Tom LaBonge Newsletter: Buddy Holly, 9/11 and More

Tenth Anniversary of 9/11 this weekend

There are a number of 9/11 Remembrance Ceremonies planned for Sunday, as the nation marks the tenth anniversary of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.  We pause to remember the nearly 3000 people killed in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania on that day, the more than 300 New York Police officers and firefighters who lost their lives and the many, many more, who have been left without their loved one.  We also honor the first responders and the 9/11 generation who heeded the call to service following that fateful day a decade ago.  See the left column for a list of events on Sunday September 11th.

Remembering 9/11 at Los Angeles City Hall

At a ceremony on Friday, September 9th, a huge American Flag draped down the south faced of Los Angeles City Hall, serving as dramatic backdrop for a 9/11 remembrance ceremony, featuring the Mayor, Members of the City Council, the City Attorney, City Controller, Police Chief, Fire Chief and others gathered to honor the victims, the sacrifice and the memory of the 9/11 Terror Attacks.  Featured speaker was Brad Burlingame, the brother of Charles Burlingame, who was the pilot of Flight 77, which was taken-over by terrorists and crashed into the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001.  Also in attendance, several members of a special LA City Fire team, who responded to Ground Zero in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Click here to see more photos of the event


Planting trees in memory of 9/11 victims on the Miracle Mile

United We Plant, which has promised and planted a tree for everyone loved and lost on September 11th, 2011 is nearing the realization of its promise-to-plant pledge as we approach the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  The Miracle Mile Civic Coalition hosted a gathering and remembrance ceremony outside the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar-Pits on Friday September 9th to plant two more trees in honor of a New York firefighter and a NY Port Authority officer, both killed on 9/11.  It was a beautiful program attended by LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and State Controller John Chiang, Sharyn Romano of the Hollywood Beautification Team and United We Plant and representatives from Councilman LaBonge's office.  The crowd was especially moved by a speech from Brad Burlingame, whose brother, Charles, Captained Flight 77, which crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11.
Click here to see more photos of this event

Earthquake Preparedness Tip of the Week

--Designate an out-of-state phone contact--
*Identify an out-of-town contact.  It may be easier to make a long-distance phone call than to call across town, so somebody living out-of-state may be in a better position to communicate among separated family members.
*Be sure every member of your family knows the phone number and has a cell-phone, coins, or a pre-paid phone card to call the emergency contact.  Progam that person's number into your cellphone, so you'll always have it handy.  Make sure to tell your family and friends that you've listed them as emergency contacts.
*Text messages also work well to get around network disruptions when a phone call may not get through.
*Subscribe to alert services.  Many communities now have systems that will send instant text alerts or emial to let you know about hazaradous weather, road closings, local emergencies, etc.  Of course, there's little if any notice of an earthquake.


City of Los Angeles Celebrates its 230th Birthday

Councilman LaBonge and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa lead a procession from Union Station to the Plaza at the El Pueblo Historical Monument at Olvera Street on Sunday, September 4th, the City of Los Angeles' 230th Birthday.  The walk symbolizes the trip made by 44 settlers or "Pobladores", who walked the nine miles from the Mission San Gabriel to the banks of what we now know as the Los Angeles River.  They declared the new agricultural outpost "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles sobre El Rio Porciuncula".
Click here to see more photos of the festivities

Grand Marian Procession in Los Angeles

The Queen of Angels Foundation organized the inaugural Grand Marian Procession through the streets of Los Angeles on September 3rd, as part of the City's 230th birthday festivities.  The procession from the Church of Nuestra Reina de Los Angeles on Olvera Street to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels re-creates a historic religious event that happened every year in Los Angeles until about 1880.  The organizers hope this procession will become a yearly tradition around the City's birthday.
Click here to see more photos of the Procession

Click here to see the video of the event


Lighting up a new Pedestrian Crosswalk near the Silver Lake Meadow

Councilman LaBonge joined Council President Eric Garcetti on September 3rd at a community ceremony to activate a new crossing-signal for a pedestrian crosswalk on Silver Lake Boulevard, allowing safe access to the Silver Lake Meadow from across the busy thoroughfare.  It's part of the effort to maintain a safe walking route completely around the Silver Lake Reservoir, which -- though it will be taken off line as a source of city water --  will be maintained as an open body of water for the community to enjoy.
Click to see more photos of the event


Buddy Holly-Day in Los Angeles!

That'll be the Day!  Buddy Holly-Day, that is, in the City of Los Angeles.  On September 7th, Councilman Tom LaBonge declared it Buddy Holly-Day in honor of what would have been the rock-n-roll legend's 75th birthday.  The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce honored Buddy Holly with the 2447th Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and placed it right outside the iconic Capitol Records Building on Vine Street -- right next to the Beatles' star.  Buddy Holly's widow Maria Elena Holly was on-hand to accept the posthumous honor, along with actor Gary Busey, who earned an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in the 1978 film about the late rock-n-roll trailblazer.  Also there for the ceremony, John Marshall High School Graduate Maria Richwine, who played Mrs. Holly in the film.