Comments on CASP

After attending a public hearing on the environmental impact of CASP on November 16, 2011, the Youth Organizers (YO) (with help from SEACA staff and local experts) came up with comments and concerns regarding the potential environmental, socioeconomic, and political impacts of the project.

The following is what was submitted to Claire Bowin at the Department of City Planning and Pauline Lewicki at the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA) on December 15, 2011:

Southeast Asian Community Alliance (SEACA)

970 N. Broadway Suite 209

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 628-8667, tam@seaca-la.org

December 15, 2010

Claire Bowin

Department of City Planning

200 N. Spring Street, Room 721

Los Angeles, CA 90012

claire.bowin@lacity.org

Pauline Lewicki

Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA/LA)

1200 West 7th Street, Suite 200

Los Angeles, CA 90017

plewicki@cra.lacity.org

Comments on Cornfields Arroyo Seco Specific Plan

1. Scoping and Public Participation
• Provide more outreach to the community surrounding CASP. The Southeast Asian Community Alliance (SEACA) went door-to-door to residents near the Lincoln Heights/Cypress Metro stop and found that residents did not get the notice for the Public Scoping Meeting held on November 16, 2010. The means in which the flyers were distributed may not be the most effective. Door-to-door knocking, tabling at events, and announcement at local schools may increase public participation.
• Need more public input in scoping process. Should increase participation at meetings by at least 50 more community members.
• All materials need to be translated to simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Materials need to be written at a 4th grade reading level.
• All meetings should provide interpretation in all languages listed above (translation for Chinese should be in Cantonese).
• Report of how public comments during Scoping Meetings gets addressed in EIR.
• Transparency of the process leading up to the draft EIR that is scheduled to come out in May 2010.
• At least one SEACA staff and 1-2 youth to be part of the Community Advisory Committee
• Request for public meeting to be held every 5-6 weeks to update residents and community members on progress of EIR
2. Air Quality
• Health Impact Assessment to see how pollution / dust / noise / traffic from this project will affect residents
• Hot spot analysis of emissions given off by the I-5, US101 and 110 for new residents in CASP area
• More trees planted in congested areas, especially near sites of construction
• More designated no smoking areas
3. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
•  Add mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
4. Hazards and Hazardous Materials
•  List of potentially hazardous materials and their health effects
• No affordable housing, parks, or schools constructed on top of areas known to have hazardous materials
5. Land Use/Planning
•  Socio-economic report of existing community and how plan will affect area median income (AMI), employment, affordability of commercial and residential areas
•  Visual surveillance should not involve videos or cameras
•  FAR should be kept to 3.0 or less
•  New residential development at least 1000 ft from freeways
• Recreational centers need to serve local, existing communities’ needs. Can be identified by a survey of current residents and recreation center personnel.
• New supermarkets and shops need serve existing residents and be affordable for 65% of AMI within 500 ft of project area
• Community friendly, affordable businesses to the existing community
• Barrier between freeways and housing/parks for both noise and air pollution
6. Noise
• Construction: working hours of 9AM – 5PM only
• Operation: working hours of 9AM – 5PM only
7. Population / Housing
• Socio-economic report to define what is “affordable” for the community and to compare current population to expected future population
•  Affordable housing should target people in the 40-60% AMI
•  More than 50% affordable housing for the already existing community within the ½ mile radius of project area
•  Priority of new affordable housing to the existing community
•  Affordable home ownership (if condominiums are built for sale) and home ownership education programs
•  Need permission from residents/tenants for transfer
•  No art studio lofts replacing affordable housing
•  Installation of solar panels for new buildings
8. Public Services
•  Report that compares the existing services with the planned project
9. Recreation
•  Currently not enough accessible parks, need more active recreation parks and recreational centers near residential areas with adequate staffing to ensure park safety
•  To be built 1000 ft or beyond from freeways
•  Parks less than 5 acres, big parks are rarely used by residents
•  Recreational centers should include green space, playgrounds for children, tables for elderly, and a variety of sports facilities such as tennis, basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, fitness classes, etc.
•  More community gardens for residents to grow fruits / vegetables, targeting low-income renters and SNAP eligible residents
• More trash cans and recycle bins. If trash can contains ashtray, place high and away from accessibility of children
10. Additional comments
• Requesting economic analysis report for financial feasibility and impact for existing businesses
•  Protect existing job base and prioritize new jobs that provide living wages; provide adequate labor standards enforcement to ensure jobs meet legal health & safety requirements and do not engage in wage theft.
• Provide airport style benefits (which includes living wage, health care, dental, and vision)
• Employment of 60% from local area defined as Lincoln Heights, Boyle Heights, Highland Park, Cypress Park, Solano Canyon, and Chinatown
• Jobs training, job placement assistance, and vocational ESL classes to benefit area for jobs that provide economic mobility opportunities and living wages.
• Mitigate and compensate adverse effects on businesses

