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Boyle Heights Beat
CSU strike begins after talks between admin, faculty break down
Faculty members across the California State University system went on strike Monday over failed contract negotiations. The California Faculty Association — which represents 29,000 professors (tenure-line and otherwise), lecturers, librarians, counselors, and coaches — has told its members to withhold all their labor. This includes teaching, grading, answering emails, and holding office hours.
Looking back on our 14 years of Eastside reporting
The Boyle Heights Beat has been bringing you news por y para la comunidad for over a decade now (next year, we’ll be celebrating our very own quinceañera). That’s a whole lot of people and places we’ve covered, so there’s bound to be a lot of things that have changed – and many things that have stayed the same too.
Proposed Boyle Heights apartment complex to house a Chicano museum
A couple of storefronts away from the controversial Tiao Properties development on the historic César Chávez corridor, a new building project aims to be received differently by Boyle Heights residents. A group of local investors is proposing to raze several existing structures between 2141 and 2145 E. Cesar...
Whittier Place II Apartments officially opens in East Los Angeles
The years following the Vietnam War were a turbulent time for Jerry Velasquez. Returning back to the States as a veteran, he found it difficult to reenter the public sphere following his military service. Like many returning Vietnam veterans, he had a hard time socializing and fell into substance abuse.
East LA Planning Commission postpones decision on a controversial Boyle Heights housing project
The East LA Area Planning Commission could not decide Wednesday night whether to approve a proposed development project on César Chavéz Avenue. After four hours, the commission unanimously determined at a public meeting at Ramona Hall Community Center that more information was needed in order to deliberate. The item will be discussed at another meeting on March 13.
At Pink and Boujee they come for the color – and stay for the tacos
Walking along the 1st Street Corridor heading East, a bright pink building stands out from all the rest. Its name and tagline – Pink and Boujee, “Not your average taquería”– are sure to get people to look twice. Once inside, if the smell of tortillas...
Severed leg found in Boyle Heights actually movie prop
A disturbing discovery of what appeared to be a severed human leg in Boyle Heights this weekend turned out to be a movie prop, according to a Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson. The prop, found on the corner of 8th St. and Lorena St. looked realistic and an online video...
Let the lowriders roll: Statewide ban on cruising lifted
Car lovers and cruising clubs on the Eastside may have collectively let out a sigh of relief this New Year as a ban on lowriding ordinances went into effect on Jan. 1. Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 436 into law back in October, repealing the statewide ban on cruising statewide starting in 2024. California State Assemblymembers Luz Rivas and David Alvarez co-authored the bill.
Why are so many Boyle Heights streets in the dark? Authorities decry vandalism
For Leonardo Crespo, owner of the Mexican-American restaurant Tenampal, his shop’s location on 1st Street is almost ideal. In the daytime, Tenampal’s colorful facade attracts passersby on a busy block nestled between the Mariachi Plaza and the giant freeway overpass that cuts through Boyle Heights. Darkness obscures Crespo’s...
The Cream Shop earns status as a bonafide Eastside business
For a decade now, Boyle Heights Beat’s youth journalists have reported on some of the neighborhood’s most outstanding businesses, institutions and individuals. In this recurring series, we’re revisiting our sources and updating some of those stories. Seven years ago, Boyle Heights Beat learned of a local, specialty...
The Celebration of the Three Kings
This student story was originally published in 2015. We’re reposting in commemoration of this week’s Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day. On the night of January 5th, children leave their shoes by their front door, eagerly waiting for the next morning to see what goodies will be left for them. As they awaken, they rush to the door and find presents, candy bags or money inside their shoes.
High school seniors beware: California financial aid is changing
College application season is underway and many Eastside high school seniors have already begun applying to different colleges nationwide. One of the biggest questions they ask themselves is: “How will I be able to afford the tuition and fees for college?”. Financial aid is one of the biggest factors...
Early morning blaze leaves 1 dead, 2 critically injured
A fire tore through the front of a home on 756 S Boyle Ave Thursday morning, killing one person and critically injuring two others, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Firefighters responded to a call at 4:24 a.m. to see the 113-year-old property overtaken by flames. According to the...
Eastside stories and storytellers can still find a stage at Casa 0101
For a decade now, Boyle Heights Beat’s youth journalists have reported on some of the neighborhood’s most outstanding businesses, institutions and individuals. In this recurring series, we’re revisiting our sources and updating some of those stories. Why not in Boyle Heights? That’s the question that drew Josefina...
They lived in an East L.A. home almost 30 years. Now their landlords want to move in
Days before Christmas, María Vela was saying goodbye to the narrow one-bedroom apartment in East L.A. that has been the backdrop of her family’s lives for the last 30 years. Vela looked at her wedding photo hanging in their living room. The couple hosted their wedding reception out...
Community connections keep Arctic Hotspot afloat
For a decade now, Boyle Heights Beat’s youth journalists have reported on some of the neighborhood’s most outstanding businesses, institutions and individuals. In this recurring series, we’re revisiting our sources and updating some of those stories. As Roosevelt High School students begin to trickle into Arctic Hotspot,...
Gas station shooting leaves one man wounded in Boyle Heights
Authorities say a man was wounded in a shooting late Monday night in Boyle Heights. Hollenbeck Division officers responded to an Arco gas station at the corner of Whittier and Lorena (3401 Whittier Blvd.) shortly after 11 pm following a report of gunfire in the area, according to a spokesperson from the LAPD.
The fiberglass guardian of Boyle Heights: A look at Sergio, the Eastside’s last muffler man
Boyle Heights is no stranger to change. Shifting community demographics, new housing developments, or changing street names are things the Eastside constantly grapples with. But a constant in many Los Angeles neighborhoods are the geographic landmarks that dot the landscape. Whether they have withstood the test of time or have been demolished, relocated, or painted over, these cultural references can sometimes be windows into a rich geographic and cultural history.
It’s a season of giving on the Eastside
Hola Boyle Heights, it’s your community reporter Alex Medina here to share some happenings in and around the neighborhood that might get you out and about!. 13 years. That’s how long the Beat has been around and we’re hoping to be here so we can keep bringing you the latest news and nurture the next generation of storytellers right here in Boyle Heights. We’re reaching out to you this season because we need your help! We are trying to raise $10,000 by the end of the year to keep doing the work we do for years to come.
From the Eastside to the East Coast, ‘Real Women Have Curves’ continues to shine
Why not in my community? And why don’t I see myself represented? Those two questions are the driving forces behind Josefina Lopez, a pioneer in theater and someone who has always made a point to uplift her neighborhood while shining a light on the issues most important to it.
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