Blogging Social Difference in LA: Week 10

      For my final blog post I will be discussing an LA Times article referring to the conversion of HOV lanes on the 110 to toll lanes. Here is the link: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/nov/11/local/la-me-1111-toll-lanes-20121111

The toll lane was put into affect on November 10th and runs along an 11-mile stretch of the 110 between Adams Boulevard and Torrance. The people that use or plan to use this toll lane will be required to purchase a transponder for their vehicle at a cost of $40 if paid by credit card or a cost of $75 or $50 if paying with cash. Tolls run between $4 and $15.40 depending on how heavy congestion is on the 110. The plan was created to reduce congestion in these lanes and keep the average speed for toll users at round a 45 MPH average. Motorists that do not purchase transponders, but use the lane without paying tolls will face fines.

Implementing this new system feels like an added tax on these motorists that are already being taxed to keep the roadways maintained and built in the first place. I didn't know that these toll lanes were being created until this week while me and my girlfriend were driving to a school visit in Carson and I had to exit the HOV lane because it was now for toll payers only. I don't use the 110 very often but this was quite a surprise for me. And on top of this inconvenience, I saw a police officer driving down the toll lane (free of charge I'm sure) with no passengers. I understand why they are allowed to do this, but it doesn't change the fact that when you see it you are bothered just a little bit... kind of like watching a cop blow through a red light because he doesn't feel like waiting anymore, the same principles apply. I can't even imagine how the locals that depended on the HOV lane must feel. I'm sure this is affecting many people's commute to work or to schools to drop off their children and most of all this affects the locals in this area that can't afford to purchase a transponder or pay the necessary tolls. This is even more disconcerting given that if one pays with credit card they pay less for their transponder but those paying in cash have  to pay up to $30 more. People with crippled credit or certain demographics that are continuously denied credit have to pay a steeper price for something they shouldn't even be paying for in the first place.

This is the exact example used in class when we were discussing ways that neoliberal policies are reflected onto the landscape. This new toll lane is very individualistic because it no longer takes priority of those generating a public good by carpooling and says if you can afford it than you can use it. Those that can afford to have access to resources have the right to use them. This measure to change this section of the HOV lane to a toll lane has very little public support and was probably not vote on in any respect, mass transit just decided to privatize this small section of subsidized infrastructure to double dip in the continuous tax revenue AND now the fees being collected.

It is unclear whether or not these tolls will help go towards improvement projects on the 110 or other roadways, but I doubt it. This landscape of neoliberal eminence has been visible for years now in Orange County with its various toll roads for its locals, but this is the first toll lane created within the boundaries of Los Angeles County and at the rate state and local budgets face crisis, this probably wont be the last time this happens. This public good, this infrastructure that is paid for, will no longer be for all of the public, but ha now been created into a tool for gaining revenue under the guise that this will help everyone to reduce congestion. 

Blogging Social Difference in LA: Week 9

This is a comment I left on Itay Vinik's blog for week 9:

Hello Itay,
I really enjoyed this post because it explores two processes occurring simultaneously in the same space at the same time, involving two very different parties. It seems to be a more common occurrence in los angeles to target development projects in unfavorable areas, such as your friends gated apartment complex. This gentrification is being fueled by the very low property prices and the absence of any opposition given that most that do live in the area have no rights to property and the ones that already own property are all for development because it would provide less space for the unsavory residents that give this neighborhood a bad name. So in that case it's a win-win situation from strictly a financial stand point, but the people with the least to lose, lose it and then what are the homeless left with? Those that already have nothing are consistently marginalized more and more as the gentrification of the city "makes it look so nice." Many people that support this process probably don't even give a second thought to where these people might go or what will happen to them as a result of losing this safe haven that they have built for themselves. They won't stop being homeless somewhere else, they will just be pushed further and further out in areas where they are unwelcome and mistreated by authorities or locals with no group solidarity to fall back on or defend them. This post almost reminds me of the description Engels gives of greater Manchester as he travels around the slums in disgust making his observations and then returns to the safety of the removed space for those that can afford certain amenities and privileges, kind of like your hipster friend from Manhattan. I'm curious to know what your friend thinks of the neighborhood he lives in and the people that share it with him... maybe the only thing making it liveable are the barriers, both physical and socioeconomic.

