16 Sep FoLAR applauds State legislature for passing SB5 water and parks bond measure
For immediate release — additional questions and comments please contact Michael Atkins 323.223.0585 michael@folar.org with Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR)
Los Angeles, CA — Friends of the Los Angeles River applauds and thanks state leadership for the passage of SB5, a parks and water bill introduced by President Pro Tempore Kevin De León that will place a $4B bond on the 2018 ballot for California voters.
FoLAR has joined a PAC made up of a coalition of community-driven NGOs to build support behind both SB5 and its State Assembly counterpart AB18, which has brought together a diverse coalition of environmental advocates and nonprofits behind the push for investing in our water infrastructure and parks improvements. FoLAR has been working with state legislators to support SB5, and have mobilized its followership of advocates to implore their representatives to support this once-in-a-generation bill during the final hours of the 2017 legislative session.
Los Angeles 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 Our water infrastructure is outdated, and recent assessments indicated that less than half of our County’s residents live within easy access to park space. The $4 billion bond measure will not only improve the resilience of our water infrastructure but will also invest in parks in many of our community’s most underserved neighborhoods.
California voters can expect to see the bond measure on their 2018 ballots. Recent history suggests the public will support additional parks spending, as LA County residents approved Measure A in 2016.
FoLAR Executive Director Marissa Christiansen commented:
FoLAR ardently supports SB5 and looks forward to working with our environmental partners to see its passage as a state referendum. A $4 billion statewide bond is truly only a down payment on the improvements necessary in meeting the population’s needs. At the center of all of this 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. There’s no time like the present to invest in a sustainable and equitable future for our community.
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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.