As the Sunday morning sunrise warmed the lawn of the San Gabriel Mission, dedicated celebrants gathered with the Pobladores 200 to recognize LA’s upcoming 226th birthday by retracing the steps of the original settlers who established El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles in 1781.

San Gabriel is quite proud of its contribution to the “birth” of Los Angeles and a significant contingent of enthusiastic San Gabriel volunteers were on hand to outfit and feed the “Birthday Walkers” for the 9 mile trek.

Kevin Sawkins, Mayor of San Gabriel, kicked off the festivities by declaring San Gabriel the “Mother of all Communities,” all with a straight face and without a hint of irony. LA County Supervisor and Cheerleader Mike Antonovich took the baton and was able to acknowledge the 88 municipalities, 134 unincorporated communities and 10 million people who come together to make LA County the 17th largest economy in the world, all within 30 seconds.

Assemblyman Mike Eng, recently elected to represent the 49th district, got the first cheer out of the crowd by referring to the day’s activities as a demonstration of the most effective and timeless form of mass transportation. Ruben Baltran, the Consul General of Mexico was short on words but big on waving and smiling. Perfect for an early morning crowd.

LA Councilmember Jose Huizar took a shot at warming up the bleary eyed crowd by pointing out that the original Pobladores didn’t have the luxuries that we take for granted such as cement. This helped the audience wake up as they all turned to each other with a “WTF?” look on their faces.

Eric Garcetti, LA City Council President, took the podium and gave the first of several accounts of the diversity of the original settlers, a point that was repeated throughout the day by anyone who came close to a microphone. He did graciously acknowledge San Gabriel as LA’s parent and pointed out that the original settlers were selected for the task because they were people of the land, people who were connected and responsible and accountable. This was a point that resonated and that should be repeated by our leadership as we examine the sustainability of our community.

Finally, the walk began.

The sun was already beating down on the walkers who were almost outnumbered by the volunteers, police officers, firefighters, press and dignitaries. If anything, the first collective comment that ran through the pack of walkers was “This would be such a great place for shade trees.” (repeated for literally 9 miles!)

The type A walkers got their heart rates going and took off, never looking back. The social walkers shared muffins and coffee and chatted in small clusters while the goal-oriented opportunists worked the political leadership along the route, pitching pet projects and pointing out needs in the community as they were encountered. One might argue that this is one of the greatest benefits of the walk. It was at the corner of Mission and Cesar Chavez that Assemblyman Eng encountered a crosswalk with a 5 second pedestrian cycle. “Wow! How are you supposed to walk in LA?” he asked the walkers around him.

Three hours after the start, the somewhat smaller but no less enthusiastic herd of walkers gathered behind three ancient members of the Pobladores 200 (descendants of the original settlers) and walked up the road to the El Pueblo Historical Monument where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilwoman Wendy Greuel were waiting along with dancers, musicians and a sound system blaring Randy Newman’s “I Love LA.”

The party has just begun.

An early morning crowd applauds the rising of the sun in San Gabriel.




County Supervisor Mike Antonovich shares the dais with enough political leadership to,
well, get some real work done!




San Gabriel’s finest escort the walkers to the border of Los Angeles.




Carlos Garcia ponders the Tow-Away sign he says he didn’t see when he parked his car on
Alhambra Avenue last night. He woke up this morning to discover the car had been towed away
in order to clear the street for the Birthday Walk.




Alhambra Avenue cleared of automobiles and blocked off for the multitudes. Happy Birthday LA!




Okay, not all the street got cleared of vehicles. In Los Angeles, the LADOT just can’t bring themselves to tow a tractor rig. Perhaps it’s because we only have two tow-trucks capable of the task, one in San Pedro and the other in West Valley. Note to Mr. Garcia: drive a bigger rig. You’ll be safe in the tow-away zone.




This Parking Enforcement Officer works so much overtime that she has never had a chance to watch
“An Inconvenient Truth.” Her idle car sat with the engine running, the air conditioner on full blast
and the radio blaring while she explained “It’s a hybrid!”




Lincoln Park! I can only imagine how excited the original Pobladores must have been when they saw
the fountain and the rest rooms and the refreshments. I know I was!




Gary Leonard! Say no more!




This is the moment that brought it all home, Los Pobladores 200, the descendants of the original settlers,
slowly walked up the road from Union Station to El Pueblo.




Barefoot on hot cement, they danced all the way up the street and took laps around El Pueblo!




San Antonio leads Councilmembers Huizar and Greuel in a thundering and sincere rendition of
“Happy Birthday” followed up by cake for everybody.*

*The ice cream is being served on Monday, September 3, 2007 at the Heritage Square Ice Cream Social!