Some Good News

It's been awhile since we've sent out an update and hopefully we'll be better at sharing our good news in the new year.  But in the meanwhile, here's a short summary of what's been going on in Chinatown:

• The Rise Up! arts program just held their retreat at Pomona College last weekend. 9 students went and had such a great time immediately made all the other students who weren't able to attend jealous. Lots of funny stories and team building
• 20 students went door to door to outreach for our campaign to build stronger, healthier communities.
• 7 Youth Organizers participated in a public hearing on the environmental impact of the CASP redevelopment proposal. Among issues they brought up: concern about the possibility that the plan may push out low-income families and the building of parks next to freeways
• We just got accepted to poster at the Active Living Research Conference in San Diego in February and will be bringing some of the Youth Organizers with us to the Conference and to submit an article for a special paper on Health Disparities in the AAPI community that will be published by the Kellogg Foundation and the Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum.

And lastly, we're holding our Holiday Party on Dec. 4, 2010, 5-8pm @ the Church of the Epiphany in Lincoln Heights. Everyone's welcome but please RSVP so that we don't run out of food!

New School Year, New Planting Season

So this week marked the start of a new academic year. This week we also began a new planting cycle and our latest series of gardening workshops, which brought out 15 people of various ages, languages, and backgrounds. Folks began planting basil, dill, kohlrabi, sugar snap peas that will hopefully survive in time to be transplanted on our next garden workday:  

Sat. Sept. 25th,  9am @ 
the Lincoln Heights Community Garden
2449 Sichel Street
Los Angeles, CA 90031


In addition to the usual SEACA folks, there will also be volunteers from USC on hand to help clean up the garden, fill in the beds, and of course transplant the seedlings.  Tam & I also started some lettuce, radishes, and carrots seedlings as well. I think we're going to eat well in two months! In the meanwhile, let us know if you want to join us on Sept. 25th.

I also wanted to share with you this story that was aired on KCRW about a month ago on Evan Kleiman's Good Food. One of her guests was Dr. Thomas Robinson of the Stanford School of Medicine who talked about how students are more likely to improve their diets when you raised their awareness of social justice issues than if you just talked about individual health benefits. Examples given were people who became vegetarian because of animal welfare issues or others wanting to eat locally to reduce their carbon footprint.  Interesting, huh? It also confirms what we've known all along: people want to be a part of something bigger and to feel that their personal choices can make a difference.

http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/gf/gf100821buffalo_wings_moonsh

Summer Programs 2010!

We have a packed summer! Come  join us for fun and informative workshops on cooking and other skills.


Cooking, Mondays 4-6pm


Heads Up! Workshops, Wednesdays 3-5pm
Have questions about money, relationships, and your body? Join SEACA this summer to build on your knowledge of these topics and more!

How To Be Smarter With Your Money, 7/15
Communications & Conflict Resolution 7/22
Healthy Relationships & Sexuality 7/29
Family/Relationship Violence & Legal Advice 8/5
Self Care & Harm Reduction 8/12

All workshops take place at the SEACA office. Everyone is welcome!
970 N. Broadway, Suite 209
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 628-8667

SEACA Celebrates!

