Tired of living in filth and the lack of attention from the authorities, the neighbors around Hollenbeck Park in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles took up brooms and started cleaning themselves.

“We understand that Ysabel Jurado is new to the Council and that the district 14 is very large, but they've been in office for several months, and they're not doing anything to keep our neighborhoods clean," said Araceli Cauich, who lives a few blocks from Hollenbeck Park and is tired of falling on deaf ears at Jurado's offices.

"The team the new councilwoman is working with is all young people, who have no training or experience; and the reality is that they're not doing the job. Here, it doesn't matter who comes and goes as councilwoman; what we want is for our cleaning and garbage collection services to work," said Araceli, who has lived in Boyle Heights for seven years.

"About 25 neighbors got together to clean up; even the homeless people who live under the Hollenbeck Park bridge joined in," said Araceli.

"Mayor Karen Bass's people sent us bottles of water, and we're still waiting for the tacos that Mayor Karen Bass was going to send us." Councilwoman Jurado.”

Araceli, along with other neighbors, called on Councilwoman Jurado to put aside her electoral past and help all neighbors equally.

“I have a special child to take care of, and it can’t be that I’m using my own money to buy garbage bags. On August 4th, we held a National Night Out event on Chicago and First Streets, and even the area around the councilwoman’s offices was dirty.”

She said they need answers and support to have clean neighborhoods in District 14.

“All the progress we had made, we’re throwing it away with this new councilwoman. We want solutions and resources allocated for cleanup.”

Raul Claros of the California Rising organization said he joined the cleanup efforts because he wants to prevent Hollenbeck Park from becoming another MacArthur Park.

“MacArthur is SkidRow West, and if we don’t do something, Hollenbeck Park is going to be another MacArthur Park where yesterday they found the body of a man in the lake.”

He said they are asking Governor Gavin Newsom to release the Proposition 36 money earmarked for park and green space cleanups.

“We don’t want President Trump to use the poor condition of our parks as an excuse to send federal troops as he’s already doing in Washington, D.C.”

He noted that District 14 has lagged behind in basic services like street cleaning.

“It’s not just a problem in Boyle Heights but in all the neighborhoods where we have council members who aren’t putting their money where their mouth is.” attention to basic needs. We need them to commit,” said Claros, who lives in District 1, represented by Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez.

La Opinion has requested comment from Councilwoman Jurado’s office.

Widespread Frustration

Frustration with municipal authorities is not limited to Districts 1 and 14 of the City of Los Angeles.

In Canoga Park, a group of retirees in their 60s and 70s, dressed in fluorescent yellow vests, gather to voluntarily collect trash along a mile of Sherman Way.

They are part of Volunteers Cleaning Communities, one of the largest cleanup groups Los Angeles, who walk the streets of the western San Fernando Valley six days a week. Similar groups have also formed in the East Valley, Brentwood, and Santa Monica.

They have a membership of 250 retired volunteers who, after cleaning, gather at a coffee shop to socialize and enjoy the friendship.

"It makes us feel good. It's visibly different, and it's instant gratification," said Jill Mather, president of VCC.