Monday, April 30, 2007

April 30th Calendar


Weekly Calendar

Latino Urban Forum
Meetings, Activities and Events that promote our mission as of
April 30, 2007



1. Great Streets

2. Keep LA Beautiful

3. Built Environment and Public Health Workshop

4. Homelessness: What Planners Can Do

5. Bike to Work Week

6. LANI's Fifth Annual Community Forum

7. LA River Clean Up

8. LA River Bike Ride


Latino Urban Forum and Cal Poly Pomona urban planning students hosted a booth at the annual Fiesta Broadway. Fiesta provides families a fun and free experience with music, food, and entertainment on the streets of Downtown Los Angeles, in honor of May 5, the important date in 1862 when Mexican Troops defeated the French army in a pivotal battle at Puebla, Mexico.

The annual Cinco de Mayo event adopted the theme “Fiesta Goes Green” in support of making Los Angeles a greener, cleaner, healthier, and safer place to live, work and play. LUF, Northeast Trees, Heal the Bay, Tree People, LA’s Million Trees program and other environmental organizations provided participants with trees, information, and fun.


LUF gave out information about urban planning. And the model building was a great success, with hundreds of kids and adults stopping by and adding their urban dreams! Check out the pictures on Flickr:


http://www.flickr.com/gp/99134634@N00/Mefk6R


James Rojas



Visit www.latinourbanforum.org or Myspace.com/LatinoUrbanForum
and http://latinourbanforum.blogspot.com/


_________________________________________________________________


Monday, April 30, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Great Streets Panel Discussion #3

The Park Bench, the Bicycle and the Black Walnut:
Designing the Architecture of Our Most Accessible Public Space. Goals & Objectives: 1.) To discuss the importance of greening the public realm with bio-swales, landscaping, street trees, bike paths, and the need to make our communities inherently more walkable so we can sustain the health & vitality of our lifestyles. 2.) To identify the most effective methods for funding these projects 3.) To better understand the bureaucratic obstacles to creating more environmentally sustainable streets & sidewalks 4.) To describe the challenges created by the confluence of a diverse mix of needs & uses (bikes, cars, pedestrians, flora & fauna, watershed management, open space, street vendors, retail, recreation & relaxation, transit) and to establish priorities on a case-by-case scenario (in other words, not all streets are created equal).


Moderator: Michael Lehrer, FAIA - Lehrer Architects

Panel Speakers: Calvin Abe, FASLA - President, ah'be landscape architects & environmental planners Christine S. E. Magar, RA, AIA, LEED AP - Greenform Katherine Spitz, AIA, ASLA - Katherine Spitz & Associates Charles Stewart, Field Representative for U.S. Representative Diane E. Watson Mark Rios, FAIA - Rios Clementi Hale Studios


Location:

The Ivy Substation

9070 Venice Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232


____________________________________________________________

Wednesday, May 2, 2007 @ 8am-3pm

Built Environment and Public Health Workshop


The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is pleased to announce a Built Environment and Public Health Workshop. This inter-disciplinary workshop will emphasize new ways to plan for healthy environments, highlight how Public Health can support cities in their planning efforts, and preview a new County funding source for built environment work. City officials and planners, transportation engineers, public works professionals, public health staff, and community based organizations working on land use issues are encouraged to attend.
Note: This is a FREE event (meals on your own) Space is limited and pre-registration is required Registration Deadline: April 20


Location:

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Downtown Los Angeles


_____________________________________________________________


Tuesday, May 8, 2007 from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m

Homelessness: What Planners Can Do

Dr. Wolch will speak on this issue.

Location:

City Hall

200 North Spring Street

City Hall Planning Dept. Training Room


______________________________________________________________


May 14-18, 2007

Bike to Work Week!

Thursday, May 17, 2007, local cyclists will converge on Hollywood and Western in a demonstration of cycling solidarity and at 9 am they will ride down to City Hall.
The Hollywood and Western Pit Stop is hosted by illuminateLA and will offer refreshments, swag and encouragement to cyclists from 7 am to 10 am.
There will also be entertainment and Hollywood Pro Bike Shop will be offering bicycle tune-ups, all of which will serve to prep the crowd for a ride downtown to "Bang the Drum" at City Hall.


Bike to Work Day is intended to encourage the cycling community to keep on riding, to educate motorists about cyclists rights to the road and to urge our leaders to support the cycling community with appropriate enforcement.
Call Stephen at 323.962.6540 or email him.


________________________________________________________________


Thursday, May 17, 2007 From 8:00 am to 2:30 pm

LANI's Fifth Annual Community Forum


Workshop topics include: Accounting for Nonprofits, Billboards, Farmer's Markets
Business Development, Community Murals, Disaster Preparedness at a Neighborhood Level Transportation Linkages Water Quality and Your Community

Register at www.lani.org, or by calling (213) 627-1822 x20. The event is free and includes parking.


Location

USC Davidson Conference Center

3415 S. Figueroa Street



_________________________________________________________________

18th Annual Great Los Angeles River CleanUp, La Gran Limpieza,

Takes Place on FOUR Days

This year over 4,000 volunteers are expected to participate in the largest urban river cleanup in the country -- FoLAR's La Gran Limpieza, the Great Los Angeles River CleanUp. For the first time the CleanUp will take place on four different days:


Friday, April 27 River School Day & Press Conference

Over 800 students are expected

Sunday, April 29 Big Sunday CleanUp at Taylor Yard

Saturday, May 5, CleanUp in Atwater Village Hosted by PAVA

Saturday, May 12 CleanUp at 13 sites throughout the region.


_________________________________________________________________

Saturday, June 9, 2007 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Keep LA Beautiful and help clean the surrounding area around Fuller Lofts on Gloves, tools and lunch will be provided. Grab your old jeans, t-shirts & sneakers and give the neighborhood a makeover.

_______________________________________________________________

Saturday June 10, 2007

LA River Bike Ride

________________________________________________________________

Saturday, June 23, 2007 from 10 am - 3 pm

STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH RON MILAM

At L.A. Eco-Village, 117 Bimini Pl, LA 90004


What's your community's mission? What's your vision? Values? What will you do to make your vision reality? Knowing the answers to these questions plays a key role in your nonprofit group's success, whether it be a shared house, cohousing group, ecovillage, or other type of co-op living or working situation.


Topics covered in this workshop include:

Welcome & Introductions

Expectations

Preparing to Plan

Decision making options

Vision, Mission, Activities and Values

SWOT Analysis

Identifying and Prioritizing Strategic Issues Defining Strategic Goals and Objectives & Establishing a Monitoring Schedule Plan Presentation Summary & Evaluations


Fee: $75 (sliding scale available)

Pre-registration required: 213/738-1254 or crsp@igc.org


Note: Bring a brown bag lunch or enjoy lunch on your own at a local inexpensive restaurant

About Ron

Ron Milam has over ten years of experience in the non-profit sector and consults with community development and environmental organizations in the areas of strategic planning, fundraising, green development, campaign planning and leadership development. As a workshop instructor, Ron believes that everyone has valuable experience they can share...

READ MORE AT:
http://laecovillage.org/strategicplanningmilam.html


____________________________________________________________


JOBS


Audubon Summer Day Camp & Internship Opportunities


Greetings:


This summer, the Audubon Center at Debs Park is offering “Audubon Summer Day Camp: An Arroyo Adventure” for kids ages 6-10 and a *paid* summer internship program for local college students. We hope you can help us spread the word about these programs!


In two separate sessions, July 23-27 and August 6-10, a total of 60 summer campers will develop a sense of understanding and appreciation for the natural world. We are conducting a special outreach effort in the communities surrounding Debs Park (90030, 90031, 90032, 90041, 90042, 90065) and offering financial aid to families in need. Our goal is to ensure that to we reach children who might otherwise go without outdoor enrichment activities this summer.


Our *paid* summer interns will work closely with our day camp program. We have space for four interns. Again, we are recruiting from the communities surrounding Debs Park. We are looking for energetic young people who are interested in nature and working with children. Interns will gain a deeper understanding of environmental education principles while working for a leading, national conservation organization.


Please help us with our outreach efforts by disseminating the summer day camp registration forms, in English and Spanish, and the internship announcement to organizations and individuals with constituents who would be interested in these programs.


All of these documents will be posted on our website shortly.

http://www.audubondebspark.org/


Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your support!



