Three-way race

Two of three District 3 candidates faced gun charges in the 1990s

 http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/three_way_race/11716/

 By André Coleman , Kevin Uhrich 12/12/2012 

 Two of four candidates hoping to fill the Pasadena City Council seat left vacant by recently elected Assemblyman Chris Holden were charged in the 1990s in separate gun-related incidents, the Weekly has learned.

John Kennedy, currently a Los Angeles Urban League executive, and Ishmael Trone, a member of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce board of directors, faced separate charges in two incidents in 1993 and 1997, respectively.

Along with Trone and Kennedy, the Rev. Nicholas Benson of Summit Evangelical Free Church of Pasadena has qualified for the March 5 municipal election ballot.

In other council races, incumbent District 5 Councilman Victor Gordo will be seeking a fourth four-year term against former US Marine and Pasadena Marathon organizer Israel Estrada, and District 7 Councilman Terry Tornek will seek a second term, running unopposed, according to City Clerk Mark Jomsky.

Kennedy refused to go into detail about his felony acquittal when contacted by the Weekly. “It happened almost 20 years ago. It was an unfortunate incident, and I was found not guilty of all the charges,” Kennedy said of the incident in which he stood trial after seriously wounding a man in what he described as an “accident.” 

“What is important is I was exonerated and it happened 20 years ago and I have chosen to move on and do other positive things,” said Kennedy, brother of Lena Kennedy, a top fundraiser for the Obama campaign and a confidante of First Lady Michelle Obama. 

Trone, meanwhile, told the Weekly he had been working for a bail bond company owned by his parents in 1997 when he tried to board a plane with a loaded 22-calibre pistol in his bag.

Trone said his Pasadena neighborhood was so dangerous he did not feel safe coming to work late at night without a gun. Running late for a conference, Trone said he forgot his gun was in his briefcase while trying to board a plane. He was later charged with misdemeanor possession of a concealed weapon, resulting in a fine.

“That’s what led to my civic involvement, dealing with crime around our business,” Trone said. “I didn’t feel safe for me or my family. My parents … had multiple confrontations and were held up several times. It was a dangerous situation coming to the office in this neighborhood in 1997.”

In 1987, Kennedy was the youngest person elected to head the Pasadena NAACP Branch. Trone, who has lived in Pasadena for 30 years, is a former chair of the Fair Oaks Project Area Committee (PAC). He’s also served as vice chair of the Community Development Committee. Benson is the former vice chair of the Northwest Commission and current president of the Ministerial Association. 

There will be a runoff election on April 16 between the two top vote-getters for Holden’s former seat if none of the three candidates take 50 percent plus one vote of the ballots cast.

The council has voted to fill Holden’s position by appointing someone not running for his seat. The council will be taking applications until Dec. 27 and is expected to pick a temporary replacement for Holden in February.

Joe Cano on Everyone Needs to Show Up to the Metro 710 Meetings in January

Posted on Facebook on December 26, 2012

For the El Sereno No on 710 folks. I would kindly request everyone show up to these meetings, We are going to force Q&A or I and my operatives shut it them down. They are being vague on the format and they just hired some fake Latinos to sell us our own destruction. Who is running this circus,the Republican Party? they think just by throwing alleged Latinos at us we will fall for it and be led to slaughter by this pack of Judas Sheep with our eyes closed. This is really insulting as a Mexican. Sending un bolla de cabronas to tell us what's good for the Raza. I have always enjoyed cutting down arrogance, especially from my our people.

El Sereno has the most to lose in all of this, our homes, our health, and eventually our lives. We have been invisible until I started throwing rocks at this monster. When it boils down to it, we will be alone & the last ones standing, because the Caltrans property renters will have been evicted and displacedand they will naturally fall away because they need to survive & get on with their lives. They will go after us homeowners with 'Eminent Domain' and we will all fall like dominos. We are surrounded by some neighbors that are major jackasses, but even Jackasses need shelter, so I am fighting for them too. The construction & tunnel pollution will not kill El Sereno right away, instead it will die slowly and will eventually look like a discarded field next to a tunnel.

