Friday, February 27, 2009

Reyes Enhances Fire Safety in Pico-Union with Fire Station 13


Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Fire Department

Councilmember Reyes will join Pico-Union residents and City leaders Saturday at 10 a.m. for the grand opening of Fire Station 13, the Los Angeles Fire Department's newest fire station. The $13 million station, at 2401 Pico Blvd., will cover a 2.1 square mile area and serve First District communities including Pico-Union, Koreatown and Harvard Heights.

Mayor Antonio Villariagosa and Fire Chief Douglas Barry are scheduled to join Reyes at the event, which will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, food and entertainment from local schools and community groups.

Fire Station 13, modernized through Proposition F funds, replaces the Old Fire Station 13 at 1206 S. Vermont Blvd. that was built in 1949. The new fire station will better serve the growing population of a fire district that is projected to increase to 337,144 by 2010.

Fire Station 13 Grand Opening
Saturday, Feb. 28, 10 a.m.
2401 Pico Blvd. (Between Vermont Boulevard and Westmoreland Avenue)
Los Angeles, CA 90006

Community Pride Day 2009

Councilmember Reyes rounded up more than 2,000 volunteers for Community Pride Day Saturday to clean and green the First District. Armed with brooms, bags and paint brushes, volunteers fanned out across 18 sites from Pico-Union to MacArthur Park to Cypress Park and Highland Park to beautify their neighborhoods. Later, they joined Councilmember Reyes at the Environmental Services Fair in Highland Park where they were rewarded with free food, entertainment and a raffle for an Ipod.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the team effort clean-up! A special thank you to the Department of Transportation, Clean and Green, Adult Corps and Water Conservation organizations. Through your hard work, we achieved the numbers below:

1-Clean Up: 26.88 Tons of trash and bulky items
2-Alleys: 101 alleys were cleaned. A total of 439 cubic yards of debris and bulky items were collected.
3-Asphalt Repairs: 1,082 repairs completed within grids.
4-Two utilitarian lights installation. One at 115 S. Avenue 56 and the second at 1939 Estrella Avenue (by Department of Water and Power)
5-Red curves re-painted at Harvard Heights, Hope and Peace Park and Budlong Tunnel areas.
6-One hundred and thirty fruit trees were adopted out of the Million Tree Program and additional 150 fruit trees are to be planted to complete beautification projects in the next two weeks.
7-One hundred bags of mulch were given away.
8-Mural restoration at MacArthur Park.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Los Angeles Downtown News Honors Four CD1 Projects

Councilmember Reyes last night joined hundreds who packed the L.A. Athletic Club to celebrate the winners of the Los Angeles Downtown News' Downtowners of Distinction awards. Four of the ll awards went to projects in the First Council District. They are: Vista Hermosa Park in City West, Yale Terrace in Chinatown, Philippe’s 100th Birthday in Union Station/El Pueblo, and TenTen Wilshire, in Wilshire Corridor. "I thank the Los Angeles Downtown News editorial staff for singling out these distinguished projects in my district," Reyes said. "Congratulations to the winners whom I continue to enjoy working with. Each project, in its unique way, has helped shape the City of Los Angeles and improve the quality of life for our children and families." The Los Angeles Downtown News staff selected the winners after answering the question, "What is the one thing that improved a particular district the most this year?"

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Reyes Kicks Off CD1 Community Pride Day

Press contacts: Tony Perez (213) 761-2281 or Monica Valencia (213) 280-0740
Councilmember Reyes will join hundreds of volunteers Saturday, Feb. 21, to clean and green his district for CD1 Community Pride Day. Highlights include:
  • Los Angeles River clean-up with the Los Angeles River Keepers
  • Milagro Allegro Community Garden groundbreaking in Highland Park
  • Kensington Stairs stairwell tree-planting
  • API Preserve America Neighborhoods press conference with dignitaries in Little Tokyo
  • MacArthur Park mural restoration with mural artist John "Zender" Estrada Environmental Resource Fair in Highland Park

Councilmember Reyes is scheduled to join volunteers at the sites below:

8:05am-8:15am - Lincoln High School
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3501 N. Broadway St.
Activity: In Lincoln Heights, Councilmember Reyes and hundreds of volunteers will kick off the community clean-up in streets near the high school and business corridor.

8:30-8:45am - Los Angeles River, Down access road, next to 1555 San Fernando Rd. (Follow signs)View Larger Map'>
Activity: Councilmember Reyes will join the LA River Keepers, Friends of the Los Angeles River and other volunteers to clear trash and debris in and around the LA River.

9am-9:15am -Milagro Allegro Community Garden
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115 S Ave 56
Activity: In Highland Park, Councilmember Reyes will join locals to break ground on a new community garden and plant trees there.

