Recent Streetsblog LA posts about mariachi plaza

Form (and Speedy Implementation) over Function Yields Semi-Obsolete Street Furniture in Boyle Heights

By Sahra Sulaiman | Aug 12, 2015 | 10 Comments

When the butterflies, flowers, and decorative benches first started popping up along 1st Street in Boyle Heights last year, reviews were mixed. Okay… That’s not really true — the reviews I heard were largely not that great. Particularly from business owners that had been given some advance notice — but no choice and no recourse […]

Boyle Heights Youth Research Community Challenges, Find Proposed TOD Solutions Don’t Go Far Enough to Help Neediest

By Sahra Sulaiman | Mar 19, 2015 | No Comments

“So…” I begin, looking around the table at CALO YouthBuild students Abigail Navarro, Irvin Plata, Stephanie Olwen, and Eric Aguayo. I am there to ask them about how the youth at this charter school — a school whose student body is comprised of at-risk students aged 16-24 who struggled at one or more traditional high […]

Youth Rise Above Heckling to Win Concession for Community on Metro Projects at Neighborhood Council Meeting

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jan 30, 2015 | 1 Comment

“They’re not even from Boyle Heights!” heckled an agitated Teresa Marquez before the handful of youth from YouthBuild Boyle Heights that had nervously stepped up to speak at the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council (BHNC) regarding the fate of Metro-owned properties Wednesday night had even had a chance to make their comments. Another woman, Yolanda Gonzalez, also […]

Finally Given a Platform, Boyle Heights Speaks Out on Metro’s Mariachi Plaza and Affordable Housing Plans

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jan 23, 2015 | 29 Comments

Accused of smirking her way through Metro’s heated community meeting on the fate of Metro-owned properties in Boyle Heights by an agitated attendee, a clearly flustered Jenna Hornstock (Metro’s Deputy Executive Officer of Countywide Planning) had had enough. “It’s hard to stand up and say, ‘We screwed up!'” she said of feeling like she had […]

Calendar for Metro Outreach on Boyle Heights Projects and a Correction About Tonight’s Meeting

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jan 8, 2015 | No Comments

Earlier this week, we mistakenly posted that Primestor, the developer looking to overhaul the space around Mariachi Plaza, would be presenting at the Planning and Land Use Committee (PLUC) meeting of the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council tonight. Instead, tonight’s meeting (see agenda) will focus on Abode Communities’ affordable housing plans for the site at Cesar […]

Metro Postpones Approving ENA for Mariachi Plaza, Gets Blasted for Having it on Agenda in First Place

By Sahra Sulaiman | Nov 13, 2014 | 28 Comments

“Injustice. […] Lack of accountability. Lack of outreach in our community,” a frustrated Teresa Marquez, president of the Boyle Heights Stakeholders Association, told the Metro Board of Directors this morning. “Nobody’s talking to us!” She was right. Metro had apparently reneged on promises in 2012 that, “prior to seeking Metro Board approval [for a project […]

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