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Today is Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. What do you do if you work from home?
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📢 Eastside News
One-day robbery spree
Echo Park & Rampart Village: Authorities are seeking additional potential victims of a group responsible for a one-day spree of armed robberies at 7- Eleven stores in Los Angeles County, including outlets in Echo Park and Rampart Village near Silver Lake. The Eastsider
👏 Thank You Thursday
We have one reader who recently contributed to thank today: Charlie Marshak. Thank you!
The financial support from our Reader Sponsors makes it possible for us to provide you the community news — from breaking news to people profiles and community concerns to restaurant openings — that you won’t find anyplace else.
Scott Avenue Court bungalows.
Photo by Jesus Sanchez
ECHO PARK
Tenants fear losing rent control protection
A group of tenants fear their homes would lose their rent-controlled protections if the landlord subdivides their historic hillside bungalow court.
“I’ve lived in my rent-controlled apartment on Scott Avenue for over 35 years,” said tenant Terri Patchen in a statement. “It’s sheltered me longer than anything or anyone else.”
A proposal before the L.A. City Planning Department would split the 10-unit Scott Avenue Court at 1463-1469 Scott Ave. into eight small lots. If bungalows become separate single-family home properties, the rent-control status for the bungalows could disappear, according to Sharon Sandow, a spokesperson with the Los Angeles Housing Department. The City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance does not generally apply to stand-alone single-family dwellings on a parcel, she said.
Plus, some tenants worry they could lose their homes if the property is sold off in small lots. Tenants say the owner told a meeting of the Echo Park Neighborhood Council’s Planning and Land Use Committee that he wants the option to sell individual units as tenants move out.
“The implication being when people moved out on their own accord,” said tenant Crickett Rumley. “However, that still does not make us tenants feel secure in our homes.”
A petition to protect the bungalows, which were declared a city historic landmark in 2008, has gathered more than 2,000 signatures. The Eastsider has reached out to the owner for comment.
Almaya selections include the Shawarma burrito, a cucumber and tomato salad and hummus.
Photos by Merrill Shindler
LINCOLN HEIGHTS
Almaya blends Mexican and Mediterranean
The sign for Almaya in front of the ambitiously named “Food Hall” reads “Mediterranean Mexican Fusion.” Consumed in this case, in a space that looks a bit like a high school lunchroom, cheered by flowers and blooming green plants painted on the walls.
Almaya is worth seeking out – especially if you’re looking for some old Levis at St. Vincent De Paul across the street. Almaya is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But if it’s fusion you crave, breakfast does the least of it. The dishes are morning meal classics – a pair of breakfast burritos, chilaquiles, machaca, omelettes and, to give the options a twist, some Israeli shakshuka.
Come lunch, the dishes start fusing – and keep it up till the sun has set, and the neighborhood is overtaken with a silence that can be downright disconcerting. Heading for the Food Hall at night, it’s hard not to wonder – where is everybody? At least a few of us are considering whether the labneh and tzatziki would complement the birria or asada burritos. And where guacamole fits into this bit of edible globalism.
The answer is: Everything fits. Out here, tradition – like pie crusts – is made to be broken and scattered on your lap. Thus, along with the tabbouleh, we have the Persian salad called shirazi – a deceptively simple toss of cucumber, tomato and onion, flavored with lemon or lime and mint. We have horiatiki, the Greek salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, feta, olives, oregano and olive oil. The Casablanca salad is made with couscous. The crispy cheese rolls are from – well, I don’t really know where. It’s a dish with universal appeal.
For me, the burritos are the dish of choice. I’ve mentioned the chicken shawarma, with its richly spiced filling, because it has a pan-national frisson that’s both easy to grasp…and once grasped, easy to consume. Burritos are the sandwich in its most perfected form. It’s the dish John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, dreamed of eating in order to eat and play cards at the same time. And though it would befuddle him, the presence of shawarma wouldn’t have hurt.
Rating: ⭐⭐1/2
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beyond Sublime⭐⭐⭐ Worth Every Penny⭐⭐A Good Neighborhood Destination⭐ Might As Well Stay At HomeAlmaya2020 Barranca St., Lincoln Heights323-332-2024www.almaya-la.comBreakfast, lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday.No reservationsInexpensive.
Merrill Shindler has spent his life eating for a living in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. His idea of happiness is a seat at a bar, with a draft beer in hand and a plate of dangerously spicy Buffalo wings and terminally crunchy onion rings to chew on.
🍽️ Good Taste
Here’s this week’s round-up of Eastside food and drink news
Barbrix undergoing renovations
Silver Lake: Barbrix is currently closed for a major renovation. According to Instagram, ownership is “working hard behind the scenes to create something even better.” In the meantime, you can enjoy some Barbrix options at its sister restaurant, All’Acqua, for brunch, lunch, and dinner.
