Cityhood for East L.A.

Together, we’ve courageously dreamed of a brighter future for East LA, and have been working together to make this a reality. This past week, I was the subject of personal character attacks by our local representative in response to my open letter published in EGP News. We must remain focused on the issues of better government and community empowerment and not engage in dialogue that only detracts from that. The Cityhood for East LA effort is not -- and never has been -- about any one person. We respect the opinions of others and wish to continue fostering a culture of free thinking in East LA that inspires many.

Let’s focus on the issues at hand:

Going forward, let’s think about what life in East LA will be like in 2 years, 10 years, and 20 years from now. Our community must continue to strive for local control and self-governance, and be willing to put in the work to make this happen.

Come meet students, parents, young professionals, homeowners, business owners, and many other members of the East Los Angeles Residents Association, which will be available on the Cityhood for East LA website, so we can keep an open dialogue and harness our momentum moving forward. Email info@CityhoodForEastLA.org or call (323) 380-8148 for more information.

History has proven that dreams can change societies and lives. Let’s dream together. Let’s work hard together to improve our families’ and our neighbor’s lives every day and think of the future ahead of us.

We recently celebrated the work of a great civil rights leader, César E. Chávez, who said, “Once social change begins it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people that are not afraid anymore.”

In Unity,
Benjamin Cardenas, the Board of Directors, and Volunteers of the East LA Residents Association

We’ve made great strides through the Cityhood movement, and will continue to develop our community’s social, educational, economic and structural resources through advocacy and civic engagement!

Here's an open letter to East LA residents from Ben Cardenas, ELARA President, as published in EGP News on March 22, 2012.

Open Letter to East L.A. Residents
By Benjamin Cardenas

The East L.A. dream of self and local governance goes beyond the actual incorporation of a city. As we reflect upon the past four and half years of hard work and unwavering determination of Cityhood supporters, we have come to realize that we’ve accomplished many of the goals we set out to achieve from the beginning.

East L.A. has experienced 40 years of neglect; lack of meaningful economic investment and less than full time accountability that has financially handicapped a community that should otherwise be one of the top 10 cities in L.A. County.
Consequently, the result of these less than ideal conditions that our beloved East L.A. has experienced over the past 4 decades was used against our fight for change and the right to choose our future.

Although LAFCO’s decision to disapprove our Cityhood application and not grant us an extension for further examination of the finances was beyond disappointing, all is not lost. As a matter of fact, much was gained from our efforts:
—Through the Cityhood movement we, the residents of East L.A., paid to bring the so rightfully deserved and long overdue (38 years) economic data and budget to our community— information that residents in all our neighboring cities enjoy on an annual basis at no cost. Let us all be proud that We did it!
—Through the Cityhood movement our community now enjoys a level of accountability non-existent before we shed light on the exorbitant and out of sight costs for services that we currently pay for, but without direct oversight through the lens of taxpayer equity and community development.

We, the residents, were not afraid to question the status quo in pursuit of accountability.

"From the depth of need and despair, people can work together, can organize themselves to solve their own problems and fill their own needs with dignity and strength." -- Cesar Chavez

We've started a movement together, and in the process, have raised the standard for East LA.

On Wednesday, LAFCO rejected our Cityhood application instead of allowing us well-deserved time to explore options for feasibility. Though our most recent letter, proposed budget (accompanying slides), and numerous arguments from today and previously all made the case for the local empowerment of East LA, this 9-person committee -- and entrenched County opposition -- decided to block us in this effort.

It's truly amazing to see how many thousands of East LA residents are now newly engaged, inspired and ready to continue to demand true local governance of our community. From the 16,000 signatures of support to learn East LA's finances for the first time in 40 years, to the Garfield HS students who showed up to the LAFCO meeting to take part in the democratic process -- they are in fact the future of East LA.

Let's continue this momentum. Let's bring our community together to develop solutions to our everyday challenges, and create long-term sustainability. We have many options ahead of us, and we want to hear what you think. Please reply to this email or comment on our website to share your thoughts.

Thank you for your committment and belief in improving East LA now and for generations ahead. Below are some images from the LAFCO meeting that demonstrate the courage our community has to dream about a better future, and put in the hard work and passion to make it happen.

The Board and Volunteers of the East Los Angeles Residents Association

See photos from the LAFCO Hearing on Facebook.

Last week our group of committed and informed Cityhood supporters attended the January 25th LAFCO meeting, along with more than 300 letters of support from you. At that meeting, LAFCO decided to delay the vote on whether to disapprove or continue with East LA's Cityhood application until Feb. 8th. Thank you again for helping make this happen! 

Today, we're sending a letter to County Supervisor and LAFCO Commissioner Gloria Molina. Your letters made a big difference last time. Please add your voice to the below message; demand accountability for East LA's finances, solutions for long-term sustainability, and options for Cityhood before denying the residents of East LA the right to vote on local government. 

Three ways you can take action:

1. Add your name to the support letter online
2. Print the letter, and fax or email it to Supervisor/LAFCO Commissioner Gloria Molina at (213) 613-1739, molina@bos.lacounty.gov. Download the letter in Spanish. (Links take you to a Word document you can download) 
3. Call Gloria Molina at (213) 974-4111. Ask that she support LAFCO and the County looking at East LA's options for Cityhood and a path to sustainability -- before denying the residents a local voice and the opportunity to vote on Cityhood.

Please read the letter below and make your voice heard!