Jordan Downs aka “Urban Village”…?

Jordan Downs, one of LA’s neglected public housing complexes, with extremely bad soil is being transformed into a master-planned community to create a vibrant and sustainable mixed-used and mixed-income urban village with up to 1,400 units of Mixed-income housing & approx. 100,000 sq. ft. of neighborhood with shops, a much-needed grocery store, restaurants, community center, and green space. The area is set to serve low, very low and extremely low income families and unrestricted income households. The redeveloped Jordan Downs will include much needed neighborhood-serving retail, parks and a community center. The new vision promises to serve as a catalyst for the economic and social enhancement of the greater neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Comments can be submitted via email to sergio.rosas@hacla.org. The HACLA BOC meeting will be held on Thursday May 24th at 9:00 AM in the HACLA Board Room located at 2600 Wilshire Blvd, 1st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90057.

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HACLA

Jordan Downs Project

Banc Of California Stadium Ready For Soccer

 

 

The Banc of California Stadium will host its first LA Football Club Game against Seattle Sounders April 29^th at 6pm.   The recently completed $350 million, 22,000-seat, Gensler-designed stadium has been under construction since 2016. The site was previously occupied by the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.   A ribbon-cutting ceremony held on April 18^th marked the completion of the 20 months of construction.  LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Council President Herb Wesson, Councilmember and Coliseum Commission President Curren Price, MLS commissioner Don Garber, and Co-Owner Ervin “Magic” Johnson were just a few present for the ribbon cutting ceremony.  The new stadium is the newest landmark in Exposition Park, along with the LA Memorial Coliseum, the California African American Museum, the California Science Center, and the Natural History Museum of LA County and the under construction Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

L to R; Peter Guber, Magic Johnson, councilman Curren Price, Jr., Will Ferrell and Tony Robbins at the groundbreaking of the new Banc of California stadium which will house the Los Angeles Football Club. Groundbreaking for the stadium, which will be built on the site of the Sports Arena, was held Tuesday. The project is scheduled for completion in 2018. (Photo by David Crane Southern California News Group)

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LA Football Club

Kicking Off A New Era Of Soccer In Expo Park

LA’s new soccer stadium now open

South Los Angeles Going SOLA

Councilmember Bernard Parks has been on the move lately, after announcing and breaking ground on the Vermont Entertainment Center, Councilmen Parks introduced a motion to officially change the neighborhood name of South Los Angeles to SOLA.  In 2003 City Council voted to change the area formerly known as South Central Los Angeles to South Los Angeles, in hopes to do away with the negative connotation that was placed on South Central after the riots.  Well I guess Council Parks is feeling like one more name change will seal the deal.  Parks told the Times that while there hasn’t been any community outreach about the change yet, it’s something that’s been suggested to him in passing by constituents.  I love the idea but don’t think the motion will be passed, but Councilmen Parks more power to you if the name change goes through.

SOLA

Vermont Entertainment Center Development – South LA

Councilmen Bernard Parks announced and hosted a ground breaking this week for a massive entertainment development at Vermont Ave and Manchester Ave.  From the renderings it seems to be a promenade type shopping/entertainment center.  Hopefully this will be a catalysts for the development in the area.  This area was impacted hard from the riots  in the early 90’s and has remained a blighted area ever since so seeing this development be initiated definitely brings hope for the area.  The project is being lead by Councilmember Bernard C. Parks and Sassony Properties.  The development is slated for completion winter of 2016.

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VEC – Vermont Entertainment Center

Beware Gentrification is Afoot SouthLA!

I really hope you all have been keeping up with the major developments currently under-construction because major gentrification is afoot, really its already started happening.  Don’t get me wrong I’m all for diversity however the Crenshaw District/Inglewood is the only geographical location in Southern California that caters to African Americans, and with strong gentrification nearing this may mean an end to what has a been the West Coast African American Cultural mecca.  Every culture/race has their area within LA [Jews have Mid-City West/Hancock Park, Koreans have Koreatown, Japanese, Little Tokyo, Chinese, Chinatown, Whites Westside and South Bay, Hispanics, East LA/South East LA and Gateway Cities (everywhere really), etc] this is all we have.  Inglewood is planning 3000 homes for the Hollywood Park Casino land and South LA is planning to build hundreds of condos and apartments around the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza so and with Curbed LA releasing a map of the cheapest and highest rents along the currently under-construction metro lines, please expect some new neighbors. The positive of gentrification is it brings new amenities and faces to the neighborhood, the negative the neighborhood loose its cultural flare and simply becomes a bland thoroughfare for Central LA/Hollywood/DTLA to get to LAX, but don’t just take my opinion on it, weigh it out for yourself.  Google gentrification in Lincoln Park, Highland Park, Echo Park, the Boyle Heights Community is doing everything in its power to fight gentrification.  I just wanna give the heads up so know no one can say I didn’t see this coming.   I just want to educate people on whats going on in their neighborhoods so that they have the opportunity to move on these. So if your in the process of buying, thinking about buying, want to buy please start buying in South LA.  Please let me know your opinion/ideas on this matter, please feel free to leave a comment.

