Recent Streetsblog LA posts about Eastside

In an effort to show how transportation, open space, planning and other issues are intertwined with the health, culture, livability and strength of a community, Streetsblog and The California Endowment teamed to bring Streetsblog’s coverage to a hyper-local level in Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles. Sahra Sulaiman is Communities Editor for Streetsblog Los Angeles and oversees work in South Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. Her work and that of our former Boyle Heights-specific writer Kris Fortin can be found here. Contact Sahra at sahra[at]streetsblog.org or on twitter: @sahrasulaiman.

I See London, I See France. I See L.A.’s Dirty Underpass(es).

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 20, 2014 | 19 Comments

A few weeks ago, a significant hullabaloo was raised when developer Geoffrey Palmer proposed a walkway over the 110 Freeway that would allow residents of his apartment complex to walk between the buildings without having to traverse the underpass and the homeless encampment there. Some were angered by the overt vilification of the homeless — […]

Exide’s Third Application for Permit to Handle Hazardous Waste Found Deficient

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 18, 2014 | 2 Comments

Just after I got word yesterday that the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) had determined that Exide Technologies’ third application for a formal permit to handle hazardous waste at their lead-acid battery recycling facility in Vernon was deficient, an email popped into my inbox from State Senator Ricardo Lara’s office. Lara’s press release touted […]

Gentri-flyer Opens One Hell of a Conversation. Now What?

By Sahra Sulaiman | Jun 6, 2014 | 23 Comments

Gentrification.* Much like with pornography, everybody is pretty sure they know what it is when they see it, and almost everyone has an opinion about it. But, nailing down a set of defining principles everyone can agree on so we can sit down and have a discussion about it is easier said than done. For […]

Folleto desencadena polémica en Boyle Heights a través de los redes sociales

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 28, 2014 | 2 Comments

Cuando ayer por la mañana vi por primera vez el folleto a la izquierda en mis redes sociales, pensé que se trataba de una broma. Promocionaba a Boyle Heights como un “vecindario encantador, histórico, accesible para peatones y ciclistas” donde uno puede hacer una entrega inicial “tan baja como de 40 mil dólares y tener […]

Gentri-flyer Sets Off Social Media Storm in Boyle Heights

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 28, 2014 | 100 Comments

When I first saw the flyer at left pop up in my social media feeds yesterday morning, I actually thought it was a joke. Touting Boyle Heights as a “charming, historic, walkable, and bikeable neighborhood” where you could put down “as little as $40K with decent credit,” it invited Arts District neighbors to join in […]

A Walking Tour of Boyle Heights with El Random Hero

By Erick Huerta | May 28, 2014 | 1 Comment

What started out as a casual conversation over drinks and food turned into me leading a tour of Boyle Heights for my friend’s Spanish class. The tour gave his students, many of whom were visiting BH for the first time, the opportunity to explore the rich diversity the community has to offer. I’ve had the privilege of […]

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