Tag Archives: Florence-Firestone

Florence-Firestone Resources for URP 4040

Florence-Firestone monument sign on Florence Avenue. Photo by Jonathan Pacheco Bell

I’m excited to work with Cal Poly Pomona students in Professor Shannon Heffernan’s course URP 4040: Placemaking: Theories, Methods, and Practices. For the Fall 2023 semester, the course will be studying the community of Florence-Firestone in South Central LA (sometimes called “Florence-Graham” using the federal Census designation). The course “client” and contact is the Florence-Firestone Community Organization (501c3), where I proudly serve as Vice President. Florence-Firestone is where I created Embedded Planning praxis as a street-level LA county planner.

Local news coverage of Florence-Firestone lamentably focuses on social ills. The community endures challenges and struggle — as many others do — but there is more to it than clickbait headlines. Our decades-long community-driven work proves it. Florence-Firestone is a vibrant and historic community. CPP students will see it this semester.

Below is a variety of key sources on Florence-Firestone. I’m proud to have worked on most of these projects. These help reframe the narrative about our community. They tell a fuller story of partnerships, solidarity, and hope.

Note: This is a living document for URP 4040. I’ll update it as needed throughout the semester. The revision history is at the bottom of this page.

Community Planning Efforts

Embedded Planning was born on the streets of Florence-Firestone: https://c1typlann3r.blog/embeddedplanning/

Florence-Firestone Community Plan (2019): https://planning.lacounty.gov/long-range-planning/florence-firestone-community-plan/

Florence-Firestone Vision Plan (2009): https://c1typlann3r.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/florence-firestone-vision-plan-2009-final.pdf

Florence-Firestone Step by Step Pedestrian Plan Draft (2023): http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/place/stepbystep/florencefirestone.htm

Florence-Firestone Historic Context Statement (from Metro Area Plan 2023 Draft): https://planning.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/ff_hcs_survey_dpr_forms_bind.pdf

Metro Area Plan Historic Resource Map (see Florence-Firestone on map): https://dudek.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b5957133802f4ed0bb2611939aee69eb

Florence-Firestone Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan (2022): https://case.planning.lacounty.gov/assets/upl/project/fftod_board-letter-20230207.pdf

Florence-Firestone TOD Story Map: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/e9823a0f2a9440399f04f1bbb44d97d2

Vision Zero Florence-Firestone project awarded $21.49 million Federal implementation grant: https://lacounty.gov/2023/02/08/la-county-vision-zero-project-in-florence-firestone-awarded-21-49-million-federal-implementation-grant/

Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) Report: Recommendations to Improve Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety in Florence-Firestone: https://safetrec.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/17-0929_cpbst-florence-firestone-recommendations-report.pdf

The CPBST at Work in Florence-Firestone: https://catsip.berkeley.edu/safety-stories/stories-field/cpbst-work-florence-firestone

Florence-Firestone Community Parks and Recreation Plan: https://file.lacounty.gov/SDSInter/dpr/182627_Florence-FirestoneMasterPlan.pdf

Local History, Placemaking, and Placekeeping

Paseo Through Time in Florence-Firestone (book): https://www.dropbox.com/s/i7kgx455x0ttx57/FF-2-2018.pdf?dl=0

Everyday Heroes of Florence-Firestone (KCET article): https://www.kcet.org/history-society/everyday-heroes-of-florence-firestone

@FlorenceFirestone on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/florencefirestone/

Racial Equity in Planning for Unincorporated Los Angeles County. Building Justice. A brief study of the histories, legacies, and impacts at the intersection of systemic racism and planning in Florence-Firestone: https://c1typlann3r.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/d55ca-f-fequity_final-compressed.pdf

After Years Of Waiting, A South LA Neighborhood Has A New Library: https://laist.com/news/politics/florence-library-years-of-waiting-opens-south-los-angeles

Florence-Firestone Stands Up For Its Library, Lays Down the Foundation for a Movement: https://la.streetsblog.org/2019/09/27/florence-firestone-stands-up-for-its-library-lays-down-the-foundation-for-a-movement

