Angel's Flight to resume climbing Bunker HIll on Monday

 Don Garza Downtown Los Angeles

According to an article at LAIST . Angels Flight Funicular in Downtown Los Angeles will reopen on Monday. Word comes through the Angel's Flight website. The March 15th Opening Date looks to be a lot sooner than was expected!
This past Thursday word was sent forth that Angel's Flight had passed the necessary safety  inspection to be able to resume service.. The Downtown Angel's Flight is known as the world;s shortest railway.

Enjoy Luciano Pavarotti singing about another Funicular.....Mt Vesuvius Funicular

John Perez ,First openly Gay California State Assembly Speaker, sworn in locally

 Speaker of the State Assembly of California and first openly gay person to serve in the post

Don Garza  Downtown Los Angeles

With the sun shining bright and under the auspices of wonderful spring weather, John Perez , who made history by becoming the first openly gay person to serve as the Speaker of the California State Assembly, was sworn in by an enthusiastic crowd that gathered in Little Tokyo this morning.  Pérez who  is the 68th Speaker of the California State Assembly was formally sworn-in just over a week ago in Sacramento.

John A Perez is the cousin of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa . The swearing in ceremony took place on the steps of the Japanese American Museum. The swearing in was conducted by  Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar, Pérez addressed the crowd about the need to support education at all levels, create jobs and cut the Assembly’s budget by 15 percent.  Many around downtown asked me if I attended the swearing in and they expressed their disappointment and heart brokenness at not being able to attend . Many Downtown Residents are also business owners , property owners and were actively involved in the Art Walk the Night before. Many said that they were so overwhelmed with art walk activities  that the swearing in ceremony had slipped their mind. Many who reside in downtown Los Angeles know the new State Assembly Speaker intimately and as a result many felt that they were not able to support their neighbor and friend the way they  always do.

Many in the Los Angeles community  are very proud of John Perez .

Sidenote:

We here at Central City East Blogger support all of the efforts of those making a difference in the Los Angeles Community regardless of race , religion ,  sex ,  color , creed , disability , or sexual orientation and will always publish those things that are of historical significance and highlight how these events represent historical value.

LAPD blocks 4th street between main and Spring Street during art walk

LAPD on the Corner of 4th street and Main keeping vehicle traffic of of 4th street between Main and Spring during March Downtown Art Walk

Don Garza Downtown Los Angeles


According to sources from LAPD , the LAPD had to block 4th street between Main Street and Spring street from vehicle traffic during the March Downtown Art Walk, as a response to the many art walk visitors in the street  and crossing the street and impeding traffic ; traffic slowed to a crawl. LAPD , with good cause, responded to the high possibility of a pedestrian vs. auto incident.  Kudos go to the Central Division for their quick thinking , which may have saved lives.

According to other sources, the ART Walk organization may have to pay a fine for this intervention , since it can be considered a blocking of the streets for  a special event. It is not certain at this early time if The Downtown Art Walk will be able to get a fee waiver  considering the changes involving special permits and fee waivers and the current financial crisis facing the  City of Los Angeles which has made it difficult for any entity to receive a fee waiver.

Rapid Bus Stop in skid row

 Don Garza - Downtown Los Angeles

After over 8 years of being denied because MTA had decided it was too dangerous to have stop in skid row , the residents , social service provider employees , and Garment workers  in skid row have cause to celebrate. The MTA has placed a rapid 720 bus stop on the corner of 5th Street and San Pedro. Word came down today through a message from General Jeff about the new stop. With the impending loss of the Central City East  DASH service , this new  RAPID 720 stop will help the people of skid row to leave the area quickly on a major line as well as bring them to the services.  It took the efforts of an unfunded group of grassroots organizers and advocates, who live in skid row, to accomplish something the million dollar funded social service organizations could not... Kudos to MTA and kudos to General Jeff and OG MAN and Life is Crushow..

The E-mail sent by General Jeff can be seen below:

March 10, 2010

To Skid Row,

Effective immediately, Metro has added a new bus stop for the westbound 720 Rapid bus line on 5th street at San Pedro.

Prior to now, the next closest stops were 6th and Central to the east and 5th and Main to the west.

Today, myself along with "OG" and Songhai Miguda-Armstead from the City Attorney's office observed the new stop in action as many community members were already benefiting from this important addition to our local transportation needs.

On behalf of the Skid Row community, I would like to publicly thank Paul Taylor, Deputy CEO from Metro (MTA) for personally taking the lead and seeing this request to completion in an expedited manner.

This is another accomplishment for our "Operation: Facelift/ Skid Row" community improvement project, which is an ongoing continuous community-led effort to improve the Skid Row community. Included in this effort are ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS, OG's-N-Service Association, the Skid Row Brigade and "Life is... Crushow".