Vale madre todo esto. Esto es una declaracion de guerra.

Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013
6-8pm
Maranatha High School
169 South Saint John Av
Pasadena, CA 91105

Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013
6-8pm
San Marino Community Church
1750 Virginia Rd
San Marino, CA 91108

Saturday, Jan. 26, 2013
9-11 am
Cal State Los Angeles

Huntington Memorial Hospital Photo

https://www.facebook.com/SR710Study

Metro's Facebook Website printed this photo under the caption "This nationally ranked hospital serves the region... We'll help you get there!" But it looks like a depiction of the pollution that will be present at Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA, after the 710 tunnel is completed. What was Metro thinking in putting this photo on their website?

California Commute Times Rank 10th Longest In US 

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/01/california-commute-times-rank_n_2060062.html?utm_hp_ref=los-angeles

 

By Joanna Lin

Posted: 11/01/2012 5:39 pm EDT Updated: 11/02/2012 

 

 

 

 

 Californians rank 10th in the country for having the longest commute times, taking an average of 26.9 minutes to travel to work, recently released census data show.

Workers in the state spent 10.4 minutes more getting to work than did workers in North Dakota, which reported the quickest commutes in the 2009-11 American Community Survey. Commuters in Maryland had the longest commute times to work at 31.8 minutes.

On average, Americans spent 23.7 minutes getting to work. More than three-quarters of them drove alone to their jobs, nearly 1 in 10 carpooled and 5 percent took public transportation. Californians were less likely to drive alone – about 73 percent did – and were more likely to carpool (11.4 percent) or ride public transit (5.2 percent).

Californians' commuting habits have not changed much in recent years. They drive, carpool and ride public transit at about the same rates they reported in the 2006-8 American Community Survey, and their journeys to work are about the same duration.

One explanation for persistently high rates of solo drivers, said Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at UCLA, is free parking.


"If you can park free at work, it's an invitation to drive to work alone. And almost everybody who does drive to work has this invitation," he said.

Shoup's research led to a 1992 state law that requires employers to offer workers cash in lieu of a parking space. The idea behind the cash-out program is that by allowing employees to cash out their subsidized parking spots and instead walk, bike, take public transit or carpool to work, there would be fewer cars on the road and less emissions in the air.

A study Shoup conducted 15 years ago for the state Air Resources Board found that employers who offered cash-out programs saw solo driving to work drop by 17 percent, carpooling increase by 64 percent, walking and biking grow by 33 percent and transit ridership jump by 50 percent.
The cash-out program, however, is not well known and not widely used, Shoup said.

"California has missed an opportunity to take advantage of this law," he said. "If you offer parking cash-out it would really turn things upside down. Parking, which used to be free, now has an opportunity cost. They could get cash, so now you think, well gee, maybe I should think about transit."

Women and minorities would be the biggest beneficiaries of cash-out programs because they're less likely to drive alone and more likely to take public transit to work, Shoup said. The 2009-11 American Community Survey showed that about 55 percent of solo drivers to work in California were men and about 45 percent were women. About 44 percent of public transit riders were Latino.
Californians who refrained from driving to work alone typically had longer commutes. On average, solo drivers spent 25.5 minutes getting to work, the survey showed. Carpoolers took just over half an hour to get to their jobs, and public transit riders commuted nearly 47 minutes to work.

The longest commute times in the state belonged to residents of Contra Costa County, who spent an average of 32.2 minutes traveling to work. In the county, 7 in 10 drove alone, 11.8 percent carpooled and 8.8 percent took public transit. Contra Costa County, along with Riverside County, had the highest proportion of its residents traveling an hour or more to work – 17 percent.

In Humboldt County, workers had the quickest commutes, an average of 17 minutes, and 3.3 percent traveled an hour or more. Statewide, fewer than 1 in 10 Californians commuted an hour or more.
Residents of San Francisco were the least likely in the state to commute by driving alone – 37.5 percent did. One in five reported having no vehicles available to them – a much higher rate than the statewide average of 3.6 percent. San Franciscans were also the most likely to take public transit, with nearly one-third using buses, subways, trains or ferries to get to work.