Florence-Firestone Will Not Be Forgotten: https://ascjcapstone.com/terms/spring-2020/ethanwar/

A South Central Neighborhood Suffers from the Loss of its Community Library: https://medium.com/intersections-south-la/a-south-central-neighborhood-suffers-from-the-loss-of-its-community-library-df783979ac60

Black Panther History, Immigrant Stories Highlighted in Book about South Central’s Florence-Firestone Community: https://medium.com/intersections-south-la/black-panther-history-immigrant-stories-highlighted-in-book-about-south-centrals-d9c75a2d6380

For the First Time Ever, Three Young Latinx Women are Leading this South Central Coalition: https://medium.com/intersections-south-la/for-the-first-time-ever-three-young-latinx-women-are-leading-this-south-central-neighborhood-1330ecda360c

How a Tire Shop in South L.A. Became a Community Hub for Locals: https://medium.com/intersections-south-la/how-a-tire-shop-in-south-l-a-became-a-community-hub-for-locals-8bf37c21e25a

Libraries in the ‘Hood: A Social History of the Florence and Graham Branch Libraries in the Community of Florence-Firestone, 1912-2012 (thesis proposal): https://c1typlann3r.blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/jpbell-thesis-proposal-libr285.pdf

Stories of Everyday Heroes (LA County Library): https://lacountylibrary.org/ffeverydayheroes/

Pat Brown Institute at Cal State LA survey reveals severe economic impacts of COVID-19 in Southeast Los Angeles County area: https://www.calstatela.edu/univ/ppa/publicat/pat-brown-institute-cal-state-la-survey-reveals-severe-economic-impacts-covid-19

Community-Based Organizations

Florence-Firestone Community Organization: https://ffcola.org/

Florence-Firestone Community Leaders: https://www.facebook.com/FFCLPage

Inner City Visions: https://innercityvisions.org/

Juntos FF Together: https://www.instagram.com/juntosfftogether/

Florence-Firestone Merchants Association: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100051324773983

Florence-Firestone/Walnut Park Chamber of Commerce: https://www.facebook.com/FFWPChamber/

Multimedia

Podcast interviews I’ve done that reference Florence-Firestone: https://c1typlann3r.blog/interviews/

Florence-Firestone Community Organization:

Florence-Firestone Community Organization and SELA Collaborative interview, including Embedded Planning origins in Florence-Firestone (starts at 5:25 min mark):

How a Tire Shop in South L.A. Became a Community Hub for Locals:

This webpage was originally published on August 25, 2023.

Revised to add Pat Brown Institute article on September 30, 2023.

Vision Zero Community Bike Ride in Florence-Firestone

In support of Vision Zero, join us for a community bike ride in Florence-Firestone this Sunday, August 6th from 10a-1p. No registration required! Just come thru 🚲

Meeting place:
Florence-Firestone Community Organization (501c3)
6940 Compton Avenue, Los Angeles 90001

Route includes:
E. 70th Street, Makee Avenue, Slauson Avenue, Miramonte Boulevard, Florence Avenue, Compton Avenue

📍 Florence-Firestone Community Organization in partnership with Estolano Advisors, BikeLA, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, & California Office of Traffic Safety

Florence-Firestone Community Organization spotlight by SELA Collaborative

Check out this spotlight video on our nonprofit Florence-Firestone Community Organization (501c3).

We’re honored to be featured by Southeast Los Angeles Collaborative in the #OurSELARegion campaign.

FFCO is a bottom up Embedded Planning organization, a natural progression of the work we started in this community nearly 20 years ago!

Embedded Planning Video Shoot in Florence-Firestone

Cal Poly Pomona Communications is recording a short video about my creation of Embedded Planning praxis. Students and community members are invited to join! It’s in South Central LA’s Florence-Firestone community, where this street-level praxis was born.

Come through Sunday, July 30, 2023, 9am to 12pm at the Florence-Firestone Community Organization, 6940 Compton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90001.

Vision Zero Community Walk in Florence-Firestone

In support of Vision Zero, join us for a community walk in Florence-Firestone Sunday, July 23rd from 10am to 1pm. FFCO’s Ramsey Nicholson and I will highlight landmarks, social history, and community issues on the route. No registration required! Just come through.

