public Hearing
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Wed., Aug. 29, 2007
Starts at 11:30 a.m.
East L.A. Chamber of
Commerce Business
Seminar Luncheon
Tamayo Restaurant
5300 E. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90022

Mon., Sept. 3, 2007
Labor Day
* County buildings closed *

Tues., Sept. 4, 2007
Starts at 1 p.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Fri., Sept. 7, 2007
Starts at 11 a.m.
* Info at (909) 623-3111 *
L.A. County Fair Opening Day
Pomona Fairplex
1101 W. McKinley Dr.
Pomona, CA 91768

Sun., Sept. 9, 2007
Starts at 11 a.m.
East Los Angeles Mexican
Independence Day Parade
(Parade route on Avenida
César Chávez from Lorena St.
to Mednik Ave.)
Los Angeles, CA 90022

Tues., Sept. 11, 2007
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Thurs., Sept. 13, 2007
10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
"Cut It Out" Anti-Domestic
Violence Press Conference
Modem Salon
1712 Silver Lake Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Tues., Sept. 18, 2007
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Thurs., Sept. 20, 2007
Starts at 5:30 p.m.
East Los Angeles Starbucks
Grand Opening
3853 E. Third St.
Los Angeles, CA 90063

Sat., Sept. 22, 2007
Yom Kippur

Tues., Sept. 25, 2007
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
Public Hearing
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Thurs., Sept. 27, 2007
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
Metro Board of Directors
Meeting
1 Gateway Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Tues., Oct. 2, 2007
Starts at 9:30 a.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Mon., Oct. 8, 2007
Columbus Day Holiday
* County buildings closed *

Tues., Oct. 9, 2007
Starts at 1 p.m.
L.A. County Board of
Supervisors Meeting
500 W. Temple St., Rm. 381B
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Fri., Oct. 12, 2007
Starts at 6 p.m.
East L.A. Civic Center
Dedication Ceremony
4801 E. Third St.
Los Angeles, CA 90022

Sat., Oct. 26, 2007
Starts at 11 a.m.
Familias Unidas Wheelchair Wash
Centro Maravilla
4716 Avenida Cesar Chavez
Los Angeles, CA 90022

August 24, 2007 -- Volume III, Issue VI

SPLASH PAD SUMMER AT SAN GABRIEL VALLEY PARKS!

For many L.A. County families, public parks substitute for private backyards. Especially for lots of First District residents, public pools and water play areas -- known as "splash pads" often provide the only local refuge from the withering summer heat. So we have prioritized the construction of new splash pads -- especially in unincorporated pockets of the San Gabriel Valley.

These splash pads have opened at Bassett Park in unincorporated Valinda, Dalton Park in unincorporated Azusa (pictured above) Allen Martin Park in unincorporated Valinda, and Amelia Mayberry Park in unincorporated South Whittier. We recently opened a new splash pad at Rimgrove Park in unincorporated Valinda (pictured at right) and the kids love it!

But enjoying a splash pad means spending hours in direct sunlight. So we spent an additional $210,000 to install concrete and shading structures, which provide a vital respite from the draining sunlight and protect splash pad users from painful sunburns.

REMODELED BELL GARDENS LIBRARY REOPENS

Libraries serve as after school programs for many L.A. County youth. So it was with great pleasure that we recently celebrated the Bell Gardens Library Grand Reopening. We remodeled it at an $813,000 total cost. Of this amount, the City of Bell Gardens contributed $50,000 through donations from the General Electric Company volunteers -- and L.A. County made up the difference.

Now the Bell Gardens Library has a new floor plan; a restroom accessible for individuals living with disabilities; self-check machines for faster customer service; new paint, carpet, and tiles; and parking lot improvements. Library staff also will be able to hold family and children's activities both indoors and outdoors. Best of all, the new Bell Gardens Library features a beautifully decorated children's reading area plus a homework center stocked with new computers. Designers made sure to select a new style for the facility that remains compatible with the Bell Gardens Civic Center, of which the library is an integral part. The Bell Gardens Library is located at 7110 S. Garfield Ave. in Bell Gardens, and staff there can be reached at (562) 927-1309. It is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday; and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. It is closed on Sunday and Monday.

FIRST DISTRICT GANG-RELATED HOMICIDES DOWN 57%

Gang homicides in the First District are down by 57 percent in 2007. At this time last year, the district had experienced 21 gang-related homicides but so far this year, there have been fifteen.