Elva Yañez

Director

Audubon Center at Debs Park

4700 North Griffin Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90031

323-221-2255 ext 11

323-397-1554 cell
www.audubondebspark.org





Urban Eats:


Farmer Markets in the Hood!


Tianguis: South Central Farmers Market.

Support Community Sustainable Agriculture (C.S.A.)

Music, high quality produce,
www.southcentralfarmers.com


Date: First Sunday of every month (May 6th)

Time: 10:00 am. to 4:00 p.m.

Location: 41st and Alameda



"East Los Angeles Farmer's Market" every Saturday from 9AM TO 1PM

Features fruits and vegetables grown locally by local farmers. In addition, you'll find one of a kind creations offered by local artisans and meet representatives from local community organizations.


Location: First Street (between Rowan and Ditman).



Homegirl Café!

1818 East First Street

LA, CA. 90014


Mama’s Hot Tamale Cafe

7th Street across from Macarthur Park




To post events, activities or meetings that promote planning, cultural or dialogue contact James Rojas at 213 892-0918 or email Latinourbanforum@yahoo.com
Please submit post in word.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Around the blogosphere...



Around the blogosphere:
See you at Fiesta Broadway this afternoon!

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

LUF at Fiesta Broadway this Saturday

LUF will be at a historic* Fiesta Broadway this year!


Make sure you stop by and say hello!

*This year will mark the first year that they'll be any planners set up among the events' Information Kiosks. (according to James Rojas) And they'll be LUF planners. Largely from Cal Poly Pomona.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Weekly Calendar

Weekly Calendar
Latino Urban Forum

Meeting, Activities and events that promote our mission for April 23, 2007


1. Air Quality and Environmental Justice Issues

2. Fiesta Broadway

3. Great Streets

4. Keep LA Beautiful

5. Built Environment and Public Health Workshop

6. Homelessness: What Planners Can Do

7. LANI's Fifth Annual Community Forum

8. LA River Clean Up

9. LA River Bike Ride

10. Article: LA Times, City peddle parking for bikes

11. Article: Downtown News, Fiesta Broadway

12. Article: American Planning Association, Hispanic- Latino
Communities


American Planning Association' s 2007 National Conference
Highlights!


For Latinos in planning, the APA conference was a great success. A
large number of Latinos from all over the country were in
attendance, and this was the first conference that held a session on
Latino Communities and Urban Spaces. The session brought together
scholars and planning practitioners from across the country to
discuss how Latino communities use urban space. Cecilia H. Guisti,
from Texas A&M University, examined the development of "colonias" on
the south border of Texas. Michael Rios, from Penn State University,
examined the community participation process for the BART station in
San Francisco's Mission District. I spoke about how Latinos are
transforming the streets of Los Angeles by their use of urban space,
and how we need to develop policies that promote, protrect, and
enhance these communities. Leonardo E. Vazquez, and Irayda M. Ruiz,
updated us on the new Latinos in Planning APA Division. The session
was very well attended, especially by young Latino planners and
students, and demonstrates the growth of Latinos in the urban
planning profession.


Philadelphia has a rich history, historic architecture, and an
intimate urban scale which creates a walkable city. The historic
lots' sizes, and street widths, create a unique urban scale
reminiscent of a European city. Some streets are as narrow as 8
feet, and most are not more than 40 feet, including sidewalks.
Narrow roads reduce traffic speeds, making streets safe and
comfortable for pedestrians to cross at any point. As a human being,
I like to walk in places that allow me total flexibility, and to not
have to cross a street only at intersections is a great advantage to
human impulses. The historic lot sizes create very intimate, narrow
buildings, much like the pencil buildings in Tokyo. These narrow
buildings create a nice pedestrian rhythm for walking.


Philadelphia is a large city that has been in decline since it lost
its manufacturing base in the 1950's. Much of the city has been
preserved with even some street car lines still intact. Large
sections of the city feel isolated, however, with a number of
buildings presently abandoned, and reminded me of Manhattan in the
1980's or Downtown L.A. up until recently. We went to some great
bars and clubs next to these abandoned buildings, though. It was a
nice change from congested Los Angeles, and crowded Manhattan.


I would like to especially thank the students from Cal Poly Pomona,
and to some extent San Luis Obispo, who showed up in great numbers
at the conference. I spent time with the student from Cal Poly
Pomona in exploring Philly, and unlike students at other major
universities in L.A., most of these students are local, and are
committed to staying and improving the built environment in L.A!


James Rojas


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 from 8:30-10:30 AM

"Air Quality and Environmental Justice Issues in the South Coast
Air Basin: EPA's progress and Major Challenges Ahead"
Featuring Mr.
Wayne Nastri,
Region 9 Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Please RSVP via our website at www.patbrowninstitute.org or by
contacting Tarren Lopez or Fredy Ceja at 323.343.3770
Breakfast
will be served

Location: The City Club on Bunker Hill

333 South Grand Avenue, 54th Floor

Los Angeles, CA 90071

(Parking is accessible below the Wells Fargo Building)


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _

Sunday, April 29, 2007 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Fiesta Broadway

"Fiesta Goes Green" has been selected as this year's theme in order
to help educate and motivate residents of Los Angeles to take
greater care of our environment. Fiesta Broadway dedicates this year
to make Los Angeles greener, cleaner, healthier, and more beautiful
for all to enjoy. Come visit LUF and other environmental groups at
Fiesta Broadway.

Location: Downtown Los Angeles

Broadway Street


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _


Monday, April 30, 2007 from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Great Streets Panel Discussion #3

The Park Bench, the Bicycle and the Black Walnut:
Designing the
Architecture of Our Most Accessible Public Space. Goals &
Objectives: 1.) To discuss the importance of greening the public
realm with bio-swales, landscaping, street trees, bike paths and the
need to make our communities inherently more walkable so we can
sustain the health & vitality of our lifestyles. 2.) To identify the
most effective methods for funding these projects 3.) To better
understand the bureaucratic obstacles to creating more
environmentally sustainable streets & sidewalks 4.) To describe the
challenges created by the confluence of a diverse mix of needs &
uses (bikes, cars, pedestrians, flora & fauna, watershed management,
open space, street vendors, retail, recreation & relaxation,
transit) and to establish priorities on a case-by-case scenario (in
other words, not all streets are created equal).


Moderator: Michael Lehrer, FAIA - Lehrer Architects

Panel Speakers: Calvin Abe, FASLA - President, ah'be landscape
architects & environmental planners Christine S. E. Magar, RA, AIA,
LEED AP - Greenform Katherine Spitz, AIA, ASLA - Katherine Spitz &
Associates Charles Stewart, Field Representative for U.S.
Representative Diane E. Watson Mark Rios, FAIA - Rios Clementi Hale
Studios


Location: The Ivy Substation

9070 Venice Blvd.

Culver City, CA 90232

________________________________________________________

Saturday, April 28, 2007 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Keep LA Beautiful and help clean the surrounding area around Fuller
Lofts on Gloves, tools and lunch will be provided. Grab your old
jeans, t-shirts & sneakers and give the neighborhood a makeover.

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________

Wednesday, May 2, 2007 @ 8am-3pm

Built Environment and Public Health Workshop


The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is pleased to
announce
a Built Environment and Public Health Workshop. This inter-
disciplinary workshop will emphasize new ways to plan for healthy
environments, highlight how Public Health can support cities in
their planning efforts, and preview a new County funding source for
built environment work. City officials and planners, transportation
engineers, public works professionals, public health staff, and
community based organizations working on land use issues are
encouraged to attend.

Note: This is a FREE event (meals on your own) Space is limited and
pre-registration is required Registration Deadline: April 20


Location: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Downtown Los Angeles


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _

Tuesday, May 8, 2007 from 11:30 to 12:30 p.m

Homelessness: What Planners Can Do

Dr. Wolch will speak on this issue.

Location: City Hall

200 North Spring Street

City Hall Planning Dept. Training Room


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _

Thursday, May 17, 2007 From 8:00 am to 2:30 pm

LANI's Fifth Annual Community Forum


Workshop topics include: Accounting for Nonprofits, Billboards,
Farmer's Markets
Business Development, Community Murals, Disaster Preparedness at a
Neighborhood Level Transportation Linkages Water Quality and Your
Community

Register at www.lani.org, or by calling (213) 627-1822 x20. The event
is free and includes parking.