Meeting place:
Florence-Firestone Community Organization (501c3)
6940 Compton Avenue, Los Angeles 90001

Route includes:
Compton Avenue, Florence Avenue, Maie Avenue, Graham Avenue, Miramonte Boulevard, E. 66th Street

Florence-Firestone Community Organization in partnership with Estolano Advisors, BikeLA, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, & California Office of Traffic Safety

A Strategic Plan for Praxis Fundraiser

Join our 6/3 pancake + BBQ fundraiser for Jocelyn Borrayo Baltazar, UCLA MURP ‘23! As her master’s capstone client project, Jocelyn prepared “A Strategic Plan for Praxis” for our nonprofit Florence-Firestone Community Organization. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙤 𝙅𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙮𝙣’𝙨 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙!

Everyone is invited! Thank you❣️

In community,
Jonathan Pacheco Bell, MAUP+MLIS
Vice President
Florence-Firestone Community Organization (501c3)
6940 Compton Avenue, Los Angeles 90001

Creating Equitable Public Spaces Through Embedded Planning

Last month I returned to UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs to deliver my annual talk, “Creating Equitable Public Spaces Through Embedded Planning.”

This new version of the talk traces my trajectory in planning that has always included having feet on the street. With my background as a high school 90s graffiti writer as the jumping off point, the story follows my path after UCLA Urban Planning: creating #EmbeddedPlanning praxis in Florence-Firestone as an LA County Planner, advancing park equity at the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, returning to South Central LA to help launch the Florence-Firestone Community Organization (501c3), continuing my 20+ years of critiquing #HostileArchitecture, and now educating emerging critical planners at Cal Poly Pomona Department of Urban and Regional Planning.

My talk concludes with this message: Critical practice is possible. Move with intention to do it as a planner. How?

1/ Develop your own praxis
2/ Embed yourself in communities
3/ Reclaim public space

MLIS 2012 Thesis Proposal on Libraries in Florence-Firestone

Graham Library in Florence-Firestone on February 18, 2012. Photo by Jonathan Pacheco Bell

I recently stumbled upon the fact that my SJSU bepress page was deleted along with the link to my 2012 MLIS thesis proposal, “Libraries in the ‘Hood: A Social History of the Florence and Graham Branch Libraries in the Community of Florence-Firestone, 1912-2012.”

That’s a damn shame.

This work served as the basis for my 2015 chapter “Library History as Community History: Florence and Graham” in the book, A Paseo Through Time in Florence-Firestone, and it remains a local history resource for those who have it.

But it should be an accessible resource for any community member who goes looking for it. They shouldn’t hit a 404 error.

This was the impetus I needed.

I’ve added my Florence-Firestone MLIS thesis proposal to my Writings section on here.

Interviewed in the New York Times about LA Informal Housing

I’m interviewed in the New York Times about the human dimensions of informal housing enforcement in South Central Los Angeles. I’m grateful to the family in @FlorenceFirestone who trusted me to share their story.

Conor Dougherty’s December 18, 2021 article is here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/18/business/economy/california-housing.html

We Said Goodbye to Mary Rose Cortese of Florence-Firestone

2015 launch of the “Everyday Heroes” LA County Library project, Florence-Firestone Constituent Service Center, 7807 Compton Avenue, LA 90001. Featured: Mary Rose Cortese, Joseph Titus, and Jonathan Pacheco Bell [Photo by author]

Thank you to AARP Livable Communities Workshop organizers and my fellow panelists for this week’s conversation on engaging older adults.

On September 13th, we lost Ms. Mary Rose Cortese, one of our community elders in South Central LA’s Florence-Firestone community. Mary has joined her brother Joe Titus in the next chapter. I know they’re up there still advocating for Florence-Firestone.

Mary and Joe welcomed me into the community on Day 1 in 2009. They were honorary abuelitos to me and many others. Hug your elders. Ask them to tell you stories. Document their lives. Cherish them every day.

At the end of this #AARP session, I dedicated my presentation to Mary Rose Cortese 🙏🏽💛