Welcome to East LA Weekly
In this issue: We ride with a group of bike enthusiasts who advocate goodwill in the neighborhood, receive an update on last week’s miracle story, and celebrate a huge scholarship given to a local homelessness organization.
You can read a Spanish version of this newsletter here.
We appreciate your feedback. Please contact me with ideas and suggestions at antonio@theeastsiderla.com.
Antonio Mejías-Rentas, Editor | East LA Weekly
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The East LA Bike Club does well on two wheels
Activos.East LA founders: cousins Richard (left) and Danny Solis (center) and boyfriend Jeremy Palestino.
Two cousins from East LA transform their passion for cycling into a riding group that combines training with a mission to support small Eastside businesses and do charitable causes along the way.
This Sunday, the Activos of East Los Angeles meet in Belvedere Park to collect unwrapped toys for a giveaway. They take the gifts to a barber shop in Whittier, from where they are distributed to families in need.
Activos was formed at the start of the pandemic.
“It really started because of COVID,” said Danny Solís, who started the group with his cousin Richard Solis. “We all grew up on BMX motorcycles. My father rode them when he was a kid. When COVID started my friend Jeremy [Palestino] came up with the idea: ‘Let’s get some bikes, get in shape.’ “
Danny, who lives in La Puente, started out riding with a group in the Inland Empire. “I got the idea that maybe we should be doing this in East LA, pushing kids to ride horses and going to local businesses for refueling.”
“I’m always in East LA, that will always be home,” said Danny, 32, a truck driver who designed the group’s “Always Active” jersey.
The cousins grew up in the neighborhood and went to Griffith and Garfield. 29-year-old Richard still lives near the schools.
Little by little, they said, other family members and friends noticed this and joined in.
“We literally went from 10 people driving downtown LA to over 100 people every time we drive around the block,” said Richard, a locksmith for Montebello schools. “It is this picture that we use to help people and take care of the children.”
This picture is shared on an Instagram account with almost 2,500 followers, on which they announce upcoming trips – in the biography next to the slogan “Say less, do more”.
Along the rides and at the end, the Activos stop at corner shops or taco stands – adults usually pay for the unaccompanied children.
“It’s all positive vibes,” said Richard. “The big picture is basically helping small businesses, especially now when they are probably in need of it most.”
Some of these companies have now become sponsors and are paying to have their logos on the group’s jersey. The plan for 2021, the cousins said, is to grow the group.
“I really appreciate that we have the opportunity to network with other people,” said Danny. “Who knows where we might end up? The sky is the limit. “
COVID RESOURCES / UPDATE
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Cases in East LA top the 12,000 mark
On the day Los Angeles County reported the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in a day since summer and hospital stays continued to rise, East LA hit and passed the dismal 12,000 coronavirus cases.
More than 1,600 new cases have been reported in East Los Angeles since last Tuesday, and the weekly average of new daily cases rose to 225 last week – a large increase from the previous week’s average of 156. Last Friday, the highest number of new cases was in record cases: 320.
Here are the latest East LA numbers:
- 243 new cases were reported on Tuesday.
- As of Tuesday, a total of 12,055 cases had been reported in the community.
- Nine new deaths have been reported in the past seven days. The total number of deaths is now 140.
The enforcement of road sweeping was again suspended
Due to the recent COVID-19 stay at home order, the Sheriff’s Department has again suspended enforcement of street parking and expired registration violations in unincorporated areas of the county, including East LA, The Eastsider reported.
Vehicles with expired registrations or parked in front of signs to sweep roads will not be allowed or will be towed. However, enforcement will continue to block fire hydrants and driveways, park in red zones or fire brigade streets, or violate disabled parking.
NOTITAS / NEWS LETTERS
La Milagrosa mural “Miracles” exposed
A reader of the column last week wrote to alert us that the miracle attributed to the Guadalupe mural on the side of La Milagrosa market could not happen, as it did in an LA story we quoted Times was told. For one thing, the mural wasn’t there in the 1960s, he says.
“This is a very special mural,” said Raul Baeza, one of half a dozen children from the neighborhood who helped paint in 1975 or 1976. It was designed by Joe Martínez, a pious neighbor named “Uncle Joe,” who gathered children to pray the rosary in his home. The mural covered the entire wall and contained silhouettes of the young painters.
Uncle Joe is in his 90s now. Baeza’s sister recently photographed him after leaving flowers for the Virgin on the mural.
ELAWC receives a $ 2.5 million grant to help tackle homelessness
The East Los Angeles Women’s Center received a one-time grant of $ 2.5 million from the Day 1 Family Fund to help nonprofits fighting homelessness. “This grant is a real opportunity for transformation for ELAWC’s housing program,” said Managing Director Barbara Kappos. “The pandemic is reaching a critical point.”
ELAWC will use the funds to “help unprotected families achieve security; Providing temporary and temporary housing and providing a route to permanent housing for families. ”
Subway bus routes cut or changed
Two bus routes and a shuttle running through East LA were canceled or their route changed as part of a system-wide overhaul that went into effect Sunday, The Eastsider reported. The changes are intended to improve bus frequencies and bus traffic.
Among the changes:
- The 762 Metro Rapid Line, which is on Atlantic Blvd. ran, was replaced by line 260.
- Line 262 will continue to pass through Arizona and Mednick, but part of the route from Lincoln Heights to South Pasadena has been changed.
- The 665 shuttle that starts in Cal State LA and travels through City Terrace and Boyle Heights now stops in Indiana and no longer travels west on Olympic.
Thank you for reading the East LA Weekly!
On this Thanksgiving Day, we are especially grateful to all of the readers who have written to show their support, make suggestions, and even offer criticism. We wish you and your families a safe and happy vacation. And don’t forget to contact me with ideas and suggestions at antonio@theeastsiderla.com.
Until next week!
Antonio Mejías Rentals
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