Blogging Social Difference in LA: Week 8

This is a comment I left on Marina Magana's blog for her week 8 post:

Hello Marina,
I found your post very informative and insightful. I have always been curious myself about the demographics surrounding both UCLA and USC. I mean it isn't a mystery to anyone who lives in Los Angeles that these areas are VERY different, but I never knew by how much, and your projections from simplymap break it down perfectly and really help us see how much segregation (whether voluntary or structural) really exists in Los Angeles. These areas illustrate a very stark difference in demographic make-up and socioeconomic conditions that are observable directly through property values objectively and are much more easy to measure than the subjective values of cars driving down the streets and the quality of the landscaping. You mention that UCLA and USC are just 15 miles apart, but differences this apparent happen just a few blocks let alone just a few miles between respective areas in LA. It is amazing to see how much property values vary from zip code to zip code and one wonders whether the values are so high because of the city name and the reputation behind it or the property values increase over time through improvements and development and seclusion and the name in turn follows... The neoliberal concept of urban secession would suggest the latter and I would have to agree. When USC was founded I'm sure the surrounding area was nothing but land and sparse, dominantly white communities. It's flaw was that it was to close to the city and industrial center... it lacked that exclusive seclusion and separation from industry for the much sought after aesthetic beauty that nature provided. Where was this nature available around the time UCLA was moved to its current location? It was along the edges of the Santa Monica mountains, a prime location for new development and new estates. The automobility and the freeway culture in LA made these suburban enclaves possible and the less desirable and tainted areas were left to less desirable populations according to segregation patterns and practices. You also mention that you looked at the black and white student populations of these respective schools, but you have to realize that such institutions are incubated from the surrounding areas and represent a much broader population from around the country and around the world. These two universities are completely separated from their surrounding neighborhoods and can't be held as measures of that demographic.

Blogging Social Difference in LA: Week 7

IT'S CHINATOWN BABY!! So I decided not to hold off any longer and finally take the bus somewhere while I had the time, and the 7th week slump was just perfect for that. I have always been very fortunate to have a convenient mode of transport in my life and never realized how much I take having a car for granted, even as a student here at UCLA it really isn't a common thing at all. My job requires it so I always excused it with the fact that I needed it, but even before then I had my car on campus for whenever I wanted it and that really is quite unfortunate and a complete waste because there are so many deserving people that actually need it to make a living and put food on the table. People all over Los Angeles that have no choice but to ride the bus wherever they need to go. I had visited Chinatown once before when I was very young, but it was a distant memory and I was curious to see how it compared to NY and SF. So I jumped on the 2/302 Metro Local Line at Gayley and Strathmore... I thought it would be more complicated given how far it was but it takes you straight to Union Station and Chinatown was a very short walk from there.

I wasn't exactly sure what the etiquette was for taking pictures of strangers on the bus so I kept it to a bare minimum because I'm sure it would be frowned upon by the passengers. As soon as I turned onto Broadway I realized why I had not been back to Chinatown since I was a child... there really is nothing to do or see there, well relative to Chinatown in both NY and SF, which feel rich and vibrant with activity. This area of Los Angeles was pretty bleak and misleading. I guess the people that organized this little enclave felt that a street full of cheap shops and swapmeet style vending all under the dilapidated structures built to resemble Chinese architecture would fool the locals into coming.... well it worked because it obviously got me to go and since it has existed for decades, its been tricking people into thinking this was really a Chinatown comparable to those of other metropolitan areas. Needless to say, I was disappointed. The street signs had Chinese characters and the crosswalks and the sides of buildings were decorated dragons and Oriental scenes to try and give the area a sense of authenticity... but it should try first with good food. I'm not sure if I am being too hard on the area, but it was difficult to win me over when over half its shops were closed, but maybe it was too early.

The street wasn't very full of people but the people I did meet were either Chinese shop owners or high school kids of Hispanic descent messing around going in and out of shops with their backpacks on, possibly ditching class or on lunch, I honestly didn't know. All of the shop owners seem bored and discontent with the business, but I'm assuming it was a slow day and this accounted for this attitude. I walked around for quite sometime looking for someone who was willing to sell me fireworks, but naturally they were weary and kept turning me in different directions until at long last I found what I was looking for, but decided not to purchase any in the end. I just wanted to see if it could be found and my assumptions were right although it proved to be more difficult than expected. This was the task I gave myself. None of the food seemed very appetizing and the ratings for each establishment kept turning me off to the idea of eating anything. Aside from my disappointments, this little excursion gave me an interesting look at a popular site in LA that attracts a lot of people and is pretty central in the downtown area. For me it was an attraction, but for many of the kids running around the street and the local owners this was their home and what they are most familiar with. I'm not exactly sure how I would feel if someone saw my culture as a novelty or even transformed it into a physical landscape to give the unknowing American a glimpse of what China might be like. That is probably the look of disgust on the owner's faces that I had mistaken for boredom. The locals know this is nothing like China and it is foolish to even try to represent an ancient culture with a rich history and an iconic landscape and concentrate it over a few blocks. Just by slapping the label "Chinatown" on it and marketing it like a product would be pretty offensive... but then again I can't say for sure. Maybe these local shopkeepers are content with that idea and find solace in selling their culture piece by piece.. It is a great example of adopting capitalist ideals.

