RMC Digest

RMC DIGEST
OF LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS

The RMC Digest is a subset of stories from the Current and Previous digests. It includes stories which mention the RMC or refer to topics which may impact the RMC or its joint powers authorities.
Click on a story title below and you will be linked to the original story at the newspaper's web site. Note: Occasionally a story becomes unavailable online after the original publication date.

Input sought on Monrovia Wilderness Preserve plan
Saturday, Aug 30, 2008, Pasadena Star News, By Nathan McIntire, Staff Writer
MONROVIA - The 30-day public comment phase has begun on a draft of a Resource Management Plan for the city's hillside Wilderness Preserve. The plan lays out the proposed management terms for the city-owned preserve, which sits on 1,366 acres of hillside and recreational land in the Monrovia foothills.
The preserve is bounded by the Angeles National Forest to the north, the Monrovia-Bradbury border to the east, hillside properties to the south and the Monrovia-Arcadia border to the west. A 40-acre, privately-owned property sits in the middle of preserve. The city made an offer to purchase the undeveloped plot but was rebuffed.
City Manager Scott Ochoa said fire safety, allowing more open access, educational uses and habitat restoration, including the removal of non-native species, are the four main goals set forth by the plan. The draft plan recommends four main access points to the preserve: both ends of Clamshell Motorway, an entrance on Highland Place and a passageway on Norumbega Drive. Several makeshift hiking trails already exist within the boundaries of the preserve.
Environmental report on proposed NFL stadium to be released
Saturday, Aug 30, 2008, Pasadena Star News, By Jennifer McLain, Staff Writer
INDUSTRY - Residents worried about gridlock from a proposed National Football League stadium will soon get a chance to look at cold, hard facts. A report analyzing the environmental impacts of an NFL stadium in Industry. will be released to the public Wednesday for a 45-day review period, officials said.
      Billionaire developer and Majestic Realty Co. owner Ed Roski Jr. hopes to break ground next year on the $800 million stadium and retail complex on 600 acres of hills northwest of the 57 and 60 freeways. Roski hopes to bring an NFL team to play in the Rose Bowl in 2009 and 2010 and then move it to his new Los Angeles Stadium in 2011.
      Some living near the site have worried that a stadium would cause more traffic at the already crowded freeway intersection. However, Majestic Realty Vice President John Semcken said the stadium project would cause less traffic than a larger commercial center approved by the City Council in 2004 but never built.
      Industry is a city of fewer than 700 residents with a daytime population of 80,000 people. It is also home to Majestic Realty. The report will be available in all local public libraries, and in Industry's City Hall.
CSUN is leading the charge in mapping of the wetlands
Saturday, Aug 30, 2008, Los Angeles Daily News, By Connie Llanos, Staff Writer
PORT HUENEME - Just a century ago, this swath of coastal land was teeming with small creeks and streams, moist soil and dozens of animal species. But today, a large section of Ormond Beach's wetlands is more dry than wet.
The wetlands' poor condition only makes Shawna Dark, a geography professor at California State University, Northridge, and her students more determined to complete their mission. The group is working on CSUN's Southern California Wetlands Mapping Project, to produce the Southland's first comprehensive map of the rapidly disappearing marshy plots of land that Dark says are vital to the region's ecology. About two dozen inmates-turned-scientists from Mule Creek State Prison have partnered with the CSUN students, through the state's Prison Industry Authority, to input raw data collected from the field into the mapping system. Supported by California Proposition 50 funds, the CSUN project will map out small and large wetlands from Point Conception down to the San Diego/Mexico border.
Southern California has lost 95 percent of its wetland areas. Groups such as the California Coastal Commission and the Nature Conservancy, working with the CSUN group, have ramped up efforts to buy plots of wetlands in an effort to conserve and restore these areas over the past few decades. Francine Diamond, chairwoman of the L.A. Regional Water Quality Control Board, said that until now agencies have relied on outdated federal maps and databases of regional wetlands, making it difficult to determine how many wetlands actually exist and how the law is being enforced.
Sea turtles explore new, urban frontier
Saturday, Aug 30, 2008, Los Angele Times, By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
      In the foamy chop of the warm-water discharge flowing into the San Gabriel River from a Long Beach power plant, a green sea turtle, wide as a manhole cover, materialized. A few minutes later, an even larger sea turtle surfaced in the murky water s. Green sea turtles usually have tropical haunts, but these chunky titans live more than a mile upstream in one of Southern California's most ecologically degraded rivers.