For public transit riders in San Francisco, the average commute was 37.3 minutes – about 10 minutes longer than for carpoolers or solo drivers.

By contrast, in Los Angeles County, the 7.2 percent of residents who rode public transit to work commuted an average of nearly 48 minutes. Driving alone to work took Los Angeles residents an average of 27.4 minutes.

Vegas-Bound X Train to Land at Plaza Casino With 576 Drunks

 la.curbed.com 

December 25, 2012

More details are emerging on the X Train party choo-choo that will offer train service between Southern California and Vegas for the first time in more than 15 years (it's set to start service in a year). The 576-passenger train will take off from the Fullerton Transportation Center in OC--connecting to Metrolink and Amtrak--and run on Union Pacific tracks, traverse Joshua tree, and drop passengers off in downtown Vegas five and a half hours later. The people behind the publicly-traded X Train venture have a year to build out a new station behind the Plaza Hotel and Casino, Vegas Inc. reports. "[X Train president Michael] Barron said his company will build a 50-foot strip along the back of the Plaza, and Union Pacific will install a switch and stub track along the length of the area to serve as a station platform."

 Before passengers arrive, they can wander around the train's 16 cars, which include two food service cars, two lounges, and 12 first-class passenger compartments with 48 seats and a small bar (the one-way $100 tickets include food and drinks, but not "exotic cocktails"). The cars will be tricked out soon, but there're still more railway agreements and double-tracking required before service begins.Schedules also have to be finalized, but Barron is planning up-and-back trips on Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays--with the trains leaving Fullerton in the early afternoon so passengers arrive in the early evening.

An older article, also on Curbed LA:

 

 

 

 

Officials behind the X Train party mobile, which is proposed to run from Las Vegas to an unclear terminus in Southern California, have announced they've hired an architect to design the Sin City station and interiors for the train cars, via a press release and on their website (don't confuse this proposal with the XpressWest, formerly known as DesertXpress, which calls for high-speed trains from Vegas to Victorville, and maybe Palmdale). Vegas firm Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto got the X Train gig; they've worked on several southern Nevada projects, including the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy and a big campus for the University of Phoenix. The agency has experience in restaurant design, so they shouldn't disappoint with the trains, which are expected to provide a luxurious experience as you zip to the Strip (e.g., food, booze, ability to book shows and restaurant reservations). As Vegas is pretty short on rapid transit other than the city's maligned monorail--currently in bankruptcy--the firm hasn't had much opportunity to design train stations. It's unclear whether these are finalized or just preliminary renderings (but oy, those canopies). 

IBM Global Commuter Pain Study Reveals Traffic Crisis in Key International Cities

 http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ibm-global-commuter-pain-study-reveals-traffic-crisis-in-key-international-cities-97461399.html

For all you in the Los Angeles area who think we have bad traffic congestion: It is even worse elsewhere. Hard to believe? Moscow came in fourth in the world for traffic congestion (see article below). Easy to believe since I was there this last September 2012. For the two nights and two days I was there, my tour spent at least 8.5 hours stuck in traffic, traveling from the Moscow airport and then on trips from our where our river boat was docked into the city. So much wasted time as Moscow has so many beautiful buildings and squares that you want to spend the maximum time at or at the very least visit but can't because of the traffic congestion. This was disheartening as Moscow has a first-class subway system, buses, trams, and few big rigs on the road (but many small delivery trucks)--all items that we in Los Angeles believe will alleviate our traffic problems. People who I have talked to who had been in Moscow 10 years ago were surprised by my report. (I have heard that some people have been successful in navigating the Moscow subway system even though station signs, etc., are only in the Russian language.

                                         Traffic clogged in both directions on a wide Moscow street.

                 Moscow subway station--photo taken between the arrival of trains, but stations are usually crowded.