Location

USC Davidson Conference Center

3415 S. Figueroa Street


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _

18th Annual Great Los Angeles River CleanUp, La Gran Limpieza,
Takes Place on FOUR Days

This year over 4,000 volunteers are expected to participate in the
largest urban river cleanup in the country -- FoLAR's La Gran
Limpieza, the Great Los Angeles River CleanUp. For the first time
the CleanUp will take place on four different days:


Friday, April 27 River School Day & Press Conference

Over 800 students are expected

Sunday, April 29 Big Sunday CleanUp at Taylor Yard

Saturday, May 5, CleanUp in Atwater Village Hosted by PAVA

Saturday, May 12 CleanUp at 13 sites throughout the region:


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _


Saturday June 10, 2007

LA River Bike Ride

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _


Saturday, June 23, 2007 from 10 am - 3 pm

STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH RON MILAM

At L.A. Eco-Village, 117 Bimini Pl, LA 90004


What's your community's mission? What's your vision? Values? What
will you do to make your vision reality? Knowing the answers to
these questions plays a key role in your nonprofit group's success,
whether it be a shared house, cohousing group, ecovillage, or other
type of co-op living or working situation.


Topics covered in this workshop include:

Welcome & Introductions

Expectations

Preparing to Plan

Decision making options

Vision, Mission, Activities and Values

SWOT Analysis

Identifying and Prioritizing Strategic Issues Defining Strategic
Goals and Objectives & Establishing a Monitoring Schedule Plan

Presentation Summary & Evaluations


Fee: $75 (sliding scale available)

Pre-registration required: 213/738-1254 or crsp@igc.org



Note: Bring a brown bag lunch or enjoy lunch on your own at a local
inexpensive restaurant


About Ron

Ron Milam has over ten years of experience in the non-profit sector
and consults with community development and environmental
organizations in the areas of strategic planning, fundraising, green
development, campaign planning and leadership development.
As a
workshop instructor, Ron believes that everyone has valuable
experience they can share...

READ MORE AT http://laecovillage.org/strategicplanningmilam.html


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _


Articles:


Cities peddle parking for bicycles

Communities hope that valet and other services will encourage
residents to use bikes for commuting and doing errands.

By Deborah Schoch, Times Staff Writer

April 23, 2007


Pity the cyclist with the $4,000 titanium road bike attempting to
park at the Sunday farmers market in Santa Monica.


After 10:30 a.m., the meters and street signs were already claimed
by early rising cyclists who chained their bike frames to the poles,
and that hefty, pricey Kryptonite lock simply wouldn't fit around
the nearest fence post.


Now, cyclists in search of heirloom tomatoes and organic cilantro
can enjoy valet parking of the sort offered to BMW-driving diners at
Ivy at the Shore or Chinois on Main, handing over their wheels to
polite attendants who park them at a nearby bicycle stand.


In California bicycle circles, this kind of service is the coming
thing.


Long Beach residents can check their bikes at the downtown
Bikestation, where they can get free air for their tires and on-site
repair service. A Santa Barbara self-service bike center opening May
1 will feature hot showers and a locker room for changing from
sweaty nylon-spandex jerseys to suits, ties and heels.


Valet bike parking would seem a quintessentially Californian
response to clogged freeways and overflowing parking lots. By
encouraging more cyclists, cities are promoting environmental
consciousness and outdoor cardio workouts.


Most important, for some cyclists, is knowing that someone is
watching over their bike.


"You can have all the bike lanes you want, but when you get to your
location, you need a place to park," said Russ Roca, 29, of Long
Beach.


Roca, a freelance photographer, travels exclusively on a bike
retooled to carry 200 pounds of camera equipment. He is a regular at
the local Bikestation, which, he says, has become a social spot for
area cyclists.


These centers for cycling aficionados are largely public-private
partnerships, modeled after facilities in Europe and Asia.


In 1996, the Bikestation in downtown Long Beach, near the MTA's Blue
Line station, was the first to open in the United States. Its
founders have created the Bikestation Coalition, an umbrella group
that helps open other centers on the West Coast.


The concept has spread to the usual progressive hot spots: Berkeley,
Palo Alto, San Francisco and Seattle.


Most of the centers offer valet and self-service parking. Some
contain small repair shops, and some offer classes. They were built
largely with public funds, and revenue covers most operating
expenses.


The new Santa Barbara center, for example, is funded by downtown car
parking fees. It contains $80,000 in equipment and is expected to
cost $25,000 a year to operate.


Pasadena, meanwhile, is preparing plans for a bike center near the
Gold Line light-rail stop in Old Town. The city hopes to use
$180,000 in state grant money to build a facility that will hold 40
bikes.


Santa Monica hopes to build a downtown bike center with room for 300
bikes. In the meantime, the city parks 200 to 250 bicycles at its
crowded Sunday market and is bracing for up to 350 bikes this
summer. The city funds the valet service.


Planners hope that these service-oriented parking centers will
encourage residents to use their bikes to do errands and commute to
work.


On Sunday on Santa Monica's Main Street, trusting shoppers were
handing over their sleek racing bikes and rusty beach cruisers to
attendants who by noon had filled spaces designed for seven cars
with more than 70 bicycles. Although the service is free, most
people left tips of $1, $3 and more.


Kristin Mongiello, 35, of Santa Monica sped up to the valet table,
her bike pulling her son, Riley Egan, 5, who was behind her on an
attached wheeled contraption called a "Trail-a-bike. "


They were rushing to a super-hero themed birthday party, and Egan
was dressed in a blue and gold hero costume. On the way, they needed
a few things from the farmers market, where she has become a regular
valet parker.


"Parking here is dreadful," Mongiello said, "and we've had two bikes
stolen." She and others said they felt more secure using the free
parking service launched by the city last year to ease parking
congestion at the Sunday market.


Some owners initially were wary of leaving their bikes guarded by
strangers.


"I actually came and scoped it out, looked at the people who were
taking care of it," said Jason Puerto, 35, of Santa Monica. He felt
so comfortable with the valet service that he left his $1,700 Felt
S22 with the attendants for the first time Sunday.


As often happens with good intentions, success has come with a cost.
The Santa Monica project has cut severely into the income of a white-
bearded man known only as Johnnie who started watching over bikes
and dogs two years ago at the market's Main Street entrance.


"I'm the one who started this business. They come here and just put
up their thing," said Johnnie, who said he once had as many as 40
cyclists as customers. On Sunday, he was guarding two bikes and four
dogs and said he was falling behind on his rent. "But I'm not
worried. God will bless me," he said.


These parking services are not simply for upscale cyclists, said
Andréa White, executive director of the Bikestation organization,
which now has centers in six different communities and is consulting
with other cities, including Washington, D.C., where a bike center
is due to open at Union Station next year.


Service workers and other low-income residents use the centers, and
the Bikestation is starting an outreach program to teach cycling
skills to women who have recently been released from prison or drug
rehabilitation, she said. Those who complete the program will get
bicycles to help them find jobs.


The Sunday crowd in Santa Monica, by contrast, was largely focused
on finding basil and breakfast croissants.


Mary Ann Cummins, 70, has equipped her bicycle with side bags large
enough to hold her artichokes, greens, broccoli and fresh Gaviota
strawberries. "My God, I forgot my eggs," she said, and hastily
returned her bike to an attendant.


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _


Cinco de Mayo Pre-Party

Holiday Comes Early With Fiesta Broadway on April 29

by Evan George


Fiesta Broadway, hailed by organizers as the largest Cinco de Mayo
celebration in the world, will flood Downtown's Historic Core on
Sunday, April 29. The 18th annual event will fill 36 city blocks
with food booths, musical performances and product giveaways,
shutting down Broadway from Temple to 11th streets for much of the
weekend. Other street closures will last for the duration of the
daylong festivities.


Organizers predict the festival will draw about 500,000 people.


Fiesta Broadway was founded in 1989 as part of a plan to revitalize
Downtown Los Angeles. It has grown steadily over the past two
decades, and this year the event will generate more than $60,000 in
donations for the Historic Downtown Business Improvement District
(paid by the event's many corporate sponsors). That will fund
neighborhood improvements, said Eddie Dominguez, operations director
for All Access Entertainment, which runs the event.


To some area stakeholders, Fiesta Broadway is an opportunity to show
off the neighborhood.


