Vintage Collectibles, Tour a Renovated House, and Public Meetings Galore!

By Laura Meyers

Isn't it time to get involved with your community?

1). COLLECTIBLES CLUTTER MUST GO!
Saturday, January 21 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. 4311 Victoria Park Drive ( Victoria Circle - enter from Windsor off of Pico)

Longtime WAHA members are cleaning house - they are clearing out the clutter of vintage collectibles at a garage sale tomorrow. Collectibles, household items, furniture, records, rugs, picture frames & more.

2). L.A. RIVER WORKSHOPS
San Fernando Valley Saturday, January 21 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Reseda High School, 18230 Kittridge St., Reseda

South Los Angeles Tuesday, January 24 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Exposition Park Intergenerational Community Center, 3890 S. Menlo Ave.

Atwater/Glendale Narrows area Saturday, January 28 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Chevy Chase Recreation Center, 2165 Chevy Chase Drive, Los Angeles

Help design the river of your dreams. You're invited to participate in the the second series of public meetings for the Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan, an 18-month planning process where the community will be invited on an ongoing basis to help craft the future of the River. The purpose of these meetings is to educate newcomers about the river, present what we've heard from the community to date, and to discuss opportunities and challenges for future LA River projects. Content and format will be the same for each meeting. The format for the meetings will be a presentation, followed by a discussion session where you will be invited to address your areas of special interest. The meetings will start promptly and continue for approximately 2 1/2 hours. Refreshments as well as children's activities will be provided! For more information, call 323-669-9100 or visit www.lariver.org

3). WASHINGTON BOULEVARD REVITALIZATION
Tuesday, January 24 6 p.m. Pio Pico Elementary School, Multi-Purpose Room, 1512 S. Arlington (at Pico)

Last June, United Neighborhoods Neighborhood Council formed a joint task force working towards the development, adoption, and implementation of a Los Angeles City Specific Plan on Washington Boulevard between Normandie and Crenshaw in order to "create a sustainable, livable, safe and green urban village built upon smart controlled patterns of development and transportation." On Tuesday, UNNC will be presenting its mission statement and principles to the Community Redevelopment Agency's Mid-City Project Area Committee. The Mid-City Project Area boundaries include this section of Washington Boulevard.

Please plan on attending to learn more about the proposed Washington Boulevard Specific Plan. Or, if you are already aware of the task force's efforts, attend the CRA-PAC meeting to demonstrate your support. It is vital that CRA and the PAC members know that the community wants to move forward on this issue.

Your "support" means simply that you support the concept of the specific plan. We have outlined broad strategies and goals. There is a long process ahead (and a series of public meetings) before UNNC and community stakeholders solidify the particulars of a specific plan.

4). HISTORIC HOUSE LOOKIE-LOOS, THIS ONE IS FOR YOU!
Saturday, January 28 2 to 5 p.m. 1642 Buckingham Rd. ( Lafayette Square - enter on St. Charles Place off of Crenshaw)

We have received the following invitation for you from WAHA members Joe McManus and Lara Elin Soderstrom:

"Dear WAHA members and friends,

Joe and I would like to invite you to see the home we have just finished restoring in LaFayette Square. Since last March, we have been working hard to get this severely neglected 1923 gem restored to its original beauty, and we hope to share our results with you, before it sells and disappears back into private hands.

It is an English tudor with delicate arches repeated throughout, wedding cake molding details in the living room, foyer and dining room, multiple French doors, original tile fireplace with built-in cabinet, original dining room chandelier, honey colored hardwood floors, original floor-plan, original (semi-preserved) wall stenciling, and a largely original upstairs bath. The kitchen and downstairs bath are newly re-built, but with both vintage-inspired and salvaged details.

Joe and I, along with several highly industrious friends, have restored and reinstalled all the hardware that is original to the house, and found and restored salvaged pieces where necessary. We have also restored all the original double-hung windows to their proper working condition, restored salvaged antique lighting for all the rooms in the house (with the exception of a few antique-inspired custom fixtures that Joe personally designed and built), refurbished salvaged cabinets for use in the kitchen, rebuilt the missing pergola with all salvaged materials, and ripped off the badly enclosed balcony to restore to its original design. The Eucalyptus tree in the back yard now carries a swing that Joe's dad made. We urge you to try it out -- it will make you feel like a kid again!

We love attending the tours that WAHA offers and always jump at the chance to take impromptu peeks when offered. Many of your homes have provided inspiration for us on our projects, and we would like to thank you for that.

Please join us for homemade chocolate chip cookies and coffee! - Lara"

5). AUTOMOTIVE USES WORKSHOP
Wednesday, January 25 6 p.m. CD 10 District Office, Community Room, 1819 South Western (enter from Manhattan Place at rear)

The Department of City Planning is hosting a workshop on proposed amendments to the Los Angeles Municipal Code regarding automotive uses. The proposed citywide Municipal Code changes would regulate spray booths, automotive repair, and other automotive uses near residential and commercial business areas.

Due to the growing concern of the impacts automotive uses may have on residential and commercial areas, the City has recently adopted three Interim Control Ordinances (ICOs) which prohibit automotive uses in various parts of the City. While the ICO approach may stop new automotive uses from being established, the Department of City Planning is proposing a comprehensive code change to address the concerns and mitigate potential impacts of existing and future automotive uses on a Citywide level. The proposed changes would establish development standards and operational standards which would need to be incorporated by future automotive uses.

6). REVIEW PROPOSED DESIGN FOR NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Thursday, January 24 6 to 8 p.m. Pio Pico Elementary School, Multi-Purpose Room, 1512 S. Arlington

LAUSD has scheduled a Design Presentation Meeting for the proposed Central Region Elementary School #13 project. The proposed school site is located on the south side of Washington Boulevard between Arlington (west of the gas station) and 3rd Avenue. This is your opportunity to weigh in on the architect's proposed site plan and design of this urban school.

In addition, the LAUSD Board is slated to make a decision on the overall project, and to approve to Final Environmental Impact Report, on TUESDAY, JANUARY 24. If you would like more information about the EIR and some of the concerns previously-expressed by community stakeholders, please e-mail UnitedNeighborhoods@yahoo.com. The neighborhood council is preparing some talking points to share with individuals, block clubs and neighborhood associations.

7). BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENT - HOLD THE DATE!
Sunday, February 12 Time & location TBA

Avery Clayton, the executive director of the Mayme A. Clayton Library (the largest and most substantial collection rare books, documents, films, music, photographs, and memorabilia on African American culture and history in the Western United States), will give a fun presentation on this community asset. And, we'll enjoy listening to some early jazz recordings. Details to follow, but do mark your calendars for Sunday afternoon, February 12.

8). SUBMIT YOUR NEWS

We welcome your contributions to the WAHA E-News and West Adams Heritage Association's monthly publication, "West Adams Matters." Please understand that we do have deadlines. Material for the print newsletter should be submitted no later than the 1st of the prior month (i.e.: April 1 for the May issue). If your event is scheduled for early in a month, we suggest you request coverage for the prior month (i.e.: May issue for a June 3 event), because it's entirely possible that not all of our members will have received their newsletter by then (we do try hard…). We reserve the right to edit submitted material. For the WAHA E-News, we prefer to only send it out once or twice a month, circa the 5th and the 20th. Please don't wait until two days before an event to let us know about it. It may not be sent out. EXCEPTION: If you suddenly hear of an important city hearing or other public meeting that is important to West Adams, we will endeavor to send out a special bulletin. Submit your material to Laura Meyers, editor, lauramink@aol.com