Even worse (January 2012), though not listed as a city with the worst traffic jams, was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On a day tour, we came back from Malacca to Kuala Lumpur late on a Friday afternoon. The congestion was so bad that our van moved ahead 20 feet, then rested for 5-10 minutes, moved ahead another 20 feet, rested for 5-10 minutes, and so on. Our tour guide told us this was usual. The traffic congestion within the city of Kuala Lumpur was just about as bad, with the Malaysian drivers considering that 12 inches between cars is a sufficient separation--scary.

I've been in Beijing (February 2010), but except for our bus trying with great persistence to get on and off one of the ring roads from and to our hotel, getting through central Beijing was relatively easy. Also, I had no trouble getting around Milan, Madrid (except for weekend night traffic on the Grand Via), London, and Paris by taxi, so what we are mainly taking about is commuter traffic into cities and I believe all emphasis, in regard to the Los Angeles area traffic congestion, should be directed at how to get enough drivers who commute back and forth to work to use public transportation to relieve this congestion and not directed at building tunnels, especially ones for more truck traffic from the ports (build rail lines instead), and at widening freeways, which will encourage more vehicle traffic, rather than to reduce it.

But one country that I did not see traffic jams was Vietnam (January 2012). The main mode of transportation in this country is by motorscooter. Whole familes, including young children and babies, travel around on the family scooter and even large items are carried on them. I'm not saying we should emulate Vietnam to relieve our traffic congestion, but I bring out the point that the size of vehicles on the road is one major cause of this congestion--hence, more big rigs on the 134 and 210 equals more traffic congestion.

One city in which I did not see any traffic congestion was Singapore (January 2012). I understand that transponders are required on all cars in Singapore and vehicles are charged a fee if they travel into the city center.

IBM Global Commuter Pain Study Reveals Traffic Crisis in Key International Cities

-- 8,192 motorists in 20 cities on six continents surveyed

-- Overall, traffic has gotten worse in the past three years

-- Moscow copes with the two-and-a-half hour traffic jam

-- Despite congestion, Beijing drivers report improvement in traffic

-- Houston, New York and Los Angeles fare well, relatively speaking

 

ARMONK, N.Y., June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The daily commute in some of the world's most economically important international cities is longer and more grueling than before imagined, reflecting the failure of transportation infrastructure to keep pace with economic activity, according to IBM's  first global Commuter Pain study released today.

 

IBM surveyed 8,192 motorists in 20 cities on six continents, the majority of whom say that traffic has gotten worse in the past three years. The congestion in many of today's developing cities is a relatively recent phenomenon, having paralleled the rapid economic growth of those cities during the past decade or two. By contrast, the traffic in places like New York, Los Angeles or London developed gradually over many decades, giving officials more time and resources to address the problem.  

For example, the middle class in China is growing rapidly, with the number of new cars registered in Beijing in the first four months of 2010 rising 23.8% to 248,000, according to the Beijing municipal taxation office. Beijing's total investments in its subway system are projected to be more than 331.2 billion yuan by 2015 as the city expands the system to more than double its current size, according to Beijing Infrastructure Investment Co., Ltd.  The city plans to invest 80 billion yuan in 2010 in building its transportation infrastructure.  

The study did offer a number of bright spots. Forty-eight percent of drivers surveyed in Beijing reported that traffic has improved in the past three years – the high for the survey – reflecting substantial initiatives to improve the transportation network in that city.  In addition, the commute for drivers in Stockholm, Sweden seems to be, if not pleasant, then largely pain-free. Only 14% of Stockholm drivers surveyed said that roadway traffic negatively affected work or school performance.

Overall, though, the study paints a picture of metropolitan-area commuters in many cities struggling to get to and from work each day. For example, 57% of all respondents say that roadway traffic has negatively affected their health, but that percentage is 96% in New Delhi and 95% in Beijing.

Similarly, 29% overall say that roadway traffic has negatively affected work or school performance, but that percentage rises to 84% in Beijing, 62% in New Delhi, and 56% in Mexico City.

Moscow was notable for the duration of its traffic jams. Drivers there reported an average delay of two-and-a-half hours when asked to report the length of the worst traffic jam they experienced in the past three years.

