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.

La Virgen, Like “Another Mother,” And Reflecting on Boyle Heights

By Kristopher Fortin | Dec 20, 2012 | No Comments

Around the Eastside, the Virgin de Guadalupe means a lot to everyone especially on her feast day, December 12. Live banda is bursting from people’s homes, processions leave assortments of vibrant flowers at the foot of her mural. It’s the start of the holiday season, where toy drives shut down streets, and posadas become almost […]

Boyle Heights Community, Metro Clash at Meeting Over Development at MTA Owned Property

By Kristopher Fortin | Dec 7, 2012 | 1 Comment

Disparate Homeowners, long-time residents, advocacy groups, and other stakeholders hijacked the discussion at Thursday night’s Metro community meeting concerning Metro-owned properties in Boyle Heights. The meeting was supposed to be Metro’s sole opportunity to get community input before submitting design guidelines to the Metro board of directors for three sites – Cesar Chavez Avenue and Soto […]

“Starting from the Beginning” for Some Metro Owned Sites in Boyle Heights

By Kristopher Fortin | Dec 6, 2012 | 4 Comments

Last month, when Jsm/Polis Builders (JSM) lost the contract to develop a CVS Pharmacy and shopping center on the corner of Soto Street and Cesar Chavez Avenue, the fate of that site and other Metro-owned properties seemed vague. Today, Metro representatives will host a meeting to update the public on the status of four Metro-owned […]

Corazón del Pueblo Pumps Community Life Into First Street

By Kristopher Fortin | Dec 5, 2012 | 2 Comments

When I try to talk to Rooster, a 20-year-old Eastside resident, he is visibly nervous. When we finish talking he says “You sound like a cop.” But when he speaks in public at Corazón del Pueblo‘s Flowers of Fire open mic poetry night, he commands the stage. Rooster riffs spoken word on the hypocrisies of the economy, jokes […]

Boyle Heights Briefs: Open Markets, Discussion on Arts District, and Meeting on Metro Owned Sites

By Kristopher Fortin | Nov 27, 2012 | No Comments

Just because I haven’t been writing about Boyle Heights lately, doesn’t mean nothing is going on. The last couple of weeks saw festivals and community meetings that could create lasting change in Boyle Heights. Last week, the neighborhood celebrated the festival of Santa Cecilia at Mariachi Plaza. The multi-day festivities included a procession and day-long […]

Boyle Heights Events: Marketplace on 1st Street, Self Help Graphics and Art Discuss Arts District, and Mariachi Festival

By Kristopher Fortin | Nov 16, 2012 | 1 Comment

Green Friday: A Truly Free Market YouthBuild Boyle Heights Charter School will be collecting items to refurbish such as toys, clothing, electronics, home furnishing tools and appliances for the public to use for free. The cooking demos to make flaming hot kale chips, a pop-up bookstore, and other food demos are all ideas created by […]

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