EASTSIDE : Avenida Chavez to Get Trees, Murals

The Los Angeles Conservation Corps and several community organizations are planning a yearlong project along Avenida Cesar Chavez to plant trees, paint murals and clean up the street.

The project will begin April 30 when 40 trees are planted between Eastern Avenue and Soto Street, moving west as the year progresses, said Arturo Rodriguez of the corps.

Artists also will begin work on seven murals that will be placed on temporary panels. They will be exhibited for six months, then removed so new murals can take their place.

“We need outreach into the community and we want it to be grass-roots,” said Eddie Gomez, who is coordinating the mural effort. “This is a call to the community for more artists to get involved.”

Gomez also needs donations of paint, brushes, dropcloths and money for supplies.

The first exhibit will center around Chavez, who died last April 23. Chavez founded the United Farmworkers of America, which worked to improve the conditions of migrant farm workers. He was noted for his humble demeanor and lifestyle that reflected the poverty of the people whom he represented. Rodriguez said the project will focus on Chavez’s accomplishments through the union.

“We’re hoping that each tree planting will have a theme so that the children learn about him and his life, because some of them think he’s the boxer, (Julio Cesar Chavez),” Rodriguez said. “We have a group that will do the research on the union--when they got their first contract, when they won their first court case--so we’re not only planting trees but educating the children.”

Information: (213) 526-1460.