IBM Commuter Pain Index

IBM compiled the results of the survey into an Index that ranks the emotional and economic toll of commuting in each city on a scale of one to 100, with 100 being the most onerous. The Index reveals a tremendous disparity in the pain of the daily commute from city to city. Stockholm had the least painful commute of the cities studied, followed by Melbourne and Houston (which tied) and New York City. Here's how the cities stack up:

The index is comprised of 10 issues: 1) commuting time, 2) time stuck in traffic, agreement that: 3) price of gas is already too high, 4) traffic has gotten worse, 5) start-stop traffic is a problem, 6) driving causes stress, 7) driving causes anger, 8) traffic affects work, 9) traffic so bad driving stopped, and 10) decided not to make trip due to traffic. The cities scored as follows: Beijing: 99, Mexico City: 99, Johannesburg: 97, Moscow: 84, New Delhi: 81, Sao Paolo: 75, Milan: 52, Buenos Aires: 50, Madrid: 48, London: 36, Paris: 36, Toronto: 32, Amsterdam: 25, Los Angeles: 25, Berlin: 24, Montreal: 23, New York: 19, Houston: 17, Melbourne: 17, Stockholm: 15.

"Traditional solutions -- building more roads -- will not be enough to overcome the growth of traffic in these rapidly developing cities, so multiple solutions need to be deployed simultaneously to avoid a failure of the transportation networks," said Naveen Lamba , IBM's global industry lead for intelligent transportation. "New techniques are required that empower transportation officials to better understand and proactively manage the flow of traffic."

IBM Global Commuter Pain Survey – Major Findings

Analysis of the survey results indicated a number of key findings related to how traffic impacts commuters:

• 49% of drivers in the 20 cities think that roadway traffic has gotten worse in the last three years, and 18% think it has gotten a lot worse.  Five percent say traffic has improved substantially, with only Beijing (16%) and New Delhi (17%) reaching double digit scores.  There are seven trouble spots based on the bottom two box scores (ranking traffic as "somewhat" or "a lot worse"):  Johannesburg (80%), Moscow (64%), Toronto (64%), Mexico City (62%), Sao Paulo (61%), Milan (59%) and Buenos Aires (57%).
• 87% of the respondents have been stuck in roadway traffic in the last three years.  The average delay is one hour. The "best" cities are Melbourne, Stockholm and Buenos Aires, where 25% or more say they have never been stuck in traffic. On the other end of the spectrum, the average reported delay in Moscow is 2.5 hours, where more than 40% say they have been stuck in traffic for more than three hours.
• 31% of respondents said that during the past three years traffic has been so bad that they turned around and went home. The percentage in Beijing, however, is 69%, the high for the survey; and only 15% in Berlin, representing the low.
•  If commuting time could be reduced, 16% of respondents worldwide would choose to work more. In New Delhi, 40% said they would work more, the high for the survey; while 5% in Madrid would work more, representing the low.

The Commuter Pain Survey was conducted by IBM to better understand consumer thinking toward traffic congestion as the issue reaches crisis proportions nationwide and higher levels of auto emissions stir environmental concerns. These events are impacting communities around the world, where governments, citizens and private sector organizations are looking beyond traditional remedies like additional roads and greater access to public transportation to reverse the negative impacts of increased road congestion.

This year marks the first global Commuter Pain survey. IBM previously conducted the Commuter Pain survey in the United States in 2008 and 2009.

IBM is actively working in the area of Smarter Transportation using a worldwide team of scientists, industry experts and IT services professionals to research, test and deploy new traffic information management capabilities in cities around the world. Findings from the Commuter Pain Survey will be used to assess citizen concerns about traffic and commuter issues; expand solutions like automated tolling, real-time traffic prediction, congestion charging, and intelligent route planning; and serve as a basis for pioneering innovative new approaches to traffic mitigation.

 

Wake Up Earlier Duarte, Monrovia, Arcadia, and East Pasadena!

By Peggy Drouet

Have these cities, some who are supporting the construction of the 710 tunnel, realize that the traffic coming north through the tunnel, both cars and big rigs, and then continuing on the 134 West through Eagle Rock and Glendale to the 5 to downtown Los Angeles will put their commuters further in the back of the line of the horrendous morning traffic congestion on the 210/134? Will their residents be happy having to wake up earlier to get to work?

