Recent News – 15 December 2010

Los Angeles River at Bette Davis Picnic Area - painting by Akiko Crawford - click for larger image at her portfolio blog

Recent news that might be of interest to L.A.’s Creek Freaks:

>Long Beach bans single-use disposable plastic bags. City of L.A. getting close to approving Low Impact Development (LID) ordinance. Stories at Spouting Off.

> On Saturday, December 11th 2010, a car crashes into the vertical-channel-walled L.A. River in Studio City. It could have been a lot worse. Video above.

> The city’s Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation (RRC) names Omar Brownson as its first executive director. Story at ArroyoLover.

> More discussion of how pedestrians and bicyclists can or can’t share the new Elysian Valley River Path at [sic] and Corralitas Red Car Property.

> Liberty Hill’s News from the Frontlines profiles the Enviromental Justice Coalition for Water (EJCW) and the stuggles for healthy tap water in Southeast Los Angeles communities including the city of Maywood. Here’s an excerpt:

Since where you live determines your water company, it also determines the quality of your water. In Southeast L.A., an outmoded system has made it hard for residents to get water companies to act. The area was once agricultural, and the water companies were set up by the landowners– farmers.

But nowadays, the farms are gone, the population is dense and the mutual companies are cut off from the people they serve. The companies are not public systems and so the public can’t participate in rate-setting; nor are they regulated private companies.

> Landscape+Urbanism tracks the lost Fleet River of London.

> International Rivers reports that Bishop Erwin Kräutler received the Right Livelihood Award, often called the Alternative Nobel Prize:  “Kräutler been an unwavering ally of indigenous peoples and social movements opposed to the Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River for over two decades.”

> Los Angeles’ Downtown News reports on the latest plans for Los Angeles State Historic Park, unveiled Thursday, December 9th 2011. In other Cornfields news, check out these beautiful aerial photos of the Solar Eagle artwork at LASHP. The work was created by hundreds of volunteers – and helps raise awareness of 350.org global warming issues.

Solar Eagle eARTh by artist Spectral Q

Advertisement