Immigrant Communities Poorly Prepared for Disaster

I recently hosted a press conference to get the word about disaster preparedness to our immigrant communities with limited English-speaking abilities. According to a study by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, immigrant non-English speaking communities are more vulnerable during a disaster because they are not prepared as well as English-speaking communities and because of the limited availability of resources in their native languages. Currently, the City offers classes in emergency preparedness for community groups and organizations. Classes are free and translation can be done in some cases by city agencies or by the host group. If you’re interested, call the City’s Emergency Management Department at (213) 978-2222 or the Los Angeles Fire Department’s CERT program at (818) 756-9674.

All Aboard for a Downtown Tour on a Big Red Bus

A big thanks to my colleague Tom LaBonge who convinced his friends at Starline Tours to bring their double-decker tourist bus operation to downtown. Things are definitely changing downtown. The tour begins at El Pueblo Historical Monument (Olvera Street) and stops at the Civic Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the historic theaters along Broadway, Staples Center and L.A. LIVE, to name a few locations. Got to http://www.starlinetours.com/ for more information.

College IS Possible

As a student going to college at UC Berkeley, the money I received from the Hispanic Scholarship Fund came exactly when I needed it and it helped me continue my education. So it was a complete joy to attend HSF’s “College is Possible” seminar at Roosevelt High School. Organizers said that 600 young people and their families signed up for the free event. I told the students and their parents that growing up in Boyle Heights, I attended some of the same schools as they did and that higher education changed my life. I have no doubt with 600 people participating, that there were a lot of kids in that auditorium who are about to embark on a life-changing journey of their own. For information on the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, visit www.hsf.net.

From the Ashes of Struggle, a Seed of Green Growth for Crown Coach Site

I joined the City's Community Redevelopment Agency CEO Cecelia Estolano and Mayor Villaraigosa at the old Crown Coach site in CD14, which we’re hoping to turn into a hub of cutting-edge green technology. Located on the City’s eastside and sitting on 20 acres of land near 15th Street and Washington Boulevard, the site was once ground zero in an environmental justice battle between the Mothers of East Los Angeles and the state of California, which wanted to build a prison there. I’m going to work hard to make sure that besides bringing in businesses that offer clean and green technologies using green manufacturing, the proposed Los Angeles Cleantech Manufacturing Center must create jobs that can be filled locally. The Mothers of East Los Angeles fought too hard and too long for that not to happen.