The four “gem streets” in eastern...

The four “gem streets” in eastern Fullerton--Pearl Drive and Garnet, Topaz and Quartz lanes--have lost a bit of their sparkle over the decades and as recently as last year were marred by unkempt yards and uncollected trash. Residents have spearheaded a cleanup campaign, however, and have gradually made changes. On Garnet Lane, for example, residents persuaded city officials to open a community center and police substation. They also organized a tree-planting drive and worked with nonprofit organizations that have bought several apartment buildings that have been fixed up and offer tenants pleasant housing at reasonable rents. Community activists are now focusing on nearby Pearl Drive. Josefina Rojas, 29, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, has been instrumental in the change. She spoke recently with Times correspondent Mimi Ko Cruz.

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* Josefina Rojas, Fullerton neighborhood activist

The four “gem streets” in eastern Fullerton--Pearl Drive and Garnet, Topaz and Quartz lanes--have lost a bit of their sparkle over the decades and as recently as last year were marred by unkempt yards and uncollected trash. Residents have spearheaded a cleanup campaign, however, and have gradually made changes. On Garnet Lane, for example, residents persuaded city officials to open a community center and police substation. They also organized a tree-planting drive and worked with nonprofit organizations that have bought several apartment buildings that have been fixed up and offer tenants pleasant housing at reasonable rents. Community activists are now focusing on nearby Pearl Drive. Josefina Rojas, 29, a longtime resident of the neighborhood, has been instrumental in the change. She spoke recently with Times correspondent Mimi Ko Cruz.

Q: What is it like to live in your neighborhood?

A: On Quartz and Topaz and parts of Garnet, it’s pretty tranquil. But on Pearl and other parts of Garnet, it’s scary. I do not allow my children to be out at night past 7 because of all the drunks that come out to party and fight. I used to live in the roughest part of Garnet, and now I live on Pearl. Gunshots are common, and I’m afraid to go out at night. The drunks . . . smash beer bottles on cars and roofs and attack each other with them. You can see people doing drugs. There’s all kinds of trash lining the streets, with flies circling all over.

Q: What are you doing to combat the blight and other problems in the neighborhood?

A: I just urge my neighbors to attend community meetings and participate in cleanup efforts. But it’s hard to get people involved. I get very discouraged at times, even though things have improved in the past year. . . . We still need help.

Q: How can the problems be solved?

A: We need to have a meeting with the landlords to pressure them to make improvements and have them pressure the tenants to keep the apartments clean, at least on the outside. I would like to see a law that would force people to keep their yards and balconies nice looking, without laundry hanging on clotheslines in public view. More of us also need to call the police when we see crime and drunks in public. I have hope that one day I will be able to walk around my neighborhood without fear of being shot or being harassed. But one person alone cannot make changes. The whole neighborhood must come together. I’m working on that.