Please pass this information along so that others may also benefit from this new convenience.

Thank you,

General Jeff

community activist-

ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS

Resident Director- Central City East/ Skid Row

Board of Directors    

Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council

Skid Row is visited by new US Attorney before being sworn in Today

  New US Attorney Andre Birotte Jr speaking before the walk , with Estela Lopez and Carmen Turtanich look on.

 Don Garza Downtown Los Angeles

Estela Lopez and Carmen Trutanich were consistent in highlighting the efforts to keep skid row  crime under control while  the new US Attorney Andre Birotte Jr , being sworn in today ,from Southern California looked on. The  Los Angeles City Attorneys office was also there in full force giving support to their efforts at the initiatives that have made an impact in reducing crime in the area. On hand was Senior Lead Officer Deon Joseph who was very articulate in detailing the effects of the initiatives such as Safer Cities Initiative  and the Streets or Services Program  that have led to people being able to walk day and night more safely in the area. Carmen Trutanich also made it clear that he would fight to keep both programs intact.
Deon Joseph continued to explain how the skid row community, after 10 years of hard work, is now able to communicate with the LAPD , whereas in the past no one spoke to each other on the issues that plagued the community.Songhai Miguda -Armstead was also very imformative , where many in local city government can't tell you where anything in skid row is , Songhai has developed the street cred with the community to have also been able to speak on the issues succinctly that have plagued the area as well as how the initiatives of the City Attorneys office have helped in the making of skid row a safer place while being mindful of the special issues and needs of the skid row community.

 Songhai Miguda-Armstead and Senior Lead officer Deon Joseph explain the issues which plague skid row while the new US Attorney looks on and listens in

Estela Lopez  of the CCEA, the LAPD , and the Midnight Mission have been consistent in the mission of the monthly skid row walk. While there is still more work to be done, Carmen Trutanich emphasized before the walk that he is committed to making it even more safe at night to walk the streets of skid row. He says he will fight to keep the 50 officers of SCI and City Attorney initiatives in skid row intact.

PER LANGE Makes MIdnight Mission Guests and Employees Sales Gurus

Per Lange of Lange Sales in scandanavia bringing sales coaching to midnight mission

Reposted from August 2009

I was so inspired by this man you can see that I don't look like that last photo anymore and have lost over 88 lbs and am training to be a fitness trainer


Residents at the Midnight Mission in Downtown Los Angeles Skid Row had the opportunity to learn from one of Scandinavia's best selling and marketing coaches in the industry of sales. I was one of those that was allowed to attend the 5 day seminar on the various selling techniques that make for professional and qualified sales professionals.

Per Lange of Lange Sales was the presenter of the 5 day seminar. Residents and employees of the Midnight Mission sat through an intensive class from 9 am until 1pm the whole 5 days as they interacted with one of the best coaches in sales in Europe and around the world. It was very exciting to learn the techniques that make for high level sales year round instead of  the roller coaster that many expect through the year.  Just after the first two days I was able to use the first techniques and had success.  Then it was on to the psychology of selling and the wonderful explanation of pipeline management.

Per Lange is here on vacation and decided that he wanted to take time out to be of service and used his skills as a way to give. The residents going through the Midnight Mission program some already had experience in sales and  some didn't , but all who attended learned much.  Per Lange is very much greatly appreciated by those who attended the free seminar and many are saying that they too are already benefiting from the  5 day seminar. I have appointments all next week with clients and with those who may be of service to the Midnight Mission . It is amazing....

Student practicing the presentation techniques

Per taught us things are possible and that we should have a beginners mind in all that we do. I don't want to give it all away ,( eventually I will share my techniques) but suffice it to say, I now have a certificate from PER LANGE SALES ACADEMY and am thinking of hiring 2 of those who attended his seminar . Everyone who went through his Academy received a certificate of completion in pipeline management, sales psychology , and the sales process....

ESPN interview with Skid Row 30n3 Streetball League

 Don Garza Downtown Los Angeles

General Jeff and Manuel Compito were interviewed Yesterday on ESPN Talk Radio.. They spoke on the mission of the Skid Row 3on3 Basketball Leaugue and what it is promoting.. you can go to the ESPN website to hear the interview and this post will be updated with the video , hopefully by today.. you can click on  this Link to hear the mp3 of the show.

Recently , the League was awarded a Los Angeles News Downtowners of Distinction Award  for their tireless efforts in the Downtown and Skid Row Communities promoting the positive and good things the people in the skid row community are contributing to Downtown Los Angeles and Los Angeles in General.