Celebrating Boyle Heights

Dear Friends: Please enjoy this short documentary film on Boyle Heights, which chronicles the close to $2 billion in public investment that has infused this historic community with a new sense of pride.

Boyle Heights is on the rise and “Celebrating Boyle Heights: Past, Present & Future” honors Boyle Heights, its history and the people who call it home.

Watch Celebrating Boyle Heights on television

Celebrating Boyle Heights: Past, Present & Future will also air today on Channel 35 at 3:30 p.m., and tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 26, at 1 p.m., and tonight on KLCS at 6:30 p.m. and again on KLCS on Sunday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 am. Check local listings for future airings.

Time Warner Cable customers can watch the film “On Demand” by going to Channel 1, highlighting “Local,” then “My Government,” with movie listed under “SoCal Cities.”

Hotel Purchase of Historic Theater Big News for Bringing Back Broadway

photo credit: Gary Leonard, Downtown News

Great reaction today to our announcement last night through my Bringing Back Broadway initiative that the Ace Hotel purchased the historic United Artist Theatre on Broadway with plans to reactivate the theater while creating 180 rooms on 13 floors.

This boutique hotel coming to Broadway is very good news for Downtown Los Angeles, historic preservation and reactivating previously unused space, as well as our efforts to bring a streetcar downtown.

Read L.A. Times Story here.

Read Downtown News story here.

Read Blogdowntown story here.

Read City Maven Morning Coffee post here.

On NBC's News Conference Show Sunday

I'll be on NBC's Conan Nolan's News Conference show tomorrow (9 a.m. and 11:35 p.m.) talking about medical marijuana policy and the Downtown L.A. Streetcar. Click on News Conference link above or tune in tomorrow if you can.

Helping Neighborhoods Become Cleaner, Greener

Just spoke to over 70 residents at the Clean Air Boyle Heights Resident Convening Conference hosted by Union De Vecinos. This is part of "Clean Up Green Up" legislation that I introduced to encourage business to adopt cleaner, greener standards that will help the environment, protect air our children breathe and improve business in heavy industry areas such as Boyle Heights, Wilmington and Pacoima.

Bringing Back Broadway Celebrates 4th Anniversary

Today in Council we celebrated the 4th Anniversary of my Bringing Back Broadway initiative, which was launched in January 2008. I want to thank all the Downtown residents, business and property owners who have put countless hours into this revitalization effort to rejuvenate Broadway and the Historic Core. To long-term goals like bringing the Streetcar back downtown and reactivating upper floors on Broadway, to current successes, such as our recent announcements that Ross will soon be in the historic Woolworth’s building, and Umamicatessen, Figaro Bistro, Two Boots Pizza, Famina Store and Royal Clayton’s will soon follow, we have done an enormous amount for those who live, work and shop Downtown. We have much more to do. Congratulations to all!