First L.A. River Revitalization Corporation Meeting Tomorrow

L.A. City River Revitalization Plan vision for the L.A. River in Canoga Park

The city of Los Angeles’ Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan (LARRMP) calls for three new entities to govern river work on the 32 miles of river within the city. A while back, L.A. Creek Freak ran a bit of background on the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation – which is being called the “RRC.” The RRC will hold its first ever meeting tomorrow night, Tuesday December 1st from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the Community Redevelopment Agency’s (CRA) downtown offices, at 354 S. Spring Street, 6th Floor, LA 90013. The meeting is open to the public; the meeting agenda is available here.

The RRC is a sort of hybrid creature. It’s actually its own stand-alone 501(c)3 non-profit organization… but it’s initial board is appointed by the city. It will need to straddle the territory of being sufficiently city-ish to work with city departments and being sufficiently independent enough to be able to bring in foundation and private funding. The RRC will work on a varied portfolio that can include projects directly on the river as well as in adjacent neighborhoods. Initially the city’s CRA will be providing the RRC with basic administrative support. For more RRC background see this earlier blog post.

RRC boardmembers have been appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Council President Eric Garcetti, and Ad Hoc River Committee chair Ed Reyes. Creek Freak snooped around and go the list of the appointed individuals who will serve on the initial RRC board:

• Harry B. Chandler – descendant of the prominent Los Angeles Chandler family (of L.A. Times, Chandler Boulevard, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion) now a photographer.
• Dennis Martinez – an engineer with extensive experience in public works projects, co-founder of RMA Construction Services, and formerly a commissioner on the city’s Cultural Heritage Commission.
• Bruce Saito – head of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps – a local organization that does various youth conservation and education work. The LACC that does a similar straddle to what the RRC will need to do – LACC does governmental agency work while functioning more-or-less as a non-profit.
• Daniel Tellalian – director of Emerging Markets, Inc. which  helps foster economic development in low-income neighborhoods.
• Daphne Zuniga – actress probably best known for her role in the TV series Melrose Place. Zuniga has a history of environmental and environmental justice advocacy.

It’s an impressive group! Creek Freak wishes them good luck with their work to revitalize our neglected local waterways and the communities around them. If any of you would like a river tour or any background on items Creek Freak can help with, let us know. Our contact information is on our About Us page.

Additionally, tomorrow night the city’s Bureau of Sanitation (BOS) is hosting an additional public input meeting for its proposed Low Impact Development (LID) ordinance. That meeting is 6:30pm tomorrow (Tuesday December 1st 2009) at BOS offices at 2714 Media Center Drive, LA 90065. Announcement flier here. Some Creek Freak LID background here and here.