9:30am-9:45am - Kensington Stairs, Next to 798 Kensington Rd.
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Activity: In Angelino Heights, Reyes will join the community to improve the beauty and public safety of the stairwell through a clean-up and tree-planting.

10:00am-10:30am - API Preserve America Neighborhoods Press Conference
Location: Japanese American National Museum,
View Larger Map'>Front Steps (First St. & Central Ave)
Activity: A joint press conference with the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) celebrating the $250,000 grant from API Preserve America Neighborhoods to five Asian communities in Los Angeles: Chinatown, Historic Filipinotown, Koreatown,
Little Tokyo and Thai Town.

10:40am -11:00am - MacArthur Park
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2230 W 6th Street
Activity: Councilmember Reyes and more than 200 volunteers will help clean-up a West tunnel mural with John "Zender" Estrada, restore art work on the MacArthur Park Recreation third floor and participate in a native gardening workshop.

11:30am - Environmental Resource Fair
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N Figueroa between Ave 56 & Ave 57
Activity: Councilmember Reyes will preside at the closing ceremony where free fruit trees will be distributed. Visitors can also learn more about environmental resources available to them at City booths.



Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Reyes Aims to Reduce City's "Carbon Footprint" Through Smart Growth

Councilmember Ed P. Reyes today in City Council called for a progress report on how the Planning Department, with assistance from other City departments, plans to limit its "carbon footprint" by encouraging "smart growth" development plans relative to SB 375 (Steinberg).

SB 375, approved by Governor Schwarzenegger on September 30, 2008, seeks to provide incentives to housing projects that meet goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly projects near public transportation.

Click below to hear Councilmember Reyes' perspective on reducing our "carbon footprint" through "smart growth."



Reyes On Adding More Police Presence to First District



Councilmember Ed P. Reyes recently bought six "T3" Personal Mobility Vehicles for the Northeast, Rampart and Hollenback divisions of the Los Angeles Police Department. Each division will receive two units of these environmentally friendly technologies to serve communities such as Pico-Union, Lincoln Heights and Highland Park.

In the audio below, Councilmember Reyes offers his insight into how this 21st Century "Footbeat" will enhance public safety in the First District.

To download the files onto your computer, please click on the 'share' button and then click on the 'link to mp3' button.



Friday, February 13, 2009

Reyes Enhances Public Safety with "T3" Vehicles

Councilmember Ed P. Reyes recently bought six environmentally friendly "T3" Personal Mobility Vehicles for three police divisions in the First District. These public safety vehicles emit zero carbon and cost 10 cents per day to operate.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Reyes Donates New Vehicles to LAPD Divisions



Councilmember Ed P. Reyes today announced his donation of six "T3" Personal Mobility Vehicles to the Los Angeles Police Department Central Bureau in an effort to enhance public safety in the First District. The state-of-the-art vehicles will be evenly split between the Northeast, Hollenback and Rampart divisions, with each division receiving two units.

The electrically powered vehicles, valued at $10,000 each, will serve communities such as Pico-Union, Lincoln Heights and Highland Park. This environmentally friendly technology emits zero carbon and costs 10 cents per day to operate.


For audio of Councilmember Reyes on the T3 vehicles, please click on the photo below or visit

Friday, February 06, 2009

River Keepers Beautifying the LA River

Councilmember Ed P. Reyes recently visited the Los Angeles River to check on the River Keepers who have been hard at work beautifying the River since Summer 2008. Reyes established the River Keepers program to provide at-risk youth and adults the opportunity to learn job skills with an emphasis on conserving the Los Angeles River.


Monday, February 02, 2009

Reyes Announces More Than $40 Million for College-Bound Students


Councilmember Ed P. Reyes and students of Franklin High School celebrate the announcement of Cash for College.



Councilmember Reyes, a UCLA alum, talks about the benefits of going to college.

Councilmember Ed P. Reyes today announced at Benjamin Franklin High School in Highland Park that more than $40 million in financial aid is available for Los Angeles students to attend college through Cash for College workshops.

Students and families who attend the workshops on Saturday, February 7, 2009, will receive free, one-on-one professional help completing financial aid applications. These include the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and Cal Grant GPA Verification Forms needed to qualify for millions in state, federal and other financial assistance. An AB540 advisor will be at each workshop to help students maximize the financial aid available to them, regardless of age, income or immigration status.

Councilmember Reyes, who was joined by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, City Council President Eric Garcetti and students, announced the workshops during a press conference today.

Students are eligible for up to $4,000 in additional scholarships as part of a national research study by MDRC and by attending Cash for College Financial Aid workshop. More information on Cash for College workshops is available at http://lacashforcollege.org/