      Little is known about the colony of at least six urban sea turtles. But a joint study by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Aquarium of the Pacific aims to determine, among other things, what they're doing in there. Scientists also want to know how the federally endangered animals are adapting to the unique challenges they face in the 100-yard-wide river channel at the Los Angeles County-Orange County line, next to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's Haynes Generating Station.
      A colony of sea turtles was discovered in the late 1970s near the warm-water discharge of a San Diego Gas & Electric Co. power plant in San Diego Bay The San Diego Bay colony includes at least 100 turtles, all of them permanent residents. Green sea turtles can grow to 5 feet long and weigh more than 500 pound.
Orange County judge keeps storm-drain runoff standards in place for now
Friday, Aug 29, 2008, Los Angeles Times, By Jean Merl, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
      A judge ruled Thursday that water quality standards designed to protect the region's beaches from polluted storm-drain runoff will remain in place, at least for the time being. Orange County Superior Court Judge Thierry Patrick Colaw granted a request from a coalition of environmental groups that sought to keep the standards in place while the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board complied with the judge's order to review its runoff standards.
      This summer, Colaw had ruled in favor of a consortium of local inland cities and a building industry association that had filed a lawsuit – against the state Water Resources Control Board and the local board – seeking to overturn the regulations. The local board said the ruling, which applied to most cities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, left regulators without a major tool to deal with storm water runoff into the ocean. Builders could not get the necessary permits from the state board because the standards had been frozen.
      The disputed standards were imposed to try to end bacterial contamination at local beaches, some of which are among the most polluted in the state.
Whittier council takes first step toward drilling for oil
Thursday, Aug 28, 2008, Whittier Daily News, By Mike Sprague, Staff Writer
WHITTIER - The City Council took its first step Tuesday about drilling for oil in the hills when it approved the leasing documents and agreed to seek bids. City officials say they believe that it could be possible to drill in the hills without affecting wildlife and the open space. "We estimate the same 1,300 acres of oil deposits could be developed from approximately three surface sites of two to three acres each (less than 1 percent of the land)," stated David Pelser, director of Public Works, in a written staff report.
The proposed lease will require the successful bidder to pay $5,000 a month as a management fee to the Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Preservation Authority. That will increase to $7,000 monthly after drilling begins. The lease also requires payment of $100,000 annually as an habitat enhancement fee when drilling begins. Also included in the lease is a minimum bid for the royalties of 20 percent on the first $1.5 million in market price. That will increase by 1.5 percent for each increment of $250,000 up to 50 percent.
California bill attacks sprawl
Thursday, Aug 28, 2008, Los Angeles Times
EDITORIAL – Not only does urban sprawl put upward pressure on gasoline prices, it creates freeway gridlock, worsens air pollution and makes fighting global warming next to impossible. SB 375 from Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), who last week was elected the next president pro tem of the state Senate, marks the first time any state has attempted to tie greenhouse gas reduction to transportation funding and regional land-use planning.
The bill would direct metropolitan planning organizations to meet targets set by state air regulators to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To hit these targets, they would have to draw up transportation and land-use plans that encourage smart growth. The bill has been passed by both houses of the Legislature and now awaits a housekeeping vote in the Senate. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should sign it once it lands on his desk.
Need O.C. waterfront land? Pay $26.5 million
Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008, Orange County Register
A potential building site for a hotel or for dozens of luxury homes has gone up for sale in Seal Beach. The 10.7-acre parcel at First Street and Marina Drive, which is listed for $26.5 million, is currently vacant. It's zoned for a 150-room hotel, although the lot is big enough for a 300-room hotel or for 65 to 80 luxury homes. It abuts the San Gabriel River, including the river bike path with access rights to the water. The property currently is owned by a group of investors, who bought it at auction in 2000 from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for about $5.5 million.
Children learn science of water
Wednesday, Aug 20, 2008, Pasadena Star News, by Samantha Bravo, Correspondent
PASADENA - A group of children sat squirming in their seats, huddled around a blue bowl brimming with water. The 5- to 9-year-olds campers are taking part this week in Kidspace Museum's Aqua Docs Camp, which keeps kids out of the heat while teaching them about water science. On the camp's first day, the children painted a mural together, using water colors on butcher paper. They also learned about surface tension by making paperclips float.