"What we need to encourage Downtown is really live, work and play
activity," said Michael Delijani, a board member of the HDBID and
the owner of several theaters. "In accordance with that ideal, we
need to bring in more cultural events and this is an excellent
example." Dominguez detailed the roots of the often misunderstood,
and some say increasingly Americanized, day of celebration. A
commemoration of Mexican victory over the French army has become a
cultural revelry centered around consumption - food, drink and fun.


"During the student movement in the 1960s they took it as symbolic
of achieving the American dream," said Dominguez. "Now it's just
become cultural tradition."


Downtown's celebration is touted as the largest Latino event in the
United States - a fact not lost on advertisers and sponsors who
provide the booths, banners and music stages. Corporate logos rival
the many Mexican flags that attendees carry.


Sponsors recognize that "it's an audience that represents a huge
amount of buying power," said Dominguez. This year AT&T and Burger
King won't be the only ones vying for the crowd's attention. Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa will speak at the event to promote his program
to plant a million trees in Los Angeles. Seedlings and information
on environmental causes will be distributed in an area tagged "Park
Villaraigosa. "


"The idea is to get a lot of the green themes out to the Latino
community," said Dominguez.


Throughout the day, popular Latino musical acts - from rock to
Ranchera - will take one of four stages, including a local battle of
the bands.


In past years, some shop owners complained about the event, saying
street closures blocked their stores or eliminated parking. This
year, organizers say, they are cooperating with local business
owners and are making quick clean-up a priority. However, Dominguez
points out that anytime you have half a million people there are
bound to be some disruptions.


Other street closures on Sunday will include Hill from First to
Sixth streets; Olive from Sixth to 11th streets; Main from Ninth to
11th streets; Spring from First to Ninth streets; First to Sixth
between Spring and Hill; and Seventh to 11th from Main to Olive.


Fiesta Broadway is Sunday, April 29, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., hprala.org.


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _

American Planning Association 2007 Conference Session

Hispanic-Latino Communities and Urban Spaces

By Chris Melendrez

APA Student Member

University of New Mexico School of Law

For its first national planning conference session, APA's new
Latinos and Planning Division focused on the unique challenges and
opportunities in Hispanic communities.

The Tuesday session was facilitated by Irayda M. Ruiz, AICP, of
Virginia Commonwealth University. James Rojas of the Los Angeles
County Metropolitan Transit Authority addressed the transformation
of Los Angeles suburbs as their Hispanic population increases.
Cecilia Giusti of Texas A&M University presented on issues
surrounding "colonias," or informal housing development along the
Mexico border. Finally, Michael Rios of Pennsylvania State
University talked about the use of public space in Hispanic
communities.

A trend in urban Hispanic communities has been to adapt vacant or
unused space into public, social space. A case study of East Los
Angeles shows that there is a great deal of social activity in
public areas, including public streets. Despite such activity,
formal public spaces are generally unaccommodating, requiring users
to retrofit the environment to their needs.

For example, this
community has accommodated many of its retail needs informally
through street vending. In East L.A., many members of the Hispanic
community walk, ride bikes, or use public transportation. Failure to
accommodate this activity has resulted in Hispanic males having the
highest bicycle fatality rates in Los Angeles.


Uses and activities in East L.A. present special situations that
current regulatory tools cannot easily accommodate. Currently,
planners and zoning administrators in these communities are caught
between enforcing zoning regulations and meeting the needs of the
community. Speakers said that reform efforts should focus on
creating inclusive planning processes where people of different
cultures and languages are meaningfully included.

Planning activities in San Francisco's Mission District were
identified as an example of a multi-language planning process
resulting in spaces that express and enhance community identity
while accommodating community needs.

Outside of the highly urban areas of Los Angeles and San Francisco,
a more rural but equally complex and challenging issue is taking
place along the Mexican border where substandard housing has
developed in the form of "colonias" without any formal oversight or
process.

Generally, a colonia is an informal development close to
the Mexican border that lacks basic infrastructure. On average,
colonias have much higher Hispanic populations than the relative
populations of Texas or the U.S. as a whole. At the same time, the
relative poverty levels that exist are much higher than the Texas or
national average.


Colonias developed in Texas largely because counties lacked capacity
to formally accommodate their growing populations. Although new
regulations have been adopted at many levels of government, no
county, state, or federal agency has taken ownership of the problem.


Residents of colonias do not have access to the type of credit that
will allow for self improvement, and many houses are in need of
rehab and still lack basic infrastructure.


About the sponsoring division

APA's Latinos and Planning Division aims to identify the unique
challenges of planning in Hispanic communities, and to identify
career challenges of Hispanic planners. Currently some of the key
questions addressed by this division include how urban spaces are
used differently in Hispanic communities, and the associated
challenges and opportunities. The division recognizes that even
within the Hispanic community in the U.S. there is great diversity,
resulting in broad and complex planning issues unique to each
situation.

____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________


Urban Eats:


"East Los Angeles Farmer's Market" every Saturday from 9AM TO 1PM

Features fruits and vegetables grown locally by local farmers. In
addition, you'll find one of a kind creations offered by local
artisans and meet representatives from local community organizations.


Location: First Street (between Rowan and Ditman).



Homegirl Café!

1818 East First Street

LA, CA. 90014


Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe

7th Street across from Macarthur Park


Visit us online atwww.latinourbanforum.org or Myspace.com/LatinoUrbanForum


To post events, activities or meetings that promote planning,
cultural or dialogue contact James Rojas at 213 892-0918 or email
LatinoUrbanForum@yahoo.com
Please submit post in word.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Eastside speaking event on NAFTA and immigration

Including the speakers and event organizers, a grand total of ten people today (April 22) were present to listen to Mexican anti-NAFTA activist Juan Manuel Sandoval and writer/photojournalist David Bacon, at East LA’s Casa del Mexicano.

Sandoval, who is with the Coordinating Committee of the Mexican Action Network on Free Trade, a group calling for the renegotiation of NAFTA, gave a presentation illustrating the relationship between the trade treaty and the influx of poor Mexican immigrants into the United States.

Bacon then followed the presentation with his own comments and picture slides of seriously exploited immigrants from Mexico and Central America living all over the US, many of them guestworkers hired to labor in the fields (and showing what kind of situation Bush’s proposed guestworker program would further institutionalize).

Okay, so this is basically what was said:

The elimination of tariffs and regulations that used to protect Mexican industries, Sandoval pointed out, has resulted in the collapse of many Mexican firms that used to employ thousands of workers in the pre-NAFTA days.

Similarly, small farms that have for generations fed the Mexican population are now unable to compete with cheap corn and other products from subsidized US agribusiness, sending huge numbers of people running from the countryside to the north. Reminding those of us old enough to remember, these consequences of free trade between Mexico and the US were predicted to be temporary by its supporters. Investment would flood Mexico and create new and better industrial jobs, we were told, while also stimulating the development of a strong US service economy.

Instead, the continued opening of cheap labor markets overseas has diverted investments elsewhere, flooding both the US and Mexico with cheap imports and robbing workers in both countries of decent jobs. Naturally, the problem is much worse in Mexico and perfectly explains why the flow of people fleeing poverty there shows no signs of slowing down.

The speakers also contended that while NAFTA was to blame for the increase in illegal immigration from Mexico, creating a huge reservoir of cheap labor that benefits US employers, our governments' actions to control immigration have had the effect of making immigrants even more vulnerable and exploitable.

While I was glad to see that an event of this sort was being held on the Eastside, I wasn’t surprised that almost nobody showed up.

The outreach was certainly inadequate—it was mostly advertised on various union and non-profit listserves, as if that were the way to reach out to Latino workers out here—but it’s an unfortunate truth that your average working-class Latino (immigrant or not) reads little, isn’t political, and would probably not have been interested in attending an abstract discussion about the political and economic forces that affect us so deeply (aside from the outreach online, the organizers did also do some leafleting).

Their near nonattendance points to the challenge in building a movement among working-class Latinos that would empower them and put their interests on the forefront of any debate among policymakers, be it international trade or such local issues as housing and transportation. As I said to one of the organizers—an activist who doesn’t live here and is used to working with teachers, not dishwashers—we’ll need to try harder next time. Middle-class Latinos are well-represented these days by our local politicians, but it’s imperative that everyone participate in these kind dialogues and political processes.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

APA's 2007 National Conference Highlights!


