Boyle Heights News Round Up: Wallgreens opening up on June 4th, Mural Gets Buffed on 1st Street, Memorial Day Celebrations at Cinco Puntos, New Bike Lane on Lorena Street
Opening June 4th: Wallgreens on Cesar Chavez Avenue
A Wallgreens will open on the corner of Cesar Chavez Avenue and Breed Street on June 4th, making it the first big box store to open on the iconic street. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00 A.M., and activities will take place from 10:00 A.M.- 5:00 P.M., said Jennifer Martinez, area director for the City District 14 Boyle Heights field office.
A mural on the corner of 1st Street and Savannah Street was buffed recently after a community member complained to the Los Angeles Police Department about the piece. The photos of the mural, taken by community blogger Erick Huerta, showed Hugo Martinez Tecoatl's most recent developments in the work before it was removed, with painted portraits of Emiliano Zapata, an Olmec head and even a bicyclist riding at the top of the piece.
Even though it is still illegal to paint murals, Boyle Heights has seen more murals go up than taken down in recent months, with a mural going up in September in front of Eastside Luv and another mural in December at Libros Schmibros old location. A proposed ordinance that would make it legal for artists to paint murals has languished in City Hall, and has made murals like the Tecoatl's vulnerable from getting buffed.
A bike lane was painted on Lorena Street two weeks ago, making it the first addition in Boyle Heights since the 1st Street bike lane was painted last year. The bike lane starts at the corner of Lorena and Cesar Chavez and goes south until it ends at 3rd Street. The Lorena Street bike lane runs adjacent to the Evergreen Cemetery, Mercado de Los Angeles, meets the east end of the 1st Street bike lane and ends right before the 4th Street bridge. This is the first bike lane that has been painted in Boyle Heights since the First Street bike lane, which was installed last September.
There are seven L.A. County Reconnecting Communities grants totaling $162 million - about 90% of that goes to Metro's Removing Barriers project, which includes new bus lanes, first/last mile walk/bike facilities, bike-share, and more.
New bus lanes are coming to Broadway, Colorado Blvd., Crenshaw Blvd, Lincoln Blvd., Los Feliz Blvd., Santa Monica Blvd., Valley Blvd., Vermont Avenue, Westwood Blvd., Whittier Blvd. and many more city streets!