SEACA ended the academic year with many accomplishments and a few celebrations! This past year, we completed a community health assessment by door-knocking in our communities, collected oral histories of community members, and built the first Lincoln Heights Community Garden --- just to name a few of our accomplishments. Watch the video to recap our year.

Congratulations to all our members, volunteers, and partners for all your hard work! We look forward to seeing everyone back in August.

If you already miss us, join us this summer for some fun and informative life skills workshops. Details coming soon...

May Day Rally!

On May 1st, 2010 SEACA members marched in solidarity around the Garment District with workers at the Garment Worker Center. Then, we joined the march on Broadway in the biggest immigrant and workers' rights rally in the country.

SEACA and UCLA Releases Education Report

SEACA’s communities face numerous educational challenges. Belmont and Lincoln High have some of the lowest academic outcomes in the city. Through firsthand interviews by students in the schools, In the Majority: Challenges, Resources, and Strategies for Educating Immigrant Students and Students of Color in LAUSD provides a critical analysis of education within schools and highlights strategies for schools, community organizations and parents to work together for effective change for positive student outcomes. Read the entire report here.

SEACA Members Speak Out Against DASH Cuts

SEACA members spoke out at a public hearing on the cuts to the DASH bus service. Everyone from the elderly residents of Chinatown, to the high school students at Lincoln High School to the residents of the William Mead Housing Projects will be impacted. More information about the proposed cuts can be found at the LA Department of Transportation web site. Listen to SEACA's member stories and how they hope to impact the process in the video.

SEACA's New Toy and Youtube Channel!

We've been putting our new Flip camera to good use. SEACA members and staff have been having a great time capturing the spirit of our work on video.

Subscribe to our Youtube channel, which we will periodically update. You can watch SEACA members collect health surveys and we'll soon be updating the channel with oral histories.



Thanks to the Studio for Southern California History for our Flip camera and for their tremendous help! The Studio has generously donated the camera to us and are providing training and technical assistance as we collect oral histories. They are an amazing partner organization right here in Chinatown that seeks "to critically chronicle Southern California history from a social and cultural perspective."

Activities during LAUSD Winter Break

***Please note that the SEACA office will close on 12/24. We will open on Monday 1/4***

Health Survey Collection (Round 1!)

Wed 12/23 @ 11am

Meet at SEACA. Light lunch provided. We are doing a 1-hour training on how to collect surveys, then heading out to survey adults in Chinatown. Our goal is to collect 25 surveys this day.

Garden Clean-Up

Tues 1/5 @ 10am

Meet at Church of the Epiphany (2808 Altura Street in Lincoln Heights) to clean up!! Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Directions: Go up Broadway into Lincoln Heights. Turn left at Sichel, where the KFC/Taco Bell is.

Ice-Skating

Tues 1/5 @ afternoon

We're leaving from Church of the Epiphany to ice-skate in Pershing Square. Bring $5 if possible. If not, contact Sophia, Sissy or Susan.

Health Survey Collection (Round 2!)

Wed 1/6 @ 11am

Meet at SEACA. Light lunch provided. We are doing a 1-hour training on how to collect surveys, then heading out to survey adults in Lincoln Heights. Our goal is to collect 25 surveys this day, for a total of 50.a

Meditation

Friday 1/8 @ afternoon

Feel stressed out, tired or easily annoyed? Hey, we all do, sometimes! :P Join a fun and relaxing workshop to learn how to calm down, focus, and enjoy the little things in life. Guest teacher Hyungjung "Juliet" Hwang teaches us how to bring meditation to our daily life. Meet at SEACA. Snacks provided.

Community Garden Update

SEACA and Church of the Epiphany have been working hard on the design of the garden. Thanks to Heng Foong for teaching us container gardening, and thanks to Teague Weybright at the LA Conservation Corps for technical assistance! We also have been visiting gardens in Highland Park, Boyle Heights and El Sereno to share lessons learned and get ideas.