Jacqui Bally said, "It's beautiful here. There's lots for them to do. They can go wild in the wild." Throughout the week the children will do art and science activities that will help them learn where water comes from, what it can be used for, and the properties of water molecules.
Discovery Science Center named among best in country
Tuesday, Aug19, 2008, Orange County Register, blog posted by grobbins
Parents magazine says the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana is among the 25 best science centers in the country, ranking the “edu-tainment” complex ahead of better-known centers in Pittsburgh, Seattle and Chicago. President Joe Adams is the former Disney executive who took over the center in June 2003, when the center was losing money and receiving criticism for uninspiring programming. He turned the situation around, focusing heavily on the interests of children and matching exhibits to the science curriculum of public schools, which pleased educators. The center attendance could surpass the 450,000 mark this year, which is 200,000 higher than was expected only a few years ago.
Los Angeles River may get protection through the Clean Water Act
Tuesday, Aug 19, 2008, Los Angeles Times, August 19, 2008
In an unusual move, the EPA has told the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that it is stepping into an obscure debate over whether the Los Angeles River and its tributary streams are "traditional navigable waters." Benjamin H. Grumbles, an EPA assistant administrator for water, said, "We are stepping up to ensure that the Clean Water Act tools are applied consistently and fairly and we all work together to protect the L.A. River." Grumbles sent a letter Sunday to the Corps of Engineers, explaining that his agency would make the final determination of what are navigable waters in the L.A. River and in the Santa Cruz River in Arizona.
That has been an issue on the L.A. River since a rancher wanted to fill some stream beds in the Santa Susana Mountains north of Chatsworth. The rancher's request prompted the Corps of Engineers to review the entire river and determine that just a few of its 50-plus miles could be considered navigable. The Corps' determination would make it easier to develop portions of foothills and mountains that shed water into the L.A. River because developments would not need certain federal permits.
Clean Water Program Latest Port Environmental Effort
Aug 21-27, 2008, Long Beach Gazette Newspapers, By Kelly Garrison, Features Editor
In an effort to determine the best way to restore ocean water quality in the San Pedro Bay area, officials from the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are seeking public opinion. Officials will factor their ideas into the development of a new Water Resources Action Plan (WRAP) outlining measures to clean the area of pollutant sources, said Matthew Arms, senior environmental specialist for the Port of Long Beach. “Our goal is to find out what the sources are, what the ports have control over and how we can reduce them,” he said.
Top priorities so far include clearing the water of pollutants such as copper, zinc, lead, benzo(a)pyrene, insecticides and other harmful chemicals. Contaminants have come from upstream sources, past contaminants and port operations. Water quality in the area has seen significant improvement since 1972 as a result of the U.S. Clean Water Act, officials said.
Greenway Trail Five Points bridges open
Saturday, Aug 16, 2008, Whittier Daily News, By Mike Sprague, Staff Writer
WHITTIER - East and west Whittier have been united - at least on the Greenway Trail, where the two bridges over the Five Points intersection at Whittier Boulevard have opened. "This is Whittier's golden spike," Mayor Joe Vinatieri said. "The bridge unites west Whittier, central Whittier and east Whittier." With the bridge open, joggers and bicyclists can traverse the entire 4.5-mile trail from Mills to Pioneer Boulevard.
Developer To Try EIR Effort Again
Aug 7-13, 2008, Long Beach Gazette Newspapers, By Kurt Helin, Editor
The appeal of a lawsuit pushing for the Home Depot Center in East Long Beach has been dropped and a settlement reached between the parties. That was a big win for the Los Cerritos Wetlands Trust, which took the case to court after the city had approved the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in 2006. However, the core of the issue is not going to go away as Studebaker LB, LLC, and principal Thomas Dean said after the announcement of the settlement it is moving forward with plans for a new round of environmental work for the Home Depot project.
It was located on what is commonly called the “tank farm” land where currently a number of former oil tanks sit largely vacant on land zone for industrial use. That location is directly across from the Los Cerritos Wetlands, which prompted the lawsuit. Opponents of the Home Depot plan said it would bring lights and 8,000 cars a day to a sensitive environmental area. Dean owns a lot of property in the area, including much of the proposed area to be restored as wetlands. Last October, Dean purchased the Bixby Ranch Co.'s share of the Los Cerritos Wetlands, about 189 acres. Dean and Studebaker LB, LLC, also are owners of the “Pumpkin Patch” property on Pacific Coast Highway east of the Marketplace shopping center.