We have worked hard to combat gang-related violence by teaming up with local residents and Sheriff's Department staff to identify gang hotspots and eradicate known gang hangouts. The Board of Supervisors also allocated $1.5 million to the Sheriff's Department both this year and last specifically for summer gang suppression efforts. And as of July 1, 2007, L.A. County employed an additional 105 deputies in each unincorporated community and added 18 more gang detectives to the Sheriff's Department's Operation Safe Streets program. It's all very good news for L.A. County -- and especially the First District.

GO METRO TO SOUTHEAST MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADUATION

High gas prices this summer are motivating more L.A. County residents each day to dump the pump and "Go Metro." I recently joined my Metro colleagues in pledging to use rail rather than the road more frequently. It's hassle-free and inexpensive. For instance, getting from downtown L.A.'s Civic Center to Trade Tech College to deliver a Southeast Middle School graduation ceremony keynote address took 15 minutes and cost $2.50.

Because I didn't drive to get there, I felt free of the agitation that traffic causes. So I enjoyed even more the important educational milestone that the 460 students, family, and friends celebrated. As their summer vacation comes to a close and the Southeast Middle School Class of 2007 approaches their freshman year of high school, I strongly urge them -- and all students -- to stay in school. Education empowers, and it enriches.

ALL-ACCESSIBLE PARK FOR AVOCADO HEIGHTS

Every child needs a place to play outdoors. Children with disabilities also deserve this experience but not all public parks provide the proper equipment to make it possible.

So we're very excited that plans are moving forward to construct a universally accessible park in unincorporated Avocado Heights. Once again, we've brought on board Shane's Inspiration to design it. Their staff worked with unincorporated Union Pacific residents just three years ago on the space-themed El Parque de los Sueños (pictured), which is Spanish for "The Park of Dreams." The 5.5-acre parcel in Avocado Heights should total approximately $5.5 million and will include a state-of-the-art play site for children with disabilities, new restrooms, and some refreshing open space. The park will be located at 553 S. 4^th Ave. It should open in 2010.

EASTSIDE EXTENSION AND TRANSIT PLAZA ON WAY

We are proud to announce that construction of the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension recently reached its two millionth work hour. Many thanks to contractor Mike Aparicio and his construction team for reaching this milestone with zero lost-time injuries! When it opens in 2009, this much-anticipated, hard-fought, $898.8 million light rail line will connect East L.A. to the rest of L.A. County's mass transit network.
A new transit plaza (pictured) at the East L.A. Civic Center will function as the final stop. It will feature bold yet whimsical teal arches dotted with brilliant tile work ringing Belvedere Park's southern side. All this activity signals the final leg of construction at the East L.A. Civic Center campus. And its completion will represent the fulfillment of an important promise: Making municipal services accessible in the heart of the East L.A. community.

EAST L.A. MARKS FRIDA KAHLO's 100^TH BIRTHDAY

Those of us familiar with East L.A. know that mixing politics and the arts has been an integral part of the neighborhood experience for many generations. So it was no surprise that hundreds of locals turned out to celebrate the 100^th birthday of Frida Kahlo -- the legendary Mexican artist and activist -- at Gallery ChimMaya on Beverly Blvd. in East L.A. Frida Kahlo's paintings continue to inspire -- especially in places like East L.A., with its predominantly Mexican and Mexican-American population and its continually thriving local art movement.

Many at the Gallery ChimMaya birthday celebration honored Frida Kahlo by dressing in her signature, traditional, Mexican style complete with black, pinned-up braids and a dark unibrow! We'd like to thank Steve Acevedo and Daniel Gonzalez -- owners of Gallery ChimMaya -- whose commitment to local art genuinely empowers the East L.A. community and creates an opportunity both for struggling and established artists to showcase their work. To learn more about Gallery ChimMaya, go to http://chimmaya.com or call (323) 869-8881.

L.A. COUNTY SURPLUS PROPERTY AVAILABLE

If you operate a non-profit, tax-exempt agency, you may be eligible to acquire L.A. County's surplus property -- for free. Each year, approximately 75 L.A. County 501(c)3 agencies get first dibs on everything from computers and printers to file cabinets and cubicle panels. You must be a U.S. citizen to qualify and you must be referred to the L.A. County Surplus Property Program by a supervisorial office. Non-profit agency directors who operate a facility located in the First District should call Barbara Nack at my San Gabriel Valley Field Office in El Monte at (626) 350-4500 for more information.