12/14/2001 Buy Donuts from Cops! The Los Angeles Police Historical Society
is raising funds by selling
Krispy Kreme donuts in front of the historic Northeast Police Station,
6045 York Boulevard, every Friday
morning from 7:30 am - 9:00 am. $8.00 will buy you the best donuts in the
world, while supporting the
Society's efforts to restore the station and create youth programs in the
Northeast community. For more
information, call (323) 344-9445.
12/15/2001 SOUTHWEST MUSEUM ANNUAL COMMUNITY HOLIDAY PARTY &
FREE ADMISSION
DAY Saturday, December 15, 2001 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 234 MUSEUM DRIVE L.A.
90065 Telephone:
323-221-2164 for info. Museum Grounds, Mt. Washington Come celebrate the
season with fun for the entire
family. Enjoy music, dance, storytelling, crafts, and a pinata for the
children. BOTH THE PARTY AND
MUSEUM ADMISSION ARE FREE!
12/15/2001 Friends of Debs Park Meeting @ Debs Park - 9:30 am - Main
Parking Area - Info: Louis
Quirarte 323.222.2620 - meeting in the picnic area up from Monterey Road.
Please come. There will be some
important information about the park framework plan's presentation at Rec
& Parks
12/15/2001 Friends of Debs Park Meeting @ Debs Park - 9:30 am - Main
Parking Area - Info: Louis
Quirarte 323.222.2620 - meeting in the picnic area up from Monterey Road.
Please come. There will be some
important information about the park framework plan's presentation at Rec
& Parks
12/16/2001 Friends of The Los Angeles River Monthly Riverwalk. Walks
are the third Sunday of each month,
canceled if raining. It's free, lasts about 90 minutes - a non-strenous
walk, not a hike. All ages, dogs
welcome on leash. For a map to the site, or to join Friends of the LA River,
see www.folar.org.
12/20/2001 Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council Steering Committee
Meets every 1st and 3rd Thursday of
the month. Where:
Lincoln Heights Library; Workman Street and Avenue 26. Time: 6 - 7.30 p.m.
For more
information contact: Garcia , Oscar E-mail Address(es): oscchr@aol.com
Business Information: Office: 626
796 9836 Phone: 800 473 6238
12/20/2001
Highland Park Neighborhood Council Organizing Committee will meet every
two weeks on
Thursdays 6:00 P.M. - Refreshments Free to all in the community 5031 N.
Figueroa Street info (323)
221-7179.
12/20/2001
Highland Park Neighborhood Council Organizing Committee will meet every
two weeks on
Thursdays 6:00 P.M. - Refreshments Free to all in the community 5031 N.
Figueroa Street info (323)
221-7179.
12/23/2001 ARTICLE: Political pressure may drive down Taylor Yards
park price tag By Leigh Bailey
According to at least one official, the "political heat" surrounding the
purchase of 40 acres of land at the
Taylor Yards industrial site for the creation of a park is helping to ensure
that the state will purchase the
property at a "fair market price" and may significantly reduce the profit
realized by the developers who are
offering the land for sale. "We've instructed [the appraisers] to go back
and look at the appraisal to
determine if what has been submitted really reflects a 'fair market value'
of the property," says David
Wrightsman, project manager for the Division of Acquisitions and Real Property
Services for the
Department of State Parks. The state, he says, "has to be satisfied" that
the price on the table is truly
reflective of what the property is worth. "We haven't made that determination
yet," Wrightsman says. Last
month, Lennar Partners, a developer with an option to purchase the 40-acre
parcel, indicated its willingness
to sell the property to the state for development as a state park. American
Lands Conservancy, an
independent agency that brokers real estate deals between private companies
and the state, prepared an
appraisal of the property and presented it to the Department of State Parks
for consideration. But park
advocates, while celebrating what seemed the inevitable progress toward
the creation of a park, expressed
concern that the deal on the table benefited the developer at the expense
of the taxpayers and ultimately
would mean less money to spend on the parks the purchase would ensure.
"We definitely want to see a park
at Taylor Yards," says Melanie Winter, director of the River Project and
one of the principal organizers
behind the coalition. "But we also want to see the state pay a fair price."
Winter and several other park
advocates objected to what they perceived to be an "exorbitant profit"
that Lennar would realize on the
sale, if the state accepted ALC's appraisal. "Lennar will be purchasing
this property at about $13.50 per
square foot," Winter says. "They want to turn around and sell it to the
state at something like $19.75 per
square foot. That's ridiculous." The property, a 40-acre parcel of land
owned by Union Pacific Railroads, is
considered prime real estate by developers and environmentalists alike.