Also, have they considered an increase of traffic on the 134 East during the long afternoon/early evening traffic congestion as a result of more vehicles, including more big rigs, on the freeway heading to the 710 tunnel, ones whose drivers previously would have taken different freeways home or to the ports at this time? Will their residents be happy having a longer commute time home?

New Roads Are Not the Answer:
Avoiding Traffic Congestion Through Transportation Choices

http://www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/induced.pdf

Traffic congestion has become an everyday reality
for most Americans. Taxpayers are frustrated as
more and more money is spent to expand roadways
while most drivers still find themselves stuck in
traffic. The average American now spends 443
hours per year behind the wheel. Why is this
happening? It is called Induced Traffic. Studies
show that new and expanded roads cause an
increase in driving. Building new roads actually
creates more congestion.

Wasting Time Stuck in Traffic
The rise of sprawling malls and decentralized housing
explains the increased miles Americans have travelled in
the last fifty years. Building more roads does not cut the
amount of time we spend trapped in a car, and we must
recognize that more sprawl and smog producing
highways cannot fix the problem. Communities should
consider the impact of induced traffic when planning
their transportation future.

The Vicious Cycle of Induced Traffic
Congestion plagues a road, the road is expanded, and
more people can now drive on the road. Public transit or
carpool riders switch to driving, drivers switch routes and
take longer trips, and congestion reappears at a greater
level than before the construction. More traffic is dumped
on local streets. Welcome to Induced Traffic. The short
term benefits of increased road capacity result in long
term suburban sprawl and reduced quality of life for
residents. Roads in undeveloped areas soon attract new
housing, shopping, and business centers. More people
will now have to drive a longer distance in traffic to reach
home, school, shopping, or work. Often, cities that spend
the most on roadbuilding end up with the worst
congestion.

L.A.'s Traffic: Most Congested In North America. Again!

 http://laist.com/2012/07/10/las_traffic_most_congested_in_north.php#photo-1

 

 

 

Drivers who suffer L.A.'s traffic gridlock, this won't seem like news to you: Los Angeles has been ranked as the number one city in North America when it comes to traffic congestion.
The Congestion Index ranking comes from TomTom and their analysis and charting of real travel times, and what they call "the most accurate and comprehensive barometer of traffic congestion in major cities all over the world."

A bit about their methodology:

The methodology that is used in this report compares travel times during non-congested periods (free flow) with travel times in peak hours. The difference is expressed as a percentage increase in travel time. We take into account local roads, arterials and highways. All data is based on actual GPS based measurements and for each city the sample size is expressed in total number of measured kilometres for the period.

Following in Los Angeles' bumper-to-bumper tire tracks are Vancouver (2), Miami (3), Seattle (4), and Tampa (5). And, hey, be proud: We were ranked number one in North America last year, too!
However, in another recent ranking, while we came in second to Honolulu when it comes to how much time we spend stuck in traffic, we also are home to almost half of the 10 worst traffic corridors in the country.

We've got a brief look at some of the data for all North American cities, and for Los Angeles.

(BUT)

Woohoo! L.A. No Longer the Worst U.S. City for Drivers!

