Councilman Garcetti's Weekly Newsletter

[The information below was provided by the Office of Councilman Eric Garcetti.]

GARCETTI ESTABLISHES $25K REWARD IN ECHO PARK HATE CRIME 

The Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a motion by Councilmember Eric Garcetti to establish a $25,000 reward for information leading to the identification and conviction of the perpetrators involved in the stabbing of two men in Echo Park.  The men were stabbed after anti-gay slurs were made and police are handling the case as a hate crime.

“We will not tolerate these kinds of hateful slurs and violent behavior,” said Councilmember Garcetti.

The attack occurred around midnight on May 24 on Echo Park Avenue
near Montana. The LAPD posted videos of the attacks here and here.

Councilmember Eric Garcetti also co-hosted a "Town Hall Meeting Against Hate Crimes" on Tuesday night at El Centro Del Pueblo to seek the community's help in catching the attackers and to reaffirm that Echo Park is a community that has zero-tolerance for hate crimes against anyone.

GARCETTI JOINS COMMUNITY LEADERS IN RECOGNIZING 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF ERA DEADLINE 

Los Angeles City Councilmember Eric Garcetti joined women’s community leaders in recognizing the 30th anniversary of the Congressional deadline to pass a federal Equal Rights Amendment.  To this day, equal rights for women remain unprotected under the U.S. Constitution.

"Laws protecting women have certainly advanced in the last 30 years, but that doesn't mean women do not need or deserve to have their rights protected under our federal constitutional," said Garcetti, who noted that 22 states, including California, have enacted their own Equal Rights Amendments in the absence of a federal amendment. 
When Congress passed the ERA, it set a time limit for states to ratify it.  Originally set to expire in 1979, Congress extended the deadline to June 30, 1982, but it failed – receiving ratification by only 35 of the 38 states needed to be approved.   Garcetti was joined by Hollywood NOW President Lindsey Horvath as well as Zoe Nicholson, founder of ERA Once and For All, who was one of seven women who fasted for 37 days to draw attention to state legislatures that were voting on the amendment’s ratification in 1982.

GARCETTI HONORS EDUCATOR DR. GEORGE MCKENNA 

Councilmember Eric Garcetti joined dozens of community members in celebrating Dr. George McKenna’s 50 years of service as a local educator.  McKenna is currently serving as Superintendent for Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Local District 7, which primarily serves South Los Angeles communities.

“I'm pleased to pay tribute to a man who has dedicated a lifetime to changing the world, school by school, student by student,” said Garcetti.  “On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, it is my distinct honor to recognize Dr. McKenna for his service to our communities and his commitment to our children.”

Dr. McKenna began his career as a teacher in1962 at Gardena High School and taught at Jordan High School before becoming an administrator. He has served as Compton Unified School District Deputy Superintendent, Inglewood Unified School District Superintendent, and Pasadena Unified School District Assistant Superintendent. He has served as LAUSD Local District 7 Superintendent since 2009.

President Ronald Reagan called Dr. McKenna a "hero with faith in common-sense values" and Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis mentioned Dr. McKenna’s achievements during his presidential nomination acceptance speech at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Dr. McKenna was the 1989 recipient of the Congressional Black Caucus’ Chairman’s Award and was inducted into the National Alliance of Black School Educators’ Hall of Fame in 1997.

UPCOMING EVENTS 

• Today and tomorrow, June 28-29, drop by the Central City Action Committee’s (CCAC) Rummage Sale at the Old Fire Station #6 (534 N. East Edgeware Rd) from 10:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Proceeds from the sale will support youth summer programs – such as beach and museum trips, camping, and movies — to give local kids safe, supervised summer opportunities. 

• On Friday, June 29, the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council and the Los Angeles City Council will sponsor a Hollywood Community Health Fair.  This event will feature free health-care screenings and resources as well as entertainment, fun activities, and free food.  Stop by the Hollywood United Methodist Church (Franklin Ave. and Highland Ave.) between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to learn how to commit to be fit!  For more information, please visit www.hhwnc.org.

• On Saturday, June 30, La Casita Verde Child Development Center and Preschool (4601 N. Figueroa) will hold its annual Summer Luau and open house with food, fun and live music for families and children under age 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  This free open house party is going to feature live music from EGG, tiki drinks for kids, food, games, and a bouncy castle. All funds from tickets for food, games, raffle, photo booth and more go to help fund La Casita Verde.  For more information, please visit www.lacasitaverde.org. 

• On Sunday, July 1, check out a free concert in the park and fireworks show in celebration of the 4th of July.  Stop by the Eagle Rock Recreation Center (1100 Eagle Vista Dr) from 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for free musical entertainment, give-aways, a moon bounce, a car show, and fireworks.  This event is hosted by Councilmember Jose Huizar and the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce.  For more information, please contact Councilmember Huizar’s Northeast Office at 323/254-5295.

• Monday, July 2, is the deadline for artist submissions for the Sacred Memories: Cross-Cultural Celebrations of Day of the Dead exhibit sponsored by El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument and El Pueblo Park Association.  To view past submissions, please click here.  For more information, please click here. 

• On Thursday, July 5, the Benjamin Franklin Branch Library (2200 E. 1st Street in Boyle Heights) is hosting a FREE introduction to card making and scrapbooking at 6:30 p.m.  Stop by to learn the tools and techniques to create beautiful cards or pages for your scrapbook and bring any photos and special images you wish to use.  To sign up, please call 323-263-6901.

• VOTE NOW! Patch's Eastside sites have joined forces to determine the best of the best in these communities:  Highland Park, Mount Washington, Cypress Park, Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, Atwater Village, Echo Park, Silver Lake and Los Feliz.  Click here to nominate your favorite places in 25 different categories!  Nominations will be accepted through July 9. 

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