Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography — Map of Los Angeles Neighborhoods and Los Angeles County Communities

16/09/201512/03/2017 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

I worked on the actual map for about six weeks but I’ve been mapping Los Angeles since about 2007. Most of the maps are done with ink, oil paint, or water colors but computer maps do have their advantages. For example, it’s a lot easier to change this map than it is a painted one, … Continue reading Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography — Map of Los Angeles Neighborhoods and Los Angeles County Communities

No Enclave — Puerto Rican Los Angeles

12/10/202120/10/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ Leave a comment

Many — perhaps most — Angelenos know that Los Angeles is home to the largest populations of Mexicans, Salvadorans, and Guatemalans outside of their of their respective homelands. I know that I wasn’t surprised to learn that the next largest Latino community in Los Angeles is of Honduran Americans. I was surprised, though, to learn … Continue reading No Enclave — Puerto Rican Los Angeles

No Enclave — Chumash Los Angeles

11/10/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ Leave a comment

INTRODUCTION Before the Spanish invasion of the region, what’s now California enjoyed the highest human population density north of what is today Mexico. Today, Los Angeles is home to more people of Native ancestry than any other metropolitan area in the US, a population which includes peoples indigenous to Southern California as well as people … Continue reading No Enclave — Chumash Los Angeles

No Enclave — Australian Los Angeles

30/07/202123/08/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 3 Comments

Today was Australia Day from 1915 til 1935 (when it was moved to 26 January) and Los Angeles is home to far more Australians than any other American city. According to the Australian Consulate-General, there are about 44,000 Australians living in Metro Los Angeles — more than twice as many as live in second-place New … Continue reading No Enclave — Australian Los Angeles

Pan-Asian Metropolis — Vietnamese Cabarets of North Orange County

30/04/202127/04/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

INTRODUCTION I’ve been aware of the Vietnamese American music scene based in North Orange County since at least the early 2000s. I had no idea just how big it was, though, until I stumbled across singer Thiên Phú‘s blog, VietCeleb, which has profiles of about 400 Vietnamese artists, with a large percentage of them associated … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Vietnamese Cabarets of North Orange County

No Enclave — Arab Los Angeles

26/04/202127/04/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

INTRODUCTION For years, there here have been efforts to designate April a month observing Arab American heritage although they have so far not born fruit. In 2017, Democratic congresswoman Debbie Dingell introduced to the House of Representatives a resolution to proclaim National Arab American Heritage Month. A similar bill was introduced in 2020 but so … Continue reading No Enclave — Arab Los Angeles

No Enclave — Irish Los Angeles

17/03/202108/07/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 3 Comments

INTRODUCTION I have Ireland on the brain today. Oh right, it’s Saint Patrick’s Day. I wondered whether or not I, like so many observant Christians, should temporarily set aside my abstinence from alcohol but then I’m not even Christian so I wouldn’t feel so much like I was pulling one over on the Creator as … Continue reading No Enclave — Irish Los Angeles

No Enclave — Exploring Belizean Los Angeles

28/02/202127/03/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ 1 Comment

INTRODUCTION Earlier this week, a reader suggested that I devote a No Enclave to Belizean Los Angeles. I had come across some Belizean businesses here and there when traversing the Westside of South Los Angeles but had no idea just how big the Belizean community of Los Angeles is. In fact, not only is Metro … Continue reading No Enclave — Exploring Belizean Los Angeles

Los Angeles’s Neighborhood Councils

25/02/202105/04/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ Leave a comment

In 1999, the City of Los Angeles established DONE (which stands for the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment — municipal types love an acronym). DONE, in turn, established the neighborhood council system “to promote more citizen participation in government and thus, ideally, make government more responsive to local needs.” This year I’m running in the Silver … Continue reading Los Angeles’s Neighborhood Councils

California Fool’s Gold — The Los Angeles Community Directory

29/01/202120/10/2021 ~ Eric Brightwell ~ Leave a comment

As most of my readers know, I’ve been trying for years to wrap my head around Los Angeles by exploring and mapping the metropolis. My first maps were hand drawn on paper, starting with a map of Elysian Park‘s trails that I drew around 2001. I also have made quite a few Google Maps. The … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — The Los Angeles Community Directory