 http://laist.com/2012/05/22/woohoo_la_no_longer_t

"We're Number TWO! We're Number TWO!" Hey, Los Angeles is no longer the worst U.S. city for drivers, according to a just-released study. Our epic traffic jams were finally ousted by Honolulu, Hawaii, putting L.A. in the number two ranking.
The study, as pointed out by Bloomberg, is the Inrix National Traffic Scorecard.
While Honolulu's drivers sat through an average of 58 hours stuck in traffic in 2011, L.A. drivers only endured a mere average 56 for the year.
But if you are sad about L.A. losing our national rep for having totally suckass traffic, hey, check this out: We have the worst corridor for traffic in the nation (that's the I-405 NB from the I-105 to Getty Center) and three other lousy corridors ranked in the nation's top ten worst (the I-10 EB from the 1/Lincoln Blvd. to Alameda Street ranks #3; the I-5 SB from Cesar Chavez to Valley View ranks #5; and the I-405 SB from Nordhoff Street to Mulholland Drive ranks #7). Yikes: L.A. has almost half of the 10 worst corridors in the country.
Overall, the study found that congestion in the nation dropped 30 percent from 2010.
When is the worst time to drive? Well, how was your morning commute? "Tuesday at 8:00 AM was the busiest morning commute hour," notes Inrix. Working for the weekend? "Friday at 5:30 PM was the busiest evening commute hour where the average trip took 16 percent longer," they add.
Hmmm, so how does L.A. rank for audiobook and podcast listening rates? Considering how many hours we waste in the car, hopefully a bunch of us are at least using the time wisely.

Joe Cano on Metro's New Public Relations Consultant for the 710 Freeway Tunnel

Posted on No on Avenue 64 Facebook Page

Posted Dec. 25, 2012

For all to see the new face on the enemy lines. This is a subtle change of tactics that we are on to. A female, friendly face, to sell us the same BS they have been pushing for so long. To KPA & Associates you will not succeed. We control the narrative, we already have the facts and nothing you have to say will change anything. Please feel free to contact some folks you 'really' need to talk to about the predicament you will find yourself in. Joanne Nuckols, Tina Miller, or myself. And Merry Fucking Christmas too! I hope I have ruined your holiday, because you sure have ruined our with this threat hanging over our heads.

Timeline Photos

Has anyone seen this woman in El Sereno at all. She has been going around inviting other cities to the Calstate Open House meeting in January. Where is our invitation?, After all, her resume states her goal is to get the voice of the underrepresented heard. Let's make one thing clear, KP& Associate's only purpose it to shovel the bullshit for Fasana, Messina & Metro.
I am waiting to hear back from LA32NC to see if this person has invited El Sereno to the dance. Down for the brown? or just another fucking coconut we have to listen trying to sell the line of the oppressors. Yes bring all the corporate monkees to perform for us!

Thelma Herrera, Senior Associate is responsible for providing community liaison services on client projects. Her duties include keeping community and business interests informed about our clients’ projects, and ensuring that their questions, comments and concerns are captured and addressed. Through her outreach efforts, traditionally underrepresented community members have participated in the planning process in unprecedented numbers. She has pro-actively explored and helped resolve areas of dispute and contention, which has lead to community consensus.

Ms. Herrera, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Industrial Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design, is also responsible for production of all of the firm’s highly creative informational materials—including fact sheets, newsletters, and websites for our clients. Ms. Herrera previously worked as a member of the marketing team for Geomatrix Consultants and Pacific Gas and Electric Company, in San Francisco, designing corporate identity materials, websites and other marketing materials, as well as overseeing quality control in the production of materials.

 

 

Posted Dec. 26, 2012

 

 

To all No on 710 warriors. Please see the newest player in Metro's 710 tunnel boondoggle. Our network has reported Thelma Herrera a rep for Katherine Padilla & Associates has been inviting the other cities impacted by the 710 tunnel to the January Calstate meetings. Highland Park was invited at their December 20th neighborhood council meeting and my contacts on LA32NC
'so far', have no knowledge of this recent move by Metro. So, as it appears, until I hear otherwise, El Sereno is being ignored and the cruelest cut of all is this is being done by a firm with so-called Latinos doing the excluding of us 'lower class' brown folks at the direction of Metro. This firm is going to make some mad free money boy! They will realize they have no traction in selling any of this, but Metro will pay them anyway for services rendered. Blast away folks, email storm to question the formats to all future open houses.

 

			Community Involvement KP&A’s approach to community involvement is focused on creating a strategic plan that is tailored for each project, connects our client with affected and hard-to-reach communities, and results in positive outcomes for all parties. Whether our client is a government agency designing, permitting, and building a controversial project, or an oil company seeking to improve their relationship with a community, we can facilitate a process that enables competing interests to explore opportunities for compromise and consensus.