19 Oct FoLAR and Trust for Public Land publish OpEd Supporting SB5
Now is the time to support parks and water infrastructure spending
to benefit our City and our River.
Amidst two devastating storms of record-breaking proportions, a ray of hope in California’s own quest for climate resiliency and equitable open space has landed on the Governor’s desk. A parks and water bill introduced by Kevin De León will place a $4B bond on the 2018 ballot for California voters, and there’s no time like the present.
California’s continued leadership in the face of a wounded and imminently threatened environmental agenda gives us all a whole new point of pride. This bond measure – the first of its kind in over 15 years – puts real resources behind our collective mission of environmental leadership as we build a resilient and equitable future for in every community; rural and urban alike. This initiative is not just a ray of hope in climate resiliency, but a bright spot in the global political climate.
Los Angeles – like many other global cities – is faced with the very real need to prepare for climate resiliency and correct historic disparities in access to parks and open space. Our water infrastructure is outdated and most of us crave greater access to the natural environment. With the recent assessment that LA is park poor to the tune of a 3,000 acre deficit, a $4B statewide bond is truly only a down payment on the improvements necessary in meeting the population’s needs.
The Los Angeles River is the most singularly compelling opportunity we have in making an impact in all of the above. Its concrete banks, the dozens of communities along its sides, and the four million people that live in its watershed all benefit from investment in it. Community-approved plans that promise 719 acres of restored water-quality-improving habitat and miles of transformed channel and improved public access are simply awaiting funding for implementation. It’s been 15 years since our state had a park bond and it couldn’t come at a moment too soon. Trust for Public Land and Friends of the Los Angeles River thank the legislature for its leadership in making California – and LA – a better place for all.
You can read Marissa and Tori’s op-ed as it published in the Los Angeles Business Journal here: FoLAR SB5 OpEd
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Friends of the Los Angeles River is a 501c3 nonprofit whose mission since 1986 has been to ensure a publicly accessible and ecologically sustainable Los Angeles River by inspiring River stewardship through community engagement, education, advocacy, and thought leadership. FOLAR is a leading powerful force guiding policy and connecting communities to the River, nationally respected as a leader in urban river revitalization with a membership of 35,000.