The first, of what is promised to be a series of articles focusing on the great work being done by South LA’s Neighborhood Councils was published on September 18, 2014 in the Southwest Wave and featured Voices of 90037 and Park Mesa Heights Community Council.
Park Mesa Heights Community Council’s Unity Fest, held every year in August, introduces attendees to City services and organizations that help speak to quality of life issues. Quality of life is exactly what Voices of 90037 is hoping to address by addressing homelessness threatening a neighborhood park and its beloved library. The neighborhood council and local residents are determined to see the area improved. Another local program, City Plants, is a partnership between the city, local nonprofits, businesses and residents, that aims to make Los Angeles a greener place literally by the planting of trees, giving anyone who lives or owns property in the city of Los Angeles up to five free trees. City Plants was a strong presence at the Unity Festival, where they gave away more than 500 free lime, orange, avocado, kumquat and fig trees to local residents. The festival also provided an opportunity for medical testing for blood pressure, glucose levels and HIV, which was made available to the nearly 1,000 residents who showed for the festival thanks to the T.H.E. (To Help Everyone) Mobile Clinic. The clinic is located at 3834 S. Western Ave.
The neighborhood councils have proven there truly is power in numbers when it comes to making a positive difference in their communities. It has been five years since they banded together with the 13 other neighborhood councils in the South Los Angeles area to form the South Los Angeles Alliance of Neighborhood Councils (SLAANC) and their importance in the community hasn’t gone unnoticed.
You can read the full Southwest Wave article here. The Southwest Wave will continue publishing articles about issues important to the South LA communities, highlighting the work local neighborhood councils are doing to improve their communities and better serve their stakeholders.