The 20th Annual Empowerment Congress Summit on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at USC will feature the Rev. Al Sharpton. Register here!

Let's get a Leimert Park delegation together - let me know if you're going and we can set up a place to meet there and/or carpool over.…

A number of upcoming neighborhood projects, as well as those that have started (e.g. Marlton Square), will probably be affected by the latest decision from the CA Supreme Court (thanks to today's Curbe- LA for reporting):

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2011/12/ca_supreme_court_votes_to_kill_local_redevelopment_agencies.php

For a complete list of…

The City of LA Bureau of Sanitation has expanded CURBSIDE collection for Christmas trees. If your Christmas tree is too big to cut and place it inside the green waste bin, simply place the tree next to your green waste bin on collection day.



Using your green bin to recycle Christmas…

A sink hole has formed at 9th and Garthwaite after a water main ruptured once again, according to Leimert Park resident Heather Presha.

"Firemen said that we will be without water for a FEW days!! Awful!!" she reports.

Post & Beam's facebook now says the soft opening with a limited menu is Saturday (NYE) in Leimert Park from 6 to 11!

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According to Post and Beam's Facebook page and an article by Urban Daddy, Leimert Park's newest restaurant is finally supposed to open "around" January 3.

After the Urban Daddy report, …

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree…

Ah! Here again

Like an old friend

Faithful, Steadfast until the end

Only bringing to the beginning again

At last, Here again

As the days descend

Across the keys of my Flute

A melody haunting, joyous, bittersweet

Awaiting a listening ear, an attentive heart,

A sensitive soul, liberated beyond the world's…

First, I'd like to say," I LOVE LEIMERT PARK AND HAVE SINCE I MOVED HERE FROM NEWARK, NJ IN 1980.  I REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS REALLY " BLACK OWNED."  I DIDN'T REALIZE IT AT THE TIME, BUT IT WAS SOMETHING I FELT GOOD ABOUT,( AT THAT TIME I DIDN'T KNOW WHY )  NO.W THAT SO MANY OF OUR BUSINESS'S ARE MISSING, I NOW UNDERSTAND.  THEY SAY WE DON'T PATRONIZE EACH OTHER, BUT WHEN WE DO, THEY INVADE OUR COMMUNITIES.  WHY???????????????

An on-site garden. A wood-burning oven. At the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza mall!

Dinner anyone?

This what we've been waiting for - a locally owned, sit-down restaurant in our neighborhood!

Post & Beam is slated to open late this year, offering the kind of cuisine (California-style comfort food) and ambiance rarely found in our immediate area. The 2,500 square foot restaurant will have outdoor patio seating, an open-hearth broiler, and the planting of an on-site herb…

Our good friend, James Fugate, owner of our favorite bookstore, made a list of his top books of the year. Remember to shop local!…

CALLING EVENT & ARTISTS SUBMISSIONS FOR CITY OF LOS ANGELES 2012 AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH



The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) is a proud supporter of

Los Angeles’ 2012 African American Heritage Celebration, which begins on January, 27, 2012 in honor of the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., and concludes on March 31, 2012 during National Women’s Month.



... This celebration promotes and encourages awareness of the significant contributions made by…

FELA! is the Broadway play that's coming to The Ahmanson theater at the Music Center.  It was sold out in NYC for 2 years, and won 3 of the 11 Tony awards it was nominated for.  In an effort to put butts in seats, the Center Theater Group is offering $39.00 tickets ($49.00 on Saturday/Sunday).  This is the link for the offer:…

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

There are two things in this world that…

  For the past 7 years, I've had the opportunity to attend quite a few CAC/CRA meetings.  They've been interesting affairs, crazy spirited at the height of the Marlton Square debacle when there were questions on whether Chris Hammond would be a no-show.  I've got notes, agendas, and minutes I can't bear to toss.  I haven't been to many meetings over the past couple years, but I'm happy I made this one.

  One of the State of California's budgetary plans is to dissolve every…

Loan Modification Scammers can take your money and your home if you’re not cautious and well-informed. Anyone can be a victim-but you don’t have to be.



If you’re worried about keeping your home, AVIOD anyone that:

1. Ask for a FEE IN ADVANCE

2. GUARANTEES that they’ll stop a foreclosure or modify a loan

3. Tells you to STOP PAYING your mortgage company and to pay them instead

Know the signs. Get the facts. Call the Los Angeles Urban…

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

Photo courtesy of http://ravensorvino.tumblr.com

Any other damage you've spotted? Please post pics and send in alerts.