After Home Depot
Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008, Long Beach Press Telegram
EDITORIAL – Now that plans for a Home Depot adjacent to a wetlands area have dissolved, let's hope that its replacement will be something people will marvel at. Almost anything would be better than what's there now, an ugly tank farm on contaminated land, in an area zoned for industrial use. In court, the project's environmental impact study was rejected as inadequate. None of that was a surprise, given that the site is close to Los Cerritos Wetlands.
The environmentalists were totally right about one thing. The Los Cerritos wetlands are a rare and diminishing natural resource worth restoring and protecting. The site owner, Tom Dean of Studebaker LLC, hasn't said what next he has in mind. Why not something to marvel at?

No more happy trails
Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008, Pasadena Star News
EDITORIAL – Because of the actions of a few vandals, the Greenway Trail will forever remain in the dark. Faced with the reality that thugs with baseball bats or similar weapons of mass destruction caused $40,000 in damages in February, the city threw up its hands. So now the only use of a true community asset will be from dawn to dusk. Walkers, joggers and bicyclists won't have the luxury of exercising after work on the 4.5-mile stretch that starts near Pioneer Boulevard and wends to Mills Avenue.
It's a shame the city invested some $15 million to ready a trail for all Whittierites, only to have a few ruin it for everyone. We're not blaming the police. There's only so many cops to go around. We're blaming a culture that applauds lawlessness, encourages misbehavior and glorifies criminality.

Buy Montebello Hills
Monday, Aug 4, 2008, Pasadena Star News, by Maurice Kane, San Dimas
LETTER TO THE EDITOR – As your paper noted, instead of allowing majestic birds to soar above verdant hills, and permitting children to partake of unsullied green and brown earth, Cook Hill Properties LLC and Plains Exploration & Production Company conspire to continue the attack on our wilderness. Why? So multi-millionaires can be housed in their mansions and compounds? What we are left with is an asphalt, concrete and steel world, surrounded by strip malls and lifestyle centers.
Perhaps, the benevolent members of our local plutocratic class could save nature and buy these Montebello Hills, saving them for those who see more than just a pretty view from a master bedroom - a place for the untamed and the unvanquished.

Home Depot pullout won't end East Long Beach project
Saturday, Aug 2, 2008, Long Beach Press Telegram, By Karen Robes Meeks and Joe Segura, Staff Writers
LONG BEACH - Home Depot has pulled the plug on plans to build a home-design center in East Long Beach, but plans to develop the land are still moving forward. The developer - Tom Dean of Studebaker, LB LLC - made it clear that he is still planning to build on the 16.5 acres east of Studebaker Road at Loynes Drive.
The disclosure comes on the heels of the developer's settlement with neighborhood and environmental groups that objected to the $21.5-million plans for a Home Depot design center. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust announced Thursday that developer Dean had settled with the trust and the University Park Estates Neighborhood Association, agreeing to settle for an undisclosed amount in legal fees, dismiss his appeal of a judge's ruling to decertify the environmental impact report approved by the City Council and vacate all permit approvals.
Superior Court Judge John A. Torribio said the city, as lead agency for the EIR review, needed to conduct a biological study to determine whether the site is potentially wetlands. The state Coastal Act restricts most development on wetlands, and environmentalists - before Thursday's announcement - said they might begin efforts to include portions of the Home Depot site in restoration of the Los Cerritos Wetlands.

Build center elsewhere
Friday, Aug 1, 2008, Whittier Daily News, by Anadel Miller, Whittier
LETTER TO THE EDITOR – What a shame! This could have been a win-win situation, but the Discovery Center Authority has turned it into a "we win, you lose" situation instead. The Discovery Center Authority says their stakeholders are absolutely adamant that the museum has to be 18,230 square feet and can't possibly be reduced in size and the only place the museum can possibly be built is on top of the Whittier Narrows Nature Center.
The Discovery Center project was rejected by Los Angeles County SEATAC (which is a committee of experienced and reputable biologists who review projects for their biological impact) because it was "incompatible with the SEA" (significant ecological area).
If the Discovery Center is supposed to benefit our local communities, why are we being forced to choose one beneficial project over another, when we could have both of them.