Blogging Social Difference in LA: Week 6

      Luckily, for this assignment I have a job through UCLA that allows me to travel all around Los Angeles County as a member of the Bruin Ambassador Program, attending college fairs, conducting high school visits and workshops recruiting for undergraduate admissions. This week I was given the opportunity to visit Bell Gardens High School and decided after my school visit to do a bit of exploring around the surrounding areas. I knew i was right by the City of Commerce, a place I had never been to before, but found very intriguing due to the concentration of industry in this area and though it would be a fun change of scenery from the urban bustle and the dreary suburbs. What I found was definitely not bustling but certainly still dreary... it could have been the time of day and the fact that Commerce has very few residents or maybe that is just the way things are. I couldn't tell because it was my first time there and I haven't been back and probably wont.... there isn't much to do or see. Sadly I decided to explore on foot so I didn't have the fortune to reach the casinos or the outlets. I was pressed for time so I only saw an industrial area that seemed pretty quiet.

 

Aside from the occasional car speeding by on Eastern Avenue, there weren't many people to be seen just a seemingly endless sea of warehouses, office parks and railroad tracks. It doesn't even make sense why the city invested in sidewalks when it appears that not a single soul uses them, but the tax revenue has to go somewhere right? As I moved along I encountered some more warehouses or possibly abandoned mills or works of some kind that were pretty run down and I doubt were still being used. They were the only structures in the area with graffiti that had not been cleaned off possible because there is no owner or controlling interest to put in the cost and the effort.

 These are some signs of a past endeavor that went south, but considering the state of the economy and the cities long history of heavy industry shut down such as the Chrysler plant that shut down in Commerce in 1971, the city seems to be fairing well relative to the rest of the city. It has maintained its standing as an industrial stronghold in the middle of low income communities that have lost all if not most of their industry. The City of Commerce is surrounded by Bell Gardens, Maywood, and East Los Angeles and is a short drive from Compton and Watts. This whole area is a part of the 710 corridor which has been known for its high levels of atmospheric particulates and exposure to toxins due to the high traffic of tractor trailers driving from the port of Los Angeles to distribution centers along the 710 and ending in the City of Commerce. This area experiences increased pollution and its residents show increased rates of cancer and type two diabetes. These are areas of high segregation and concentrations of black and Hispanic populations with no way of organizing any effective opposition to such conditions. I wish I had a chance to speak with the students at Bell Gardens High School more about the neighborhood, but I did not decide to explore the area until after my school visit. I'm sure they would have given me some good insight on what it is like o live near such an industrialized area along such a congested freeway. I would bet that I would have found several that suffered from asthma as children. There were also several tracks that ran through the area, naturally for transport, that definitely created quite a commotion as trains went by.

There are no zoning laws protecting the nearby residents in the surrounding communities I previously mentioned from the noise pollution this rail traffic must produce. In stark contrast we have John Wayne Airport in Orange County that must stop flights from departing or landing after 11 PM to keep from disturbing the residents. God forbid anyone with money or an ounce of political clout loses a minute of sleep.

The City of Commerce definitely offers a unique perspective to the types of landscapes that make up the greater Los Angeles area and offers a glimpse to what a larger portion of this county looked like before industry in Southern California shrunk significantly throughout the 1970s and 80s. The separation from production that was achieved by affluent white populations is evident in the surrounding demographic and is perpetuated by the creation of cities designated for the sole purpose of production. These areas become entrenched in certain practices and ensure that industry will not rear its ugly head anywhere near the suburbs to the east or on the West side.

Blogging Social Difference in LA: Week 5

This blog post is in response to Patrick Soulages post for week 4:

