Temple Tribune CItY
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Monday edition of the
Monrovia Weekly ArcAdiA Weekly Monday, APRIL 23 - april 29, 2012 Volume xVIi, No. XVIi
El Montean Jerry Velasco Celebrated by the Latino Film Industry
Student’s Anti-Bully Video Spurs Officials to Tackle Problem
By dena burroughs Jerry Velasco, the appointed Planning Commissioner for the City of El Monte, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Advocacy last week at the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP) conference. Velasco has become a familiar face in El Monte since his campaign for a City Council seat at the last municipal election, but he has been well-known within the Latino community in Hollywood for years. The award, which was presented by two El Monte residents – actor Mike Gomez and civil rights activist and co-founder of United Farm Workers Dolores Huerta – celebrated Velasco for being one of the early members of the oldest Latino advocacy group, Nosotros, which was started by the late actor Ricardo Montalban in 1970. Velasco joined Nosotros in 1972 as an actor, moving on to become the group’s treasurer and eventually its president for 30 years. While with Nosotros Velasco created the Golden Eagle Awards, the first awards intended to celebrate Latino talent and that
Wilson Elementary School student Gerry Orz of San Gabriel. -Courtesy Photo
BY JIM E. WINBURN Latino VIPs – Dolores Huerta, Rita Moreno, Lupe Ontiveros, and Jerry Velasco on the red carpet at NALIP. -Photo by Dena Burroughs
would be received throughout the years by the likes of Anthony Quinn, Rita Moreno, Eva Longoria, Salma Hayak, and many more. Gomez and Huerta reminisced about Velasco as a dedicated man willing to help and serve his community and friends always. “He used to drive Eric Estra-
Urban Design Strategy Secures Streetscape Improvements for San Gabriel Village BY JIM E. WINBURN The San Gabriel City Council approved a motion 5-0 on Tuesday night to adopt the San Gabriel Village Urban Design Strategy that directly impacts a block-long collection of stores on West Fairview Avenue. The plan outlines the development of design enhancement programs for unique commercial districts scattered throughout San Gabriel, particularly focusing on the San Gabriel Village, according to Planning Manager Mark Gallatin’s
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presentation to the council. After giving the council a spectrum of options to choose from, Gallatin recommended that the city fully fund the streetscape improvements for the commercial block of Fairview Avenue. Design strategy options ranged from using available funds for residential street repairs without streetscape improvements on the commercial block of Fairview to, the other end of the spectrum, performPlease see page 6
da to auditions before Eric was Eric,” said Gomez. His tirelessness and dedication made anyone think of him “as a force of nature,” added Huerta. Undoubtedly a lover of the arts, Velasco also spoke on stage about his new goal, “a new phase in his career,” of political involvement. He
admitted that it is his intention to continue running for the City of El Monte’s City Council. “I want to bring the arts to the city of El Monte where I live,” he said. The NALIP conference is meant to provide a collaborative arena that brings together the business of art and filmmaking for Latinos.
It is organized as a threeday event of workshops and discussions about TV, film, and documentaries. This year’s conference was held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel, in Universal City. Velasco received his Lifetime Achievement Award for Advocacy at the Awards Gala on Sunday night.
Ten-year-old Gerry Orz, who attends Wilson Elementary School in San Gabriel, believes it may be too late to stop bullying at the middle or high school level. According to this fourth-grader, kids his age need to confront this social problem immediately, and Gerry has produced a Please see page 4
Sears’ Heroes at Home City of El Monte to Hold Spring Quarterly Program to Renovate El Monte American Town Hall Meeting Legion Post April 26 The challenges that the City of El Monte is facing as a result of the elimination of the Redevelopment Agency and the tight budget are among the topics that will be discussed at the City’s Quarterly Town Hall Meeting April 26. The City’s Quarterly Town Hall meetings are part of the City’s effort to not only promote accountability and transparency within City departments, but to also strengthen relations between residents and their City government. City Manager René
Bobadilla will give a presentation regarding the current issues occurring throughout the City, as well as the City’s vision for future projects and events, and its efforts to lure more commercial and retail business to El Monte. Residents will also be able to provide feedback directly to City departments via a question-and-answer session immediately following the presentation. In addition, all El Monte City departments will have Please see page 5
Heroes at Home, a program created through the collaboration of Sears Holdings Corporation and Rebuilding Together announced the beginning of their spring 2012 Heroes at Home projects. Heroes at Home projects are key initiatives for Rebuilding Together, the nation’s leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership, and strive to improve the lives of the military and their families through extensive home rehabilitations. Rebuilding Together Central San Gabriel Valley will be assisting American
Legion Post 261 located at 4542 Peck Road, El Monte with needed renovations to its Post. Over 75 volunteers from Rebuilding Together and Sears will paint the interior of the Post’s meeting hall, bathroom and kitchen facilities and also refinish and seal the hall’s wooden floors. “Heroes at Home is not only a program, but an opportunity for us to serve our fellow veterans and address their critical housing needs, which are quite common throughout military housePlease see page 5