County to allow first oil steps
Thursday, July 31, 2008, Whittier Daily News, By Mike Sprague, Staff Writer
WHITTIER - A county official said Wednesday the city of Whittier will be allowed to take its first steps toward drilling for oil. The county will allow Whittier to begin soliciting bids from oil companies without immediately resolving the issue of how to repay money used to purchase that property, said Ilona Volkmann, administrator for the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District.
Approval from the district is needed because 1992 Proposition A funds were used in 1995 to purchase 1,280 acres of the hills. City and county officials are seeking to reach an agreement on how Whittier can reimburse the district, but no accord is expected until later, Volkmann said. "Most likely, that will be addressed by either trading land or the city purchasing the estimated seven acres needed to drill for oil.
Even once the council awards a bid to an oil company, there is still much to be done, said Councilman Bob Henderson.. Once the winning company is selected, the city will hire someone to prepare an environmental impact report. Henderson reiterated his position, "I've made it very clear from the beginning that if we don't find the process can be carried out without endangering the habitat area - and by that I mean making it noisy, unsafe or causing problems for people who use the property - I won't support it."

MTA votes to seek sales tax hike to fund L.A. County transit, roads
Thursday, July 24, 2008, Los Angeles Times, By Dan Weikel and Steve Hymon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board today voted overwhelmingly to seek a half-cent sales tax increase that could raise between $30 billion and $40 billion for transit and highway projects, including the first link of a long-awaited subway to the sea. The move approving a ballot measure for the Nov. 4 election, is a major step that could lead to construction of several dozen transportation projects in the county over the next three decades. Before the measure can be placed on the ballot, the Legislature must authorize it. A bill, AB 2321, by Assemblyman Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) is pending in the Senate. Metro officials say the measure could raise $30 billion to $40 billion over its 30-year life span.
Various elected officials, particularly those representing the San Gabriel Valley, have complained that their regions might not get their fair share of projects from the sales tax, and they want assurances that a Gold Line extension would be funded immediately. For years, so little state money has been available that major transportation projects have been delayed and California's vast highway system has steadily fallen into disrepair.

San Gabriel Valley water projects get $11.5 million
Wednesday, July 23, 2008, Pasadena Star News
CARSON - Fourteen water resource-related projects in Southern California, including four that will benefit the San Gabriel Valley, received $25 million in grants today from the State Department of Water Resources, today. Each of the 14 projects is identified within the Great Los Angeles County Integrated Regional Water Management Plan. Among the projects that will impact the San Gabriel Valley are: Whittier Narrows Water Reclamation Plant, which received $2 million; Central Basin Municipal Water District's Large Landscape Water Conservation, runoff reduction and educational program, which received $900,000; the Morris Dam Water supply enhancement project, which received $5.1 million; and the southeast water reliability project, which received $3.5 million.

Dams pose danger to swimmers
Monday, July 21, 2008, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, By Bethania Palma, Staff Writer
While people are heading to the water in droves as the summer season kicks into full gear, local fire department officials are gearing up for another season of water-related emergencies. L.A. County Fire Capt. Eric McKellar said every year, several people drown at one of the 16 low-head dams between Mountain Cove in Azusa and the Santa Fe reservoir in Irwindale. "Right now the water's probably eight to 10 inches deep," he said. "But it's enough to knock you off your feet." When victims reach the bottom, he said, the water current sucks them under. "My advice is go to Santa Fe Dam or one of the designated swimming areas," he said.

Greenway Trail bridge nears completion
Monday, July 21, 2008, Whittier Daily News
WHITTIER - The Greenway Trail - now split in two at the Five Points Whittier Boulevard intersection - is expected to be united next week. That's when the two bridges crossing the street are expected to open, a city official predicted Monday. Completing the bridges will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to travel the entire 4.5-mile trail that goes from Pioneer Boulevard to Mills Avenue following the former Union Pacific Railroad.

Exhibit to explore river watershed
Sunday, July 20, 2008, Los Angeles Daily News
VALENCIA - The Santa Clara River Trustee Council is sponsoring a visual and educational exhibit about the Santa Clara River Watershed from Wednesday to the end of August at the Valencia Public Library. The river is one of Southern California's last free-flowing rivers and provides a home for more than 100 endangered, sensitive or threatened species. A free reception will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Valencia Library is located at 23743 W. Valencia Blvd.

Agency touts treatment of wastewater
Sunday, July 20, 2008, Pasadena Star News, By Jennifer McLain, Staff Writer
The Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District earlier this month approved a $300,000 consultant contract with MWH Americas Inc. that will review plans for a treatment plant that would turn wastewater into drinking water and store it in the San Gabriel Basin. The facility would be similar to an Orange County Water District groundwater replenishment plant that opened in January. The proposed site near the city of Industry could be open as early as 2011. The project would include six miles of pipeline to deliver the purified water to the groundwater spreading grounds near the Santa Fe Dam.
The ongoing drought, climate change and the decline in the imported water supply from Northern California due to environmental restraints has forced water officials in Southern California to urge water conservation and increase attention to developing local water supply. "We have been doing water reuse since the '60s, and we are one of the most water reusers in the world," said Don Avila, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. "The city of Los Angeles is considering it, although officials predict that the plant won't be completed until 2018.