March For Justice And Unity In South LA

There are two marches for unity this weekend, must be unity weekend LOL, we need it though.  One will be up in Pasadena, the one that I will be attending, and one will be right here in South Los Angeles.  Please come out and support one as this is awesome opportunity for the community to come together and show the world that #BlackLivesMatter Too!

CALLING ALL COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO JOIN THE MOVEMENT! BE A PART OF THE…

MARCH FOR JUSTICE AND UNITY!

DATE: Saturday, February 21, 2015
March Begins: 10am
Where: LAPD Southwest Division
1546 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

For more information go to www.lasentinel.net contact us at marchforjustive@lasentinel.net or call 323-299-3800.

Up Close & Personal With Hill Harper At Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza

Baldwin Hills Crenshaw will also host public interview with this year’s PAFF Celebrity Ambassador, Hill Harper. Known for his roles in CSI: New York, Covert Affairs and in the recent feature film The Boy Next Door alongside Jennifer Lopez, Hill is also a New York Times bestselling author and has been appointed by President Obama to serve on several advocacy committees. Harper will discuss highlights from his writing career, including Letters to a Young Brother and Letters to a Young Sister, and will offer insights to young people in the community about political advocacy and the importance of developing healthy personal finance habits. The interview will take place on February 19^th at 7:00pm in BHC Center Court.

Black College Expo Back In Town!

The 16th Annual Black College Expo is Back in LA this Saturday! January 31, 2015 9am-5pm.  This year’s expo is hosted by Kel Mitchell (Kean & Kel) and is complete with on-site acceptance (I was accepted to Hampton University on the spot back in 2004, just have all your documents necessary, be prepared, and wait in line, IT WAS WORTH! Shout Out To Hampton U Pirates!), seminars, artist and celebrity performances,   aftershow, and a stepshow.  I recommend this to all High School students, just so you can be prepared and knowledgeable of your options prior to becoming a senior.  Students of 11th and 12th grade also have a chance to win scholarships. Tickets are going for a mere $10.00 per person at the door, $8.00 per person online, and a discounted rate for groups of 15 or more.  So get there early and make one of the best decisions of your life, I did, I LOVE MY HIU!

16th Annual Black College Expo

Dr. George J. McKenna III Will Host His 1st Education Towne Hall

LAUSD District 1 Board Member, Dr. George J. McKenna III is hosting his first education town hall meeting this Saturday.  The key to the success of meeting the challenge we face as a school district is the active involvement of our parents, schools and community. Our interactive town halls are an opportunity for the entire school community to engage in a critical dialogue about the future of K-12 education. I’m looking forward to outlining my priorities, listening to the community, and empowering our parents and students with the knowledge of some of the resources the District and my office provide.

The town halls will be held at the following locations and times:

Saturday, January 31, 2015, 11 am – 12:30 pm
Audubon Middle School Auditorium
4120 11th Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90008

Thursday, February 19, 2015, 6 – 7:30 pm
Palms Middle School Auditorium
10860 Woodbine St., Los Angeles, CA 90034

Saturday, February 21, 2015, 11 am – 12:30 pm
Middle College High School on the campus of LA Southwest College
1600 Imperial Hwy., Bldg. 16, Los Angeles, CA 90047

Thursday, March 5, 2015, 6 – 7:30 pm
John Burroughs Middle School Auditorium
600 S. McCadden Pl., Los Angeles, CA 90005

McKenna’s Website

Education Towne Hall Flyer

Volunteer to Help Participate in the 2015 Homeless Count

Come out and help change a life!  At the end of this month, we will have the opportunity to contribute to the county-wide Homeless Count 2015!  The results of the Homeless Count 2015 will determine how resources are allocated across Los Angeles County.  Our neighborhoods in South LA desperately need these resources to help us care for all our families housed, vulnerable to homelessness and hunger, and homeless. Now more then ever, homeless folks are finding shelter in South LA, while resources are concentrated elsewhere.  A complete count can ensure we have the tools to make a change!

Please mark you calendars for January 29th, and come out and volunteer!!

• No experience necessary, you will be trained and supported through the process.

If you would like more information on the Homeless Count 2015, please check out the The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Volunteer with the Empowerment Congress West Area Team by signing up on our NationBuilder team page.

If you have any additional questions or concerns you can contact me, my information is below.

Thank you, and I will see you on January 29th, at 8pm!

Ashley K. Thomas
Empowerment Congress West Area, Area 3 Rep, Outreach Committee Chair
Homeless Count 2015, Empowerment Congress West Area Deployment Cite Coordinator

ashleykthomas@ecwandc.org
ashleykthomas@gmail.com

Read the LA Times’ editorial for more information on the 2015 Homeless Count!