For Latinos in planning, the APA conference was a great success. A large number of Latinos from all over the country were in attendance, and this was the first conference that held a session on Latino Communities and Urban Spaces. The session brought together scholars and planning practitioners from across the country to discuss how Latino communities use urban space. Cecilia H. Guisti, from Texas A&M University, examined the development of "colonias" on the south border of Texas. Michael Rios, from Penn State University, examined the community participation process for the BART station in San Francisco's Mission District. I spoke about how Latinos are transforming the streets of Los Angeles by their use of urban space, and how we need to develop policies that promote, protrect, and enhance these communities. Leonardo E. Vazquez, and Irayda M. Ruiz, updated us on the new Latinos in Planning APA Division. The session was very well attended, especially by young Latino planners and students, and demonstrates the growth of Latinos in the urban planning profession.

Philadelphia has a rich history, historic architexture, and an intimate urban scale which creates a walkable city. The historic lots' sizes, and street widths, create a unique urban scale reminiscent of a European city. Some streets are as narrow as 8 feet, and most are not more than 40 feet, including sidewalks. Narrow roads reduce traffic speeds, making streets safe and comfortable for pedestrians to cross at any point. As a human being, I like to walk in places that allow me total flexibility, and to not have to cross a street only at intersections is a great advantage to human impulses. The historic lot sizes create very intimate, narrow buildings, much like the pencil buildings in Tokyo. These narrow buildings create a nice pedestrian rhythm for walking.

Philadelphia is a large city that has been in decline since it lost its manufacturing base in the 1950's. Much of the city has been preserved with even some street car lines still intact. Large sections of the city feel isolated, however, with a number of buildings presently abandoned, and reminded me of Manhattan in the 1980's or Downtown L.A. up until recently. We went to some great bars and clubs next to these abandoned buildings, though. It was a nice change from congested Los Angeles, and crowded Manhattan.

I would like to especially thank the students from Cal Poly Pomona, and to some extent San Luis Obispo, who showed up in great numbers at the conference. I spent time with the student from Cal Poly Pomona in exploring Philly, and unlike students at other major universities in L.A., most of these students are local, and are committed to staying and improving the built environment in L.A!

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Who Really Runs L.A.?










On April 10, an at-capacity crowd gathered at the Mark Taper Auditorium in the downtown Central Library to discuss “Who Really Runs L.A.,” a discussion by city observers and leaders moderated by Mariel Garza of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Just outside of this lively discussion, several dozen angry residents, many who had driven from the far reaches of the city to attend, were kept out of the event per strict orders of the fire marshal that the event was too full.

Many of us pleaded to be allowed in, blaming our tardiness on the relentless traffic that plagues this city, truly believing that enduring it to get downtown entitled us to a seat. A woman claimed to have sat in traffic for an hour from North Hollywood and others complained of the terrible parking conditions, sacrifices that they hoped would secure them a ticket.

Eventually, most of the crowd left, but not without expressing their anger at the poor volunteers who staffed the sign-in desk and arguing with the fire marshals about their right to stand in the hallway. With a little perseverance and luck, a few of us who stuck around got to sit in to the last hour of the debate.

The participants, which included political consultant Kerman Maddox, LA Weekly reporter Dave Zahniser, political scientist Jaime Regalado, and Los Angeles Magazine writer Jesse Katz, gave their insightful perspectives on how immigration, gang violence, and a new Latino political leadership, among other forces, are shaping the future of LA. Although I missed a good chunk of the beginning, the events I witnessed in the hallway were a great example of the challenges facing this city.

The Zocalo series, named after the word for “public square” in Spanish, seeks to create a public forum for intellectual thought and debate. The crowds clamoring to get in proved that the city is eager for a real public space that provides these learning and gathering opportunities. The Zocalo in Mexico City is a bustling public place where artists, vendors, local residents and tourists all intermingle with no capacity limit. The downtown library proved to be an inadequate place to fill this need.

Secondly, the angry commuters underscored that creating a downtown center is going to require a lot more than a pretty Gehry building, but also a hard look at how this city moves. Already, residents of the farther west and north sides of the city avoid heading downtown because of the traffic. Without a clear plan to alleviate this congested city that provides effective alternative solutions, LA will continue to be a sprawled city with no cultural core.

For us who did manage to get in, this attempt to recreate the Zocalo did provide for meaningful discussions, and an opportunity to hear from non-mainstream LA pundits. However, I look forward to the day when this city has a real, organic public square where traffic and parking aren’t a concern.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Weekly Calendar

Meetings, Activities, and Events that promote our mission for April 10, 2007

1. "Who Really Runs L.A. ?"


2. Increasing Wealth in the Latino Community


3. Bioneering


4. Sustainable Transportation Forum


5. Community Building and Visions of Change Awards Ceremony


6. How To Build A Healthier L.A.


7. Built Environment and Public Health Workshop


8. LANI's Fifth Annual Community Forum


9. LA River Bike Ride


10. Article: How am I driving? In Mexico City , like a jerk


11. Article: Nashville residents push for English-first law


What do Latina urban planners contribute to the profession?


The Latinos in planning event was a great success! We celebrated the accomplishments and goals of four Latina planners; Maria Cabildo, Executive Director of East Los Angeles Community Corporation, Norma E. Garcia, Community and Environmental Deputy to Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor Gloria Molina, Maribel De La Torre, Councilwoman for the City of San Fernando and Barbara Romero, Director of Urban Parks for the Natural Resources and Planning Division of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.


These Latinas provide a new articulate voice to the urban planning profession because they were born and raised in Latino neighborhoods. In these neighborhoods they rode public transit, walked to school, played in public parks so they bring this much needed sensibility to the profession.


The approach to the planning in their communities was much more comprehensive because it was not about their egos but how do I work with people such as my family to reach a consensus of what is needed.


These Latinos are committed to their communities and work 24 hours a day. Through their volunteer efforts, and raising families they work beyond 8 to 5 but beyond. Their passion, conviction and to improve the quality of life in their communities was very inspirational.


James Rojas


___________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ______


Tuesday, April 10, 7pm at Central Library


"Who Really Runs L.A. ?"

Moderated by Mariel Garza of the Los Angeles Daily News


Who runs Los Angeles ? It's not just the mayor. It's not just the City Council. And it's not just a handful of rich white men. Los Angeles is no ordinary city, and its non-traditional cast of power brokers and political players span the socioeconomic and ethnic divides. But who are they? How did they acquire their power? And how do they wield it? Political consultant Kerman Maddox, LA Weekly reporter Dave Zahniser, political scientist Jaime Regalado, and Los Angeles Magazine writer Jesse Katz visit Zócalo to square off in a raucous and informative discussion of L.A. 's municipal politics, warts and all. To Reserve a Free Seat at Central Library


Location:
Central Library


Downtown LA


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________


Thursday and Friday, April 12 & 13, 2007


Growth Strategies for Corporate America : Increasing Wealth in the Latino Community. Join Lusk and TRPI for a groundbreaking two-day event focusing on wealth building in the Latino community! Author and professor Dowell Myers, will present his new book which examines the critical relationship between aging Baby Boomers and the maturing US Latino immigrant population. His findings show that two powerful demographic shifts may hold the keys to resolving problems presented by the other. Click here to learn more about the event! Register and receive a 10% registration discount when you enter the discount code "LUSK"!


Location: Beverly Hills , CA


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _____-


Friday, April 13, 2007
From 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.


Bioneering: Hybrid Investigations of Food A gathering of artists, scientists, scholars, activists and community organizers sharing their work concerning food production, consumption & distribution. Visit www.foodbioneers. com for registration, schedule, information about presentations and bios.


Location:
UC Irvine


Room Gallery


___________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________


Wednesday, April 18, 2007
from noon to 1:00 p.m.


Sustainable Transportation Forum: Come and join the Sustainable Transportation Forum to engage in a year long once a month series of presentations discussing issues that relate to transportation and how they can become more sustainable. Guest speakers from varying professional backgrounds in transportation will discuss policies, initiatives, funding and strategies for sustainable development.


Location:
Union Station, Metro Head Quarters


Board Overflow Room on the 3rd floor.

(Cafeteria is located across the hall)


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _______


Thursday, April 19, 2007
@ 6:00 to 7:30 pm


South Central Planning Alliance Cocktail Reception with Janice Hahn, Gail


Goldberg, Larry Frank and Valerie Shaw.
RSVP to 323-731-6606


Location:
10950 S. Central Ave.

