Successful development could lead to 'ripple effect' in area.

DESPITE setbacks dating back to the construction of the three freeways that form its borders, the neighborhood running along Whittier Boulevard near Calvary Cemetery in East L.A. retains its resolve to make things better.

And the efforts of community activists, with aid from Los Angeles County, have begun to produce some small victories, most notably in the form of affordable housing.

"The area is still struggling," said Yolanda Chavez, a board member for East L.A. Community Corp., a non-profit that has developed 40 single-family homes and 20 apartment units since its founding in 1995. "We're hoping that one new home in the middle of the block can have a ripple effect."

Housing is the overriding need. The population of roughly 125,000 is so densely packed that many families live in garages or double up into single-family homes. Meanwhile, there is little uninhabited land on which to build.

ELACC, which covers unincorporated East L.A. as well as neighboring Boyle Heights, now has 42 single-family homes and 111 rental units under construction or in development.

Roberto Barragan, president of the Valley Economic Development Center, serves as board president of the East L.A. group, which was formed by neighborhood activists Maria Cabildo, Manuel Bernal and Evangeline Ordaz.

"It's an extremely challenging area that is one of the oldest communities in Los Angeles, so there's no reason why we can't exert resources to change what's going on there," said Barragan.

Much of the group's development activity is aimed at removing neighborhood eyesores where gang members tend to congregate--vacant lots or buildings needing to be replaced or rehabilitated.

One recent project, called Carmelita, was once a chorizo factory across from Obregon Park.

Today, it has been replaced by three single-family town homes that were sold for $215,000 each. Buyers received low interest rates and other subsidies, such as matching down payments under government programs.

After residents balked at plans to build a county park on a vacant lot on South Record Avenue--fearing it would draw gang members--it was developed into 11 yellow-and-green townhouses called Los Girasoles, where three-and four-bedroom units rent for up to $718 a month (200 applications were received). Half of the $2.8 million cost came from the L.A. County Community Development Commission.

Among many residents, there exists an antipathy toward government that dates back half a century, when hundreds of homes were tom down to make room for the three freeways--the Pomona (60), the Santa Ana (5) and the Long Beach (710)--that now crisscross the area.

Many of the original residents who settled the area in the early 20th century--Japanese, Jews and Russians working in downtown factories--subsequently fled for more affluent communities. In the 1970s, residents of East Los Angeles tried to incorporate their own city, but failed. Seventy percent of the population now rents.

"The area is far from turned around but we're trying to make an impact," said Alejandro Martinez, senior project manager at ELACC.

Last month, AltaMed Health Services Corp. opened a dental and medical clinic on the site where a previous operator, Community Health Foundation, went bankrupt in 2002. (East L.A. has long been designated by Congress as a "medically underserved area," based on poverty levels and a low ratio of doctors.)

Merchants have also made efforts. In the past three years, 64 businesses on Whittier Boulevard have improved their facades by tapping a county community revitalization program that pays up to $10,000 for signage, painting and asbestos testing and abatement, said Corde Carillo, director of economic development for the Community Development Commission. Eight more projects are on tap.

Planning is under way for a streetscape project that will repair sidewalks and gutters, adding landscaping, trees and benches to the area.

Gustavo Camacho, project coordinator for the Whittier Boulevard Merchants Association, said the group is trying to attract national retailers. So far, Walgreen's has signed a letter of intent with the owner of the old Golden Gate Theatre, at Whittier and Atlantic boulevards. The group is trying to lure Starbucks to open next door.

"We're working hard to put it back on the map," Camacho said.