Community News – University Times

A plan to ban liquor stores in neighborhoods that have too many

Amairani Hernandez, Community News Reporter

November 13, 2019

A special interest group plead with a coalition of Los Angeles neighborhood councils recently to regulate alcohol retailers in the city. The Drug and Alcohol Policy Alliance (DAPA), a nonprofit that advocates against the alcohol industry’s harmful practices, proposed effectively allowing communit...

Fighting crime, starting after school

Edward Nelson, Community News Reporter

November 13, 2019

The city of La Puente’s aftercare program -- run by the Boys and Girls Club of La Puente -- is credited for being one of the community programs that has made the city safer. "La Puente use to be gang infested,” said Margarita Morales, a staff member in the program who was born and raised in La P...

Protestors at Farmer John

Anibal Duarte, Community News Reporter

November 13, 2019

Every Sunday, as pigs arrive to the Farmer John warehouse, multiple protesters gather in the hope of bringing awareness about the lives of the animals. The protestors typically gather near the entrance that is used by a truck carrying the pigs. As the truck attempts to turn, the protestors get in the ...

Live painting, music and performances produce a night of creativity

Amairani Hernandez, Community News Reporter

November 13, 2019

Street artists, jugglers, musicians and community members gathered late last month for a night of creative expression at the “Friday Night Block Party.” The event gave performers an opportunity to showcase their work in front of a live audience and for community members to enjoy live music and a...

How Eagle Rock hopes to tackle homelessness

By George Garcia, Community News Reporter

October 30, 2019

The Eagle Rock neighborhood council has made fighting homelessness -- and providing meals, mobile showers and permanent supportive housing -- its top priorities. That’s according to Jane Demian, who hopes these services will make their way to Eagle Rock once a week and added that public involve...

Getting Creative with Housing

Isaac Gutierrez, Managing Editor

October 29, 2019

In Southern California, where housing is scarce and pricey, some students have found alternatives. “I thought to myself, ‘Well, why don’t I take the money it would cost to pay rent for one semester and put it into making something that’ll last longer?’” said Michael O’Mahony, a 21-y...

Sex Ed Program in Downey Schools Draws Mixed Feelings

Brennan Hernandez, Production Manager

October 29, 2019

About a dozen upset parents showed up with handmade posters outside a statewide politician’s office in Downey recently to protest a teen sexual education program that includes information about sexual orientation and HIV-prevention, among other things. Some parents object to what they consider explici...

Huntington Park to Get 10-Block-Long Park

Joshua Letona, News Editor

October 29, 2019

Huntington Park residents were excited to learn recently that they’re not just getting another new park in town: They’re getting a 10-block-long stretch of green space where almost every block with have fitness equipment, artistic bike racks and playgrounds for kids. That’s particularly important in Hunting...

A Cancer Survivor Supports Families Stricken with Cancer

Richard Tzul, Community News Reporter

October 24, 2019

Isabel Guillen survived cancer but lost her father to it. In his honor, she runs “Chavelyta’s Pink Hood,” an organization that provides donations and hosts events in support of families fighting cancer. On a Sunday evening, Guillen pulled up to a residential neighborhood in Commerce and parked her black C...

Women’s clubs struggle to maintain their rich but fading history

Edward Nelson, Community News Reporter

October 23, 2019

The single-story, wood-frame building on the corner of 1st and Workman streets in La Puente may not look like much to passerbys. But the gray 4,200-square-foot American Craftsman-style bungalow embodies a rich history -- it was the “center of many social and civic events during the early development ...

‘No’ to Foam?

George Garcia, Community News Reporter

October 23, 2019

The ban on polystyrene, commonly known as styrofoam, has made its way to Eagle Rock. In a unanimous vote earlier this month, the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council supported a motion by Los Angeles city councilmembers Paul Koretz and Bob Blumenfield to take steps toward banning polystyrene containers from the city by 2021. Specificall...

Church, children and others partner to deliver burritos for the homeless

Amairani Hernandez, Community News Reporter

October 14, 2019

For three years, volunteers from Divine Saviour Roman Catholic Church on the Eastside have been waking up early on Thursdays to make ingredients for burritos, then gathering to heat up the tortillas, roll the burritos and deliver them to homeless folks in Cypress Park and Lincoln Heights. Why do ...