LA, CA. 90059


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________


Thursday, April 19, 2007
@ 4:30 pm


The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute Presents: 10 years of Community


Building and Visions of Change Awards Ceremony.

This year Elva Yanez will
receive the Northeast Los Angeles Social Justice Award, Angelo Logan, Jesse
Marquez and Penny Newman will receive the Los Angeles Regional Social Justice
Award and Luis Lopez, Principle of Franklin High School will receive eh Alumni
Community Action Award.
RSVP to Sylvia Chico (323) 259-2991 or email
schico@oxy.edu


Location:
Occidental College


1882 Campus Road


Los Angeles , CA. 90041


www.uepi.oxy.edu


____________ _________ _________ _________ ______


Friday, April 20, 2007
from 7:00 - 9:00 am


Beyond Jogging and Pilates: How To Build A Healthier L.A.


Every good developer and planner knows that a projects require business acumen, good design, traffic mitigation, community outreach, and all the rest. And of course they must conform to countless public regulations while quieting concerns that rise from the popular chorus. But, despite the built environment' s profound impact on every facet of urban life, considerations of the most fundamental human need -- health -- are often exiled to spas, gyms, and hospitals. Online Registration For more information: Contact: Christyne Buteyn

Phone: 310-394-0253
Email: info@westsideurbanforum.com


Confirmed Panelists

Dr. Neal Kaufman, Co-Director, UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities
Walker Wells, Program Director, Green Building, Cities, and Schools Program, Global Green, USA


Location
The Regency Club

10900 Wilshire Blvd.

17th Floor

Los Angeles, CA


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________


Tuesday, April 24, 2007
from 8:30-10:30 AM
"Air Quality and Environmental Justice Issues in the South Coast Air Basin : EPA's progress and Major Challenges Ahead" Featuring Mr. Wayne Nastri

Region 9 Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Please RSVP via our website at PatBrownInstitute.org or by contacting Tarren Lopez or Fredy Ceja at 323.343.3770
Breakfast will be served


Location: The City Club on Bunker Hill

333 South Grand Avenue , 54th Floor

Los Angeles , CA 90071

(Parking is accessible below the Wells Fargo Building )


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________





Wednesday, May 2, 2007 @ 8am-3pm


Built Environment and Public Health Workshop



The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is pleased to announce
a Built Environment and Public Health Workshop on May 2, 2007 from 8 a.m.
to 3 p.m in downtown Los Angeles .


This inter-disciplinary workshop will emphasize new ways to plan
for healthy environments, highlight how Public Health can support cities
in their planning efforts, and preview a new County funding source for
built environment work. City officials and planners, transportation
engineers, public works professionals, public health staff, and community
based organizations working on land use issues are encouraged to attend.


Please see the attached invitation and registration materials.
Note: This is a FREE event (meals on your own) Space is limited and pre-registration is required Registration Deadline: April 20


Location:
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels


Downtown Los Angeles



____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ____



Thursday, May 17, 2007
From 8:00 am to 2:30 pm


LANI's Fifth Annual Community Forum



Workshop topics include: Accounting for Nonprofits, Billboards, Farmer's Markets


Business Development, Community Murals, Disaster Preparedness at a Neighborhood Level Transportation Linkages Water Quality and Your Community


Register at www.lani.org or by calling (213) 627-1822 x20. The event is free and includes parking.



Location:


USC Davidson Conference Center


3415 S. Figueroa Street


LA, CA.



____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________


Saturday June 10, 2007


LA River Bike Ride


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ____


Conference


Thursday, April 12. 2006
From 8:30 am - 5:00 pm


Sixth Annual Municipal Green Building Conference and Expo:
Countdown to Green: Come discover the benefits of building green at the only education and demonstration forum specifically designed for Southland municipalities and the regional design community. Learn why cities across California are building schools, libraries, hospitals and fire stations as green buildings - saving energy and resources and preserving the health of building occupants. Discover why building green can benefit private development and help cities stretch tax dollars when needed most. Explore the latest products being developed by local manufacturers and begin to understand the associated costs, resulting benefits and available incentives for sustainable technologies.
For complete sponsor and exhibitor information: Contact dstevens@usgbc- la.org


Location: The Gas Company's Energy Resource Center


9240 Firestone Blvd
Downey , CA


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ___



American Planning Association' s 2007 National Planning Conference


Philadelphia, April 14-18.



I will be attending this APA conference and look forward to exploring Philadelphia .



Check out my session on: Hispanic-Latino Communities and Urban Spaces


4/17/2007, 4:00 p.m.–5:15 p.m.


Session Description: Scholars and planning practitioners discuss how Latino-Hispanic communities use urban space and how they differ from other groups living in U.S. cities today. What kind of challenges these communities present to existing planning and zoning regulations? What opportunities may arise?


Speakers' Corner




Make plans to attend the division events scheduled during the APA National Planning Conference.



The division is sponsoring the following events:



· Hispanic-Latino Communities and Urban Spaces


4:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 17


Scholars and planning practitioners discuss how Latino-Hispanic communities use urban space and how they differ from other groups living in U.S. cities today. What kind of challenges these communities present to existing planning and zoning regulations? What opportunities may arise?



· Division Organizational Meeting


7:00 a.m., Monday, April 16


Meet the Division Steering Committee, help develop the division's plans for the coming year, and learn how you can participate.



The division leaders look forward to hearing from you - questions and comments – and welcoming you as a member of the division.







____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________



Articles:


How am I driving? In Mexico City , like a jerk


It's a matter of survival in a metropolis where traffic laws have flown out the window.


By Héctor Tobar, Times Staff Writer
April 4, 2007


MEXICO CITY — Two or three mornings a week, I get the day started with a shot of adrenaline and vehicular aggression coursing through my veins.


Who needs caffeine when you have vintage Volkswagens coming at you the wrong way?


Cement trucks running red lights, unlicensed bus drivers and traffic circles where a Darwinian, survival-of- the-rudest logic prevails: I fight them all just to get my daughter to preschool, a harrowing drive of 1.3 miles.


Last year, more new cars were sold in Mexico than ever before: 1.2 million. In Mexico City , my minivan is one of about 6 million cars, taxis, buses and other vehicles, carrying 29 million people, that hit the streets every day.


The city traffic grid, first laid out by the Aztecs, is a patched-together series of compromises with Mexico City 's tumultuous history. By every measure, traffic is worse here than it's ever been, despite the heroic efforts of a small cadre of traffic engineers who struggle to keep things moving.


"Everyone wants to be in the same place at the same time," says Alejandro Hernandez Garcia, the official in charge of monitoring the grid. "People don't respect the traffic signs. They don't respect the traffic lights, either, especially at night."


The average Mexico City resident commutes nearly four hours each day. A recent and disturbing phenomenon has people commuting to Mexico City from the city of Puebla , 90 miles and three hours away.


Traffic is so bad here, and driver behavior so out of control, that city officials are considering reinstating driving tests. Draconian fines soon will be implemented against such everyday sins as going the wrong way on a one-way street.


It's the huge numbers and the lack of space that force everyone who drives here to routinely be a jerk — this scribe no exception. My fellow drivers and I double-park, we cut each other off, we make right turns from the left lane.


The locals rarely complain. There is no phrase in Mexican Spanish equivalent to "road rage."


To drive in Mexico City , I've had to forget almost everything I learned in California .


Slowly, I'm learning how to drive like a chilango — that's what residents of Mexico City call themselves.


To drive in this city you must be at once aggressive and patient. You ease your car into the next lane and force other drivers to let you in, because otherwise you'll never get where you're going. When someone cuts you off, you just let it go.


You must learn to surrender yourself to the traffic gods, who are, on most days, exceedingly angry with us poor sinners down here in the Valley of Mexico .


"At the beginning, you fight it, you're angry with everybody. But if you have that attitude, you don't last," says Elias Nuñez, a veteran taxi driver in the Polanco neighborhood who drives me home one day. (In an effort to preserve my sanity, I don't drive to work.)


"Sometimes, the traffic gets like this," Nuñez says, taking his two hands and weaving his fingers together. "And no one can move."


Ah, yes, I say. We have a word for that in English: gridlock.