Bakery to replace Say Cheese
Silver Lake: Say Cheese on Hyperion Avenue will be replaced by a bread company, according to the L.A. Times. As The Eastsider reported in March, Say Cheese will be closing by the end of this month after 53 years in business. The cheese shop and cafe was facing an estimated 300% rent hike, and has been on a month-to-month lease since 2021, the Times said.
Food Hub fights waste
Glassell Park: Built inside the former Eagle Rock Brewery on Roswell Street, the new 4,500-square-foot Collaborative Food Hub can store enough recovered food for more than 54,000 meals, according to the Hollywood Food Coalition The facility is a joint effort between the Hollywood Food Coalition, Asian Pacific Islander Forward Movement, Polo’s Pantry, and Sunrise Organic Farm. Food that would have otherwise been tossed by local donors– like Trader Joe’s, Vons and Taix–will now be redirected to 170 organizations and community meals across L.A.
Opening soon
Echo Park: Echo Park Village commercial center is picking up another eatery: Henrietta. The 22-seat restaurant plans to pour beer and wine and serve a wide variety of dishes, ranging from rigatoni and striped seabass to steak and grilled chicken, according to documents filed with the the Planning Department. The owner, Max Lesser, declined to provide add additional details for now. Echo Park Village — which occupies a block on Glendale Boulevard, south of Temple Street — is already home to Butchr Bar, Clark Street Bread and Gra Pizzeria.
Night Market
Eagle Rock: We recently highlighted the latest Night Market in Eagle Rock, featuring 20 local vendors. Read more here.
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Good Taste is Sponsored by The Golden Poppy Market
“Everything from Caviar to Cat Food!”
The Golden Poppy Market has it all—from caviar to cat food! This Mom ‘n’ Pop shop, run by Michelle Carr and Brian Wotring, is where you can do a full basket shop. Stocking organic produce, fine cheeses, Bub & Grandma’s bread, nostalgic sweets, and pantry staples. Alongside indulgences, you’ll find essentials like Mrs. Meyer’s cleaners and paper goods.
1209 Cypress Avenue | Cypress ParkMonday thru Saturday: 10AM – 8:30/9PMSunday: 10AM–8PM
Residents and other volunteers helped clean up and landscape River Garden Park.
Photo by Anthea Raymond
CYPRESS PARK
Park reopens over $1.2 million makeover
A once-neglected park is getting a second chance — and new name — 25 years after it first opened.
The $1.2 million makeover—funded by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and guided by the nonprofit Mujeres de la Tierra—reflects community input and volunteer work and planting days involving local residents, according to a conservancy spokesperson.
Designed by landscape architect Mia Lehrer, the updated space, which occupies the norther tip of the Los Angeles River Center, features a children’s play area, upgraded picnic spots, native plantings, and a small outdoor theater. The former centerpiece fountain, once meant to evoke the L.A. River, has been replaced with tiered landscaping.
The re-opening celebration on Saturday, April 26, from 1 pm to 4 pm, includes live performances, a resource fair and food.
🗒️ Notebook
Non-violent parenting advocate dies
Echo Park: Ruth Beaglehole, a long-time advocate of non-violent parenting who co-founded a neighborhood childcare center, died earlier this week, according to a post on her Instagram. The cause of her death was not revealed. The Echo Park resident co-founded the Echo Park/Silver Lake People’s Child Care Center in 1970 in a Silver Lake garage to serve working families with a progressive, inclusive philosophy, according to a 1990 L.A. Times story. She fought City Hall to legalize residential day care, eventually helping expand access citywide. “I was just this naive, young woman… who wanted to start a school,” she told the Times. A funeral is scheduled for today, Thursday, April 24, in Echo Park.
🗓️ Eastside Weekend
⭐ Featured Events
Echo Park Earth Fest 2.0: Join us for the Echo Park Earth Fest Service Day LA Cleanup and Festival, a celebration of our community and championing environmental protection and harmony with nature. Saturday, April 26. Learn More
Advancing Healthcare Symposium: A distinguished panel of Adventist Health Glendale physician specialists in Cardiology, Pulmonology, Gastroenterology, and Radiology will discuss the future of Interventional Medicine. Tuesday, April 29. Learn More
Friday, April 25
Montecito Heights: Do your ghoulish shopping at Spooky Swap Meet V at the Heritage Square Museum. Shop for Halloween decor, props, costumes, furnishings, collectibles, and creepy antiquities. (April 25-27) 🎃👻
Saturday, April 26
Boyle Heights: Celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND) at “El Quince” The Party at Don Quixote. The fundraiser will feature multimedia installations inspired by quinceañeras during the 2000s, a photo booth, and limited-edition merchandise.
Sunday, April 27
Eagle Rock: Sign up for Classic and Creative Cocktails with a master mixologist at Relentless Brewing and Spirits. Learn how to create classic cocktails such as a Spicy Cucumber Margarita, a Classic Lemon Drop Martini, and an Old Fashion. 🥂
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