LA River, Baldwin Hills, Bruce’s Beach, New Board Members
L.A. River Revitalization Public Comments
The City Project with the Alianza de los Pueblos del Rio submitted public comments regarding the draft L.A. River Revitalization Master Plan and environmental documents. We support the revitalization of the Los Angeles River. We appreciate the work of the Los Angeles River Ad-Hoc Committee, its Chairman Councilman Ed Reyes, and many agencies and staff members.
The purpose of our comments is to help improve river revitalization while ensuring the fair treatment of people of all colors, cultures, and incomes. This can provide a replicable model for community redevelopment elsewhere.
View videos about river revitalization, equal justice, and gentrification.
Baldwin Hills, Public Health, and Environmental Review
The Culver City News highlights some of The City Project’s work with the community to protect the Baldwin Hills Park:
“The City Project . . . has a bonafide history of activism in Baldwin Hills. In 2001, the group joined residents of Blair Hills and Baldwin Hills to stop a proposed power plant that would have been built where many homeowners reside. “That was a huge victory for us,” said [Executive Director Robert] GarcÃa. Two years later, it joined concerned homeowners . . . to beat back an attempt to build what was euphemistically described as a solid waste transportation center, and what GarcÃa and others called ‘a garbage dump.’ Last year, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested eliminating several of the state’s conservancies, including Baldwin Hills, GarcÃa’s group again united with the hillside neighbors in protesting the closures. Schwarzenegger eventually backed away from closing the conservancies.”
Read coverage of Baldwin Hills, the proposed oil wells, and the upcoming environmental review in the Culver City News and City Beat.
A Happy Day for Bruce’s Beach
Hundreds of people celebrated the re-naming of Bruce’s Beach in a poignant ceremony on April 1 featuring Mr. Bernard Bruce, grandson of the African-American family that was removed through eminent domain in the 1920s. Read about the celebration in the L.A. Times and Daily Breeze and on our web site.
Welcome to New Board Members
The City Project welcomes Robbie LaBelle, Nike Brand Manager in Los Angeles, to our board.
Robbie has spearheaded Nike’s work to create new playing fields in underserved communities. He has worked with the City of Los Angeles to put Nike Grind futsal fields in the Glassell Park Rec Center and Lafayette Rec Center. He worked with the Los Angeles Unified School District to install new 3v3 futsal courts in 20 schoolyards across L.A. Robbie brought Brazilian superstar Ronaldo to the Salvation Army Red Shield Youth and Community Center to dedicate a Nike Grind turf field in Pico Union. He led the effort for the Nike Grind turf field at Ross Snyder Recreation Center in South L.A.
Robbie graduated from UCLA, where he was captain of the nationally ranked men’s soccer team. Robbie played on the USA U-20 national soccer team. He worked with The City Project, the Anahuak Youth Association, and others to help create the Los Angeles State Historic Park at the Cornfield and El Rio de Los Angeles State Park at Taylor Yard.
The City Project welcomes Chris Burrows to our board. Chris is a young African-American attorney with the national law firm of Kaye Scholer in Los Angeles, CA. He received his J.D. from Howard University School of Law, where he was the Notes & Comments Editor of the Howard Law Journal. Chris has long worked with The City Project and is passionately dedicated to healthy, livable communities for all.