It's another one of those Americanisms I think is untranslatable, until I meet Alfredo Hernandez Garcia.


A complicated problem


Hernandez Garcia is the man in charge of preventing carros atrapados, or trapped cars. He works in a bunker-like office in a nondescript building of the Public Security Secretariat, Mexico City 's police force.


A graduate of the country's only university program in traffic engineering, he is a man uniquely prepared for a job best described as mitigating failure.


"It gets complex, very complicated, " he says. It's a word he uses a lot to describe the traffic: complicado.


As he talks, he looks distractedly at a live screen image transmitted by one of 300 cameras trained on traffic. This one shows his biggest headache, the "Periferico, " or Peripheral Highway , which circles the city, although it long ago was encircled by more city. At 1:42 p.m., four hours before rush hour, traffic on the Peri has come to a halt.


"It's totally paralyzed," I observe, pointing at the screen. "Those cars are trapped."


"Yes," he says with a frown. He gets on the phone and a short while later tells me, "A truck got stuck. We've sent a tow truck to clear it."


It isn't just broken-down cars that make the traffic complicado, he says. People deliberately try to tangle things up. Several times a month one protest or another blocks a key artery, upsetting the delicate balance that keeps traffic bearable, but still bad.


Last year, Hernandez Garcia says, a single political protest caused a backup involving half a million vehicles.


He attacked the problem with helicopters, tow trucks, traffic cops on motorcycles and computer-controlled traffic signals. He got into a helicopter himself, commanding his troops from the sky.


"It took us three hours to sort that one out," Hernandez Garcia says. "That was a hard day."


The Mexico City government is preparing to increase the fines imposed on all those bad drivers I see in my neighborhood, he tells me. The Volkswagen driver who played chicken with me the other day could soon face a fine of $850 for driving the wrong way.


City traffic cops issue 6,000 citations every day. More than half are for double-parking.


People park on the sidewalks, Hernandez Garcia says, which forces pedestrians to walk in traffic. Even though the city's notoriously slow traffic mitigates the danger, on average 1,500 drivers and pedestrians are killed in accidents in Mexico City each year, a rate significantly higher than that in Los Angeles County .


Once, driving tests were required, but they were scrapped because so many people paid bribes to get their licenses. Now the city is drawing up proposals to reinstate the tests. In the meantime, the city has launched a program to educate schoolchildren about traffic laws, Hernandez Garcia says.


Presumably, all those children will become backseat traffic cops, yelling out things like, "Daddy, you just went through a red light!"


Speed bump mania


Widespread disregard for traffic laws here has led to a citizen backlash.


Neighborhood groups have filled the city with speed bumps, many of them built without official permission. Some are so high the locals call them "mountains."


Sergio Anibal Martinez, the newly appointed director of traffic planning for Mexico City, estimates the capital has 10,000 speed bumps, most them illegal. On average, a Mexico City driver encounters a bump every 950 yards of pavement.


"They really are a nuisance," Martinez says. They make the pollution worse, because engines operate less efficiently when forced to slow down and rev up again, he says. "But people want them because they think it makes things safer."


Martinez has plans to make traffic flow better. None involves more roads. The previous administration, led by Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, built a second level for part of the Periferico, but the cost was so high that it contributed to his defeat in last year's presidential race.


"We don't intend to make our city like Houston , Dallas or Los Angeles , a city filled with freeways," Martinez says.


Mexico City will never tear down entire neighborhoods, as Los Angeles did decades ago.


"We're carrying this cultural burden of our past, which is still present," Martinez says.


So the Peripheral Highway curves sharply around one 17th century church near my home. People who enter Mexico City from the main highway to the north are summarily dumped onto what is said to be the longest continuous street on the planet: Avenida Insurgentes. When the highways opened in the mid-20th century, there was simply no room for Los Angeles-style onramps and offramps.


"The city grew in a contradictory manner, and people built things just thinking of the needs of the moment," Martinez says. "They thought Avenida Insurgentes would be able to handle all the traffic coming in from the north."


Still, Martinez thinks Mexico City is no different from other places he's visited. "All megalopolises are like this," he says.


The other day he visited his relatives in Los Angeles . He was surprised to discover that they eat breakfast in their cars. He raises his eyebrows in disapproval — no one ever does that in Mexico City .


Much later, the explanation occurs to me: It's impossible to eat in your car in Mexico City . There are too many speed bumps.


What if I just …


I guide my car over five speed bumps and past two traffic signals on the way to my daughter's preschool.


There are a few stop signs, too, but everyone rolls past them, as though they had been put up in the era of the horse and buggy and don't apply to the 21st century.


The other day I stopped at one. Why not, I thought. Old habits die hard.


Honk! Honk! Honk! I looked in my rear-view mirror at a growing line of cars behind me. Go! Go! Just go! their horns shouted.


But I can't, I pantomimed back. Look, it's a red octagon, the universal symbol for stop.


Honk! Honk! Honk!


So I did what any self-respecting chilango does several times each day: I simply plunged forward.


____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ ________


Nashville residents push for English-first law


Immigrants have given Music City USA a new sound: foreign languages. Residents who don't like what they hear say there oughta be a law.


By Richard Fausset

Times Staff Writer


April 4, 2007


NASHVILLE — MAKE no mistake: This is still Guitar Town , and the cavernous Nashville Used Music store is proof. Here, amid rows of new and used six-strings, one finds country music veterans, hirsute rock dudes and honky-tonk strivers picking away most hours of the day in a gloriously dissonant jumble of twang.


But in a back corner, co-owner Charlie Shrader has been stocking, in ever-growing numbers, the gaudy symbols of the new Nashville : the Gabbanellis.


That is, Gabbanelli brand push-button accordions — bright, spangled things, some tricked out in the red, white and green stripes of the Mexican flag, and all marketed to the norteño and cumbia musicians who play an altogether different kind of country music.


It is a businessman' s response to a changing clientele: The percentage of foreign-born residents in Nashville and the surrounding county has quadrupled since 1990. Today, the Census Bureau estimates as many as 1 in 10 of Nashville 's 549,850 household residents are foreign-born, lending a cosmopolitan flair to an area that, like many in the South, was long defined in the old racial binary of black and white.


The newcomers to what was once billed as Music City USA are Ethiopians, Somalis, Bosnians and Iraqis — including what is believed to be the largest Kurdish population in the United States. Most, however, are Latino. Shrader's store is on Nolensville Road , a long commercial strip on Nashville 's south side that locals now call Little Mexico. In the last six months, he has hired two Spanish-speaking workers to deal with his new customers.


"That's the way it is," Shrader said. "You either go with the flow, or you don't go at all."


The influx of foreign-born residents has been "rapid and dramatic," said Vanderbilt University sociologist Daniel B. Cornfield. However, he noted, it has only brought Nashville in line with the national average.


Still, immigration tensions didn't command center stage until recently, with a proposal for an "English first" law, which would restrict local government to communicating in the native tongue of Milton and Mel Tillis.


A version of the law — which allowed use of other languages in a few limited situations — was approved this year by the Nashville-Davidson County Metropolitan Council. But it was vetoed by Mayor Bill Purcell, who said it would make the city "less safe, less friendly and less successful."


Supporters have since vowed to launch a signature drive for a 2008 ballot referendum.


Tennessee 's capital is not the first American city to pass such a law, but it is the largest. The measure's sponsor, Councilman Eric Crafton, said he introduced it in response to "pent-up frustrations" over the federal government's failure to curb illegal immigration. He also said it would spur immigrants to learn English faster.


But the debate has widened to encompass questions about the kind of city Nashville hopes to become. In the last few years, a different kind of international flavor — that of foreign business and investment — has become a key part of Nashville 's thriving economy. Many civic leaders do not want to spoil a good thing with a law that might seem unwelcoming.


Others — perhaps unsurprisingly in this foundry of heartland song and symbol — are worried about the fate of the culture that was here before.


Councilman Jim Gotto, who supports the proposal, sees some "disturbing parallels" between today's immigration trends — particularly illegal immigration — and those that preceded the decline of the Roman Empire.


"I welcome the people who come here legally, and it's kind of fun having the different flavors," he said. "At the same time, we don't have to lie down and give up our culture and heritage."


NASHVILLE was a frontier settlement, founded in 1779 on the banks of the Cumberland River by white pioneers who traveled west from North Carolina . It thrived as a port city and railroad hub, and, later, an insurance and healthcare center. The music industry flourished with the nationwide broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry radio show in 1932, and the rise of a number of recording studios and publishing houses.


