Sewer Project to Train 7 Ramona Gardens Youths

LOS ANGELES — Seven young residents of the Ramona Gardens public housing project will get on-the-job training on how to replace old sewer lines in their East Los Angeles neighborhood, the city of Los Angeles Housing Authority has announced.

The project is a joint venture between the East Los Angeles Community Union, the city’s Housing Authority and the Ramona Gardens Resident Advisory Council.

The $700,000 effort will help train residents to reconstruct old sewer pipes in a project expected to last six months, said Jose Villalobos, senior vice president of the East Los Angeles Community Union. He said the experience may help trainees learn how to run their own businesses and become self-sufficient.

“I’ve always dreamed about getting a good job and learning a trade that I can depend on in the future,” said Guillermo Uloa, one of the seven trainees. “It’s a dream come true. I hope there will be more jobs like these”.

Housing Authority Executive Director Don Smith stressed the importance of providing residents with job opportunities that will allow them to care for their families.

“Given the opportunity, public housing residents have shown consistently that they can do the job. We’ll give them the opportunity to prove how good they are,” he said.