In the next few weeks, we will be preparing the lot, building beds, and learning container gardening. Look out for community workdays where you can join.

SEACA members and Church of the Epiphany leaders planning the community garden

Join SEACA this fall!

Programs for SEACA start October 13th! We are currently recruiting for our programs. Call Sophia (213-628-8667) if you or you have friends that are interested in joining SEACA this year!

Cooking & Gardening (every Tuesday)
1st meeting is Tuesday, October 13th, 3:30-5:30pm
You will have the opportunity to learn how to cook healthy and easy foods. Guest chefs from restaurants will often stop by to share their techniques and love of food with you. Our brand new community garden will soon start planting! The gardening workshops will teach you everything you need to know about how to grow your own food. As plants grow, we’ll start to have in-season fruits and vegetables for our cooking classes. Have fun getting dirty and actually experience seasons (something you don't get to do often in California). All ages welcome.

Youth Leadership Project (every Wednesday)
1st meeting is Wednesday, October 14th, 4-6pm
You will have an opportunity to learn about issues affecting your community, meet new friends, go on field trips, and positively impact your neighborhood. This year, you will be a leader by improving community health through a survey of children, adults and elderly, and building a community garden in Lincoln Heights.

Rise Up! Los Angeles (every Friday)
1st meeting is Friday, October 16th, 4-6pm
You will have an opportunity to creatively express yourself, meet college students, make new friends, and go on field trips. Last year Rise Up! participants wrote poetry and painted a mural to express identity and community. This year, you will make a cookbook with family recipes and stories. Snacks provided!

Lincoln Heights' First Community Garden!

SEACA youth organizers and staff celebrating our community garden victory

Thanks to all the hard work of SEACA's youth organizers and members of the congregation of the Church of the Epiphany, Lincoln Height's will soon have its first community garden. After a successful meeting with Bishop Bruno of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, we have a firm committment to start the garden. We look forward to starting a series of cooking and gardening classes in conjuction with the growth of the garden. The garden will help us engage Latin@ and Asian community members, create a green space for multiple generations to support one another, and provide access to fresh, healthy produce.
Thank you to everyone for your faith and support! We'll keep you updated as we grow our garden and community.

Summer 09 Schedule

Hi beautiful people!

Here is our summer schedule, running now until mid-August:

MONDAY 12-2PM

Cooking Class

Get your hands dirty with some easy and healthy cooking :) On Monday, August 3rd we will have our first cooking class. Guest teacher is Chef Dylan Hallas. On the menu are summer squash & mushroom tacos, a Thai salad of marinated shrimp, grapefruit, herbs, and lime and chili dressing, and to drink, melon agua fresca or horchata.

Everyone is welcome! RSVP @ 213-628-8667

MONDAY 2-5PM

Photography Class with Jamie

Students learn photo skills! This will end with a show at Olvera Street.

FRIDAY 1-3PM

Youth Organizers Meeting

High school students are working on the garden and developing a community health campaign.

ONGOING

We are working with Church of the Epiphany to set up a community garden in Lincoln Heights in order to create a beautiful, green space, build relationships between youth and elders, Latin@s and Asians, and increase self-determination through access to fresh produce and improved cooking skills.

The office is open Monday-Thursday 9aM-5PM and on Friday from 9AM-3PM. Come in to chat, enjoy AC, read, use the computer. Please call us beforehand @ 213-628-8667 because we are often OUTSIDE doing stuff.

First post!

Hello, world!

Welcome to the SEACA blog.  SEACA is the Southeast Asian Community Alliance.  Our mission is to build an empowered Southeast Asian community through leadership development, education, advocacy and community organizing.

We work in collaboration with other communities in the struggle for social, economic and racial justice.  

SEACA members come from the L.A. neighborhoods of Chinatown, Lincoln Heights and Echo Park.