Surrounded by Cypress Park,
Glassell Park, Lincoln Heights, Atwater Village, Elysian Valley, and Mount
Washington, with four elementary
schools and one middle school a mere stone's throw away, the site has been
coveted for years by those who
want to see commercial development of the area, and by those who want to
see concrete and iron rails give
way to green soccer fields and swimming pools. The state looks at the value
of other surrounding properties
-- known as "comparables" -- to determine whether Lennar's asking price
is a true reflection of the
property's value, Wrightsman says. "We need to go back and examine the
other comparables," he says. But
according to Winter, the comparable value of the property to Lennar declined
appreciably in the wake of the
Superior Court decision. Land that isn't developable, she reasons, is logically
less valuable. Even properties
that were developable -- and developed -- were worth less than what Lennar
is asking, according to Winter.
"Legacy, a company that recently developed a plot adjacent to the Lennar
property, sold their land at $11.50
per square foot," Winter says. Another developer, Home Depot, "sold for
$13.25." "These are closest
comparables you are going to get," Winter says. Even park supporters have
begun to feel the pressure to
"do the right thing" at Taylor Yards. One of those feeling the most political
heat around the creation of a
park at Taylor Yards has been City Councilman Ed Reyes, who took office
representing the 1st District in
July. Reyes, who served as Mike Hernandez's chief of staff throughout much
of the former councilman's
two terms, maintains he has "always supported a park at Taylor Yards,"
and recently released a statement
praising Lennar for agreeing to offer the land to the state. Reyes also
introduced a motion in City Council,
which passed a few weeks ago, requiring the city not to appeal the Superior
Court decision that sent Lennar
back to the drawing boards. But following a maelstrom of criticism from
park advocates who accused him of
"waffling" on the proposal, Reyes released yet another statement, in order
to "clarify" his position once and
for all. The statement, released in response to what Reyes' chief of staff
Jose Gardea called "inaccurate
and unfair criticism" of the councilman, emphatically expresses his desire
to see a park created."Let me
state upfront, I absolutely support the State Purchase of Parcel 'D' at
Taylor Yards for the development
of 40 acres of active recreational space for our young people," the statement
reads.
http://indep.townnews.com/display/inn_news/news02.txt LETTER TO THE EDITOR
I'd like to make a
couple of clarifications to Leigh Bailey's otherwise excellent reporting
on the ongoing developments at the
Taylor Yard site. First: Lennar's purchase agreement for the 40.3 acre
parcel was for $20.4 Million, which
breaks down to roughly $11.50 a square foot, not $13.50. That may sound
picky, but it makes a $3.5 Million
difference. Second: Legacy & Home Depot were the purchasers, not the
sellers in the two properties
mentioned as comparables.Lastly: The progress that has been made is a direct
result of the efforts of the
nearly 40 organizations - which include just about every local community
group in the area: businesses,
churches, sports leagues, environmental & social justice non-profits
that comprise the Coalition for a State
Park at Taylor Yard. (http://www.tayloryard.org) Thanks for staying on
top of such a complicated and
important issue. Melanie Winter Director The River Project
12/27/2001 LINCOLN HEIGHTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LUNCHEON - 12:00
Noon - 2:00 PM -
Luminaria's Restaurant 3500 Ramona Blvd. Monterey Park - Info: 323.221.6571
12/28/2001 Cypress Park Library Event Every Friday, from 2:30 to 5:00
p.m., the Cypress Park Library has
Introduction to the Internet and Virtual Library. Call 213) 612-0460, to
register. The Cypress library is
located at 3320 Pepper Ave.
12/29/2001 Cruise-In to the Eagle Rockin' Rodders Monthly Classic Car
Drive-in Night - Jim's Burgers
2005 Colorado Blvd - 5:30p- 8:30 pm Bring a contribution for Eagle Rock
Beautification Collaborative's
efforts in the adopt-a-wall anti-graffiti program.
12/30/2001 "Sunday Showcase" / "Domingos Alegres" Talent Show - Band
Shell Hollenbeck Park - 12 p.m. - 2
p.m - 415 S. St. Louis St., Los Angeles, CA 90033 We invite you to join
us every Sunday of the month for
free entertainment in front of our Band Shell. Bring your family, friends
and a picnic lunch, and spend the
afternoon together with us. If you are interested in performing, please
Contact: Luz Davidson or Kelci Tang
- Phone: (323) 261-0113
Health - Until 12/30
ARROYO VISTA FAMILY HEALTH CENTER GRAND OPENING - In celebration
of
our opening, we are offering: free blood pressure, diabetes checks, height
& weight,
vision screenings, and clinical breast exams. Complete physical exams for
females (TB
test, pap smear & blood test) are available for $20.00 or a donation.
Complete physical
exams for males (TB test, PSA/prostate cancer & blood test) are available
for $30.00
or a donation. Arroyo Vista Family Health Center 4815 Valley Blvd., Suite
C, Los
Angeles, CA 90032. Info: Corina Rico (323) 254-5221, ext. 204 or crico75@hotmail.com.