Hi Patrick,
This post made me think of the area in Los Angeles where my parent's business was. It wasn't exactly like East Cesar Chavez Street, but the Vermont corridor has many similarities in respect to demographic and crime. The people that lived around our business, my parent's friends didn't see it as a gangland riddled with danger and violence, but as a community and their home. I'm sure the people that reside in the area your describing feel something similar and have learned to live with the occasional crime and graffiti. You said that the people in this area make very good use of their space and don't waste an inch, keeping both business, family and home in close proximity. This probably has to do with the fact that this is no longer a bedroom community and has evolved into a place where people work and live together out of the convenience of the community that now exists. The market for their tastes, skills, products and labor are available locally so there is no reason to travel (in Los Angeles of all places) to make a living. I'm sure many do not work locally, but the businesses sound like they represent the surrounding demographic and they have created an area that attracts outsiders for a the local cuisine and products. You really helped me think back to my experiences and notions from my old neighborhood and it reminds me of what you said, how this is the center of the city for these people and Vermont was the center of the city for my family. Automobility does play a role in a city that is so spread out with so many opportunities for markets and labor, but people aren't completely disconnected, they create a base for themselves where they can be comfortable and know what to expect. The sense of insecurity and hesitation that UCLA students feel when they travel less fortunate sides of Los Angeles are created by inexperience and unfamiliarity with the area and residents, but the people that live there are not perpetually in fear, they know the people and what is to be expected and ways to stay safe. Maybe it has something to do with the legal status of some residents? They don't feel singled out and targeted if they stay in this area and their limits on mobility through licensing restrictions reinforce this situation and perpetuate the creation of very localized communities.

Blogging Social Difference in LA: Week 4

      In this weeks blog I have chosen to analyze the area in Los Angeles that I am most familiar with, my home.

I have lived in the town of Hacienda Heights my entire life and never really thought critically about its make up and location until a few years ago. It is a small, middle class suburb that lies about 21 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles, nestled up against the Puente Hills in the San Gabriel Valley. It is a part of unincorporated Los Angeles County and has actively fought against becoming a city to avoid the creation of local taxes for services. In my opinion, the location feels pretty central to most of what is available around the greater metropolitan area. The 60 freeway runs through the city and is easily accessed for any travel in the area. You can get to the beaches of Orange County and West LA within an hour, reach downtown in 15 minutes (no traffic), and get to the mountains in an hour and 20 minutes. Hacienda Heights has just about everything any suburb needs, access to good public schools and a myriad of markets, restaurants, big box retailers, shopping malls, places of worship, libraries and nature trails and parks.

Hacienda Heights is not very well recognized and for that reason has been the site of such movies as Mr. and Mrs Smith and Back to the Future, it just looks like any suburb you'll find in the states. Its roots lie in a history of citrus agriculture that died out in the area during the 1940s and transitioned rather quickly into a bedroom community.

      When my family first moved to this town over 26 years ago, our neighborhood was dominantly white and we were the first Hispanic household on the street. My parents have said that it took a while for the neighbors to come around and that some never even spoke to them or acknowledged them. The housing market in the area has been pretty stable and through the 1990s many neighbors moved away to other communities and were replaced by more Hispanic or Asian households. The only neighbors that stayed were the ones that were already retired with a paid mortgage and had settled. I don't know if this slow trickling out of the white population in Hacienda Heights had any racial/ethnic motivations, but the transformation of the towns demographic has definitely made an impact on the businesses that now exist. Many areas have signage that are either in Chinese, Korean and English, but some shopping centers have signs in just Korean and Chinese.

 As a local that speaks neither of these languages you just need to know what is being sold through experience or friends telling you. This expansion of Asian businesses tells a story of the transition this community has undergone in the last 20 years. It began with the founding of the Hsi Lai Temple, it is the largest Buddhist temple in the Western Hemisphere and it is right in the middle of a residential area in Hacienda Heights overlooking the San Gabriel Valley. 

This cultural center has attracted new members of the community and entirely new commerce and demand. A large affluent Asian community has developed in the town given that most of the housing near the temple is further up into the hills and at a higher property value. This change in demographic can be seen in the local schools, including my local high school. I was on the yearbook staff and was in charge of organizing the archives for a school that has been established for over 50 years and a clear change can be seen in the yearbooks that chronicle the transformation in the local demographic over the years.
      The two defining streets in Hacienda Heights are Gale Avenue and Hacienda Boulevard. Gale Avenue runs along its northern border dividing it from City of Industry and La Puente. Both of these adjacent cities are literally on the other side of the tracks and it really is an abrupt change. The demographic changes to be dominantly Hispanic and generally lower income and higher crime. 

Along Gale are a series of shopping centers, fast food and sprinkled with strip clubs... Zoning laws in Hacienda Heights do not permit such establishments, but the demand clearly exists so there exist a number of them right on the border. Hacienda Blvd is lined with both residential neighborhoods and shopping centers that contain many local and large markets as well as centers for worship. These two streets experience the heaviest traffic and are what most people see as they drive through town trying to get to Azusa or La Habra Heights and probably miss the myriad of parks and nature trails that exist. It definitely isn't a unique community, but I can't imagine having the same experiences here anywhere else... this has been and will always be my hometown.