Ed Reyes
Encyclopedia
Eduardo Perez Reyes is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. He is a member of the Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...

, representing the 1st district. Reyes was re-elected in 2005 to serve a second Council term, capturing 78 percent of the votes. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

. He has a background in urban planning.

In response to safety concerns, Reyes, vice-chair of the Public Safety Committee, has secured funds for added Los Angeles Police Department units and technology, graffiti and neighborhood clean-ups, gang prevention programs and safe route school maps. In September 2008, Reyes opened the new Rampart Division
LAPD Rampart Division
The Rampart Division of the Los Angeles Police Department serves communities to the west and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles including Echo Park, Pico-Union and Westlake, all together designated as the Rampart patrol area. Its name is derived from Rampart Boulevard, one of the principal...

 police station, one of the nation's busiest police stations, and the City's "greenest" police station because of its LEED Gold-rated designation.

In October 2002, and shortly after William Bratton became the City's top cop, Reyes brought the Los Angeles Police Department Police Chief to MacArthur Park to witness firsthand the drug deals, gang activity and shootings there. That tour resulted in a nationally recognized LAPD effort - consisting of surveillance cameras and boosted patrols—that transformed one of the City's most blighted parks into a popular spot for family picnics, festivals and concerts. Crime at MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.- Geography :...

 has dropped 20 percent since Reyes launched the crime-fighting project, a joint effort with the community, local businesses and LAPD.

Earlier in his tenure, Reyes also launched a nationally renowned lead abatement program to protect children from the dangers of lead-based paint found in pre-1979 housing. He spearheaded the $160 million Northeast Interceptor Sewer tunnel to prevent sewage overflow and protect the health of families and children.

As Chair of the City Council's Planning and Land Use Management committee, Reyes has expanded the City's affordable housing stock. He has pushed for Adaptive Reuse, or the conversion of abandoned buildings into housing, and Residential and Accessory Services, which permits residential development in commercial zones. And he has spearheaded efforts to strengthen the city's rent control ordinance. As chair of the Metro Gold Line Authority he also helped ensure that the $750 million Gold Line project be completed on time and on budget.

Reyes has opened four new libraries in Cypress Park
Cypress Park, Los Angeles, California
Cypress Park is a neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles. It is located at the confluence of the Los Angeles River and Arroyo Seco and is less than 2.5 miles north of Downtown Los Angeles...

, Chinatown, Highland Park
Highland Park, Los Angeles, California
Highland Park is a neighborhood in Northeast Los Angeles.-Geography:Highland Park is located along the Arroyo Seco. It is situated within what was once Rancho San Rafael of the Spanish / Mexican era...

 and Pico-Union
Pico-Union, Los Angeles, California
Pico-Union is a district in Los Angeles, California. Its name derives from the intersection of Pico Boulevard and Union Avenue. The Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency officially adopted the name in 1970, when it launched a neighborhood renewal program that continues to this day...

 and has added more than 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of new park space to his district. As chair of the Los Angeles River Ad Hoc Committee, he has brought a renewed focus to the once-ignored Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...

 and secured more than $3 million to create a neighborhood-driven plan that will include enhancing water quality, environmental protection, increasing open space and improving flood control.

Reyes attended University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...

 where he earned a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree from UCLA's Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning. He lives in the northeast Los Angeles community of Mt. Washington with his wife Martha and their four children.

External links

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