Nashville 's close ties to country music make for a unique calling card, but one that offers a somewhat distorted image. The great populist troubadours of Music Row have long shared the city with the scholars of Vanderbilt University and an influential moneyed class that earned its wealth in more traditional industries.


Nashville had pockets of sophistication, but not diversity. With the exception of a wave of German immigrants who settled in the 1800s, foreign-born residents were a rarity for years here, the result of the city's distance from the two coasts, as well as strict immigration policies imposed by the federal government for much of the 20th century.


"When I grew up in Nashville in the '50s, we had black people and white people," said novelist Sallie Bissell, a Nashville native who lives in North Carolina . "Mexicans to me were as exotic as gypsies. If they'd walked down my street, I'm sure everybody would have walked outside and watched."


There were ripples of change in the 1970s and '80s. In 1975, a state chapter of Catholic Charities USA began resettling refugees from Vietnam and Laos . Since then, the group has brought nearly 20,000 refugees from these and other troubled countries to Nashville and the surrounding area. Japanese businessmen became a fixture starting in 1980, when then-Gov. Lamar Alexander lured a Nissan plant to nearby Smyrna , Tenn.


The first Latino immigrants arrived in significant numbers in the late 1980s, and their numbers have grown since. They were attracted by an economy that was flourishing, thanks in great part to global trade.


As car and car-parts makers gravitated from Rust Belt to Sun Belt, Nashville became a major trading hub. In the last five years, the 10-county area saw more than 450 companies relocate or expand into the region, attracted by low taxes and good weather. Thirty-nine were foreign-owned — among them Nissan Motor Co., which announced in November 2005 that it was moving its North American headquarters from Gardena, Calif.


Houses, malls and sports venues sprouted up along the way, and many immigrants were there to do the building.


In a matter of years, a city that had only a couple of Mexican restaurants could count more than 100, according to Conexion Americas, a local immigrant support group. Many compete for customers along two bustling commercial strips in south Nashville , Nolensville Road and Murfreesboro Pike — where Spanish is only one of the languages spoken.


For years, these wide streets played host to a utilitarian mix of used-auto lots, muffler shops and small restaurants whose signs were all in English. Today, Kurdish halal butchers share the streets with Mexican tire shops and Somali lunch counters blaring Al Jazeera TV. Rick Q. Vu, a Vietnamese American dentist, advertises in the Spanish-language newspaper, and draws 1 in 5 customers from the Latino community.


Down the street, a former Catholic Charities worker from Sri Lanka , Patricia Paiva, runs Aurora Bakery and Cafe, where she cranks out authentic Mexican pan dulce: mantecadas, guayabas, polvorones. She also assembles baklava, writes Amharic messages on birthday cakes, and offers English classes for her mostly Latino staff.


"All of those people know that if they want to get ahead, they've got to speak English," Paiva said. "And they do learn."


Print-shop worker John Taylor, a Nashville native, is worried that the new immigrants are not making enough of an effort to mingle, sticking to their own languages and settling in hermetic enclaves. To him, it feels like something the South has had enough of: segregation.


"I don't like the cordoning off of people," said Taylor , 34. "I'm not a big thumper for civil rights and what MLK did, but it was the right thing to do."


Mechanic Randy Bruce, 49, has been frustrated watching the old Nashville change before his eyes.


"It doesn't matter who you call or where you go — you can't understand anybody; convenience stores, fast-food restaurants, " Bruce said. "When they came over, our forefathers wanted to be American. Nowadays nobody wants to. They want to come change our country."


CRAFTON, the councilman who wrote the English-first measure, is a 39-year-old homebuilder and Nashville native who met his wife in Japan while he was working toward a postgraduate degree from Tokyo 's Keio University . Last year, as his colleagues debated the proposal, he offered a few of his opinions on the subject — in fluent Japanese.


"I did that to drive home the point that if we don't have this legislation, at any point, anyone from any country could come in and not want to participate in English," he said. "And there you go — you'd have a big problem."


Residents on both sides of the language debate acknowledge that many immigrants and refugees have been warmly received in Nashville . Southern hospitality is a point of civic pride here. It also helped that there have been enough jobs to go around, with unemployment averaging about 3.9% annually since 1990.


In recent months, police have noticed that some immigrants, particularly Latinos, have been singled out by criminals because they are believed to keep their money in cash, and are less likely to cooperate with authorities. Such motives appear to have driven a string of home invasion robberies this year, as well as a March 11 murder and attempted robbery, Nashville police spokeswoman Kristin Mumford said.


Nashville 's best template for coexistence is its civil rights history. But locals don't always agree how its lessons should be applied. In the 1950s and '60s, activists like the Rev. James Lawson pitched a high-profile campaign to desegregate the city. That struggle, though sometimes violent, was less traumatic than those in other Southern cities, thanks in part to a tradition of moderate political leadership.


Councilman Gotto suggests that it is opponents of illegal immigration who have the moral high ground this time.


"It's morally wrong for us as a nation to allow this and embrace this, because it does, in a way, enslave a group of folks," he said.


"It's not about being bigoted or prejudiced."


Gotto has drafted two other bills that would punish business owners and landlords for hiring or renting to illegal immigrants, based on similar laws passed in Hazleton, Pa., that are being challenged in federal court. Gotto said his proposals are on hold until the outcome of the case.


Many in Nashville 's business community fear such moves will create a big public relations problem, reminding outsiders — particularly, outside investors — of an Old South that was hostile to minorities.


"I think there are a lot of long-held beliefs out there with regard to the entire Southeast," said Christine Karbowiak, a vice president at Japanese tire maker Bridgestone Corp., which runs its Americas operation out of Nashville.


The English proposal in particular, she said, "sends a very negative message to the international community."


SO the city waits, watches and listens for ripples in the culture, the cuisine, the language, and even the music.


The sounds that came from here have always been a hybrid of black and white, sacred and secular, city and country. Mexican music has been an influence too: Johnny Cash famously added mariachi-style horns to "Ring of Fire" after hearing them in a dream.


On a recent weekday morning, Shrader, the music store owner, listened closely to a CD that one of his Mexican employees was blasting through a PA system. It was a norteño arrangement, with Spanish lyrics.


The words were a mystery to Shrader, but the melody was like an old friend: It was "Cotton Fields," the old Lead Belly song that had been covered by the likes of Bill Monroe and Buck Owens.


The accordion players might not be jamming with the Anglo cowboys yet, Shrader said. But this song hinted at the possibilities.


"One day," he said, "there may be some blending here."


Urban Eats:



" East Los Angeles Farmer's Market" every Saturday from 9AM TO 1PM


Features fruits and vegetables grown locally by local farmers. In addition, you'll find one of a kind creations offered by local artisans and meet representatives from local community organizations.



Location: First Street (between Rowan and Ditman).





Homegirl Café!


1818 East First Street

LA, CA. 90014




Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe


7th Street across from Macarthur Park




Visit LUF on Myspace.com/LatinoUrbanForum


blog.Myspace. com/latinourbanforum


To post events, activities or meetings that promote planning, cultural or dialogue contact James Rojas at 213 892-0918 or email Latinourbanforum@yahoo.com Please submit post in word.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Latinas in Planning

Below, James' commentary on this past Thursday's very successful, APA Latinos in Planning event:
The Latinos in planning event was a great success! We celebrated the accomplishments and goals of four Latina planners; Maria Cabildo, Executive Director of East Los Angeles Community Corporation, Norma E. Garcia, Community and Environmental Deputy to Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor Gloria Molina, Maribel De La Torre, Councilwoman for the City of San Fernando and Barbara Romero, Director of Urban Parks for the Natural Resources and Planning Division of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.

These Latinas provide a new articulate voice to the urban planning profession because they were born and raised in Latino neighborhoods. In these neighborhoods they rode public transit, walked to school, played in public parks so they bring this much needed sensibility to the profession. The approach to the planning in their communities was much more comprehensive because it was not about their egos but how do I work with people such as my family to reach a consensus of what is needed.

These Latinas are committed to their communities and work 24 hours a day. Through their volunteer efforts, and raising families they work not just 8 to 5 but beyond. Their passion and conviction to improve the quality of life in their communities was very inspirational.

-James Rojas