Ruling holds up building permits in Ventura, L.A. counties
Friday, July 18, 2008, Los Angeles Times, By David Pierson, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
Hundreds of construction permits in Los Angeles and Ventura counties have been halted after a judge struck down landmark water quality standards designed to protect the region's beaches from storm water pollution,. Orange County Superior Court Judge Thierry Patrick Colaw ruled in favor of a consortium of cities and a building industry association that filed a lawsuit against the state Water Resources Control Board and the L.A. board in an effort to overturn the regulations. The lawsuit contended that the L.A. water board failed to consider whether the standards could be reasonably met and the economic effect they would have, according to the water board.
Officials at the L.A. water quality board said the judge's ruling applies to all cities in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The board has not been able to approve the permits since it received the writ July 3 because the standards have been frozen. Officials expect it to take at least six months to settle on new standards and say thousands of permits could be held up. David Beckman, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council representing environmentalists, said he planned to file a motion today to block Colaw's ruling.

Seaside Park Approved for First District
July 17-23, 2008, Long Beach Gazette Newspapers, By Kurt Helin, Editor
One of the most crowded areas of Long Beach is about to get some breathing space. On July 8, the City Council made a couple of votes that cleared the way for Seaside Park, a new 1.9-acre park at 1401 Chestnut Ave. (four blocks east of the Los Angeles River). “It’s exciting to bring open space in an area of the city that needs it,” said Craig Beck, executive director of the Redevelopment Agency, which is paying for the land.
Currently, three apartment buildings sit where the north end of the park will be, although those buildings were purchased by the Redevelopment Agency and will be torn down. Money to do so, and develop the park, came from Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. The opening of the park is expected in the summer or early fall of next year.

The hills are alive with debate on development
Monday, July 14, 2008, Whittier Daily News, by Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
MONTEBELLO - The Montebello Hills contains a mixture of oil wells, overgrown vegetation and endangered birds. Its more than 480 acres is one of the largest open spaces remaining in the San Gabriel Valley and has been the center of debate over development for decades.
The most recent controversy revolves around the Montebello Hills Specific Plan, a project that proposes to build 1,200 residential homes, a series of trails and a public park on the vast open space. Members of the "Save the Montebello Hills" task force have their own vision for the hills. The "Save the Montebello Hills" task force wants to preserve the hills, in a natural way, but also preserve access for education, exercise and recreation, according to Margot Eiser, founder of task force.
The land is home to the gnatcatcher - an endangered species of bird - which requires two-thirds of the land to be devoted to a habitat for the bird. Cook Hill Properties, working with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has already begun a habitat restoration project. Plans are also under way by Cook Hill to consolidate the 96 oil-producing wells covering the land.

Letters to the Editor
Center will heed EIR
Sunday, July 13, 2008, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, by Russ Guiney, President, San Gabriel River Discovery Center Authority
We could not agree more with your conclusion in your "OurView" editorial that the San Gabriel River Discovery Center, when built, will be a jewel for the San Gabriel Valley. The facility and its interpretive education programs will inspire learners of all ages about the vital importance of the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo watersheds. We appreciate the concerns also raised by the editorial. The environmental review process allows everyone - the public agency partners as well as concerned individuals - to understand and evaluate potential impacts and to reach the best conclusion about how to move forward. The endorsement by your newspaper adds to the growing momentum, which is truly appreciated.

Getting our fair share
Sunday, July 13, 2008, Whittier Daily News
OPINIONS -- In June, when the MTA board said "no" to seed money for the 24.1-mile foothill extension of the Gold Line, we watched in disbelief. But much worse, the MTA also let federal dollars slip away. It was as if Antonio Villaraigosa wadded up $320 million in cash and threw it out the window of L.A. City Hall.
The given excuse was that light-rail should be funded locally, and the MTA was betting on a new, countywide half-cent sales tax increase that would raise $40 billion in 30 years for rail, roads and buses. But an analysis released by the San Gabriel Valley caucus found that if all the monies were added up, our Valley would get about 7 percent - way short of what our area deserves. The San Gabriel Valley makes up about 20 percent of the entire county's population. Also, of the existing 1 percent in transportation taxes collected, the San Gabriel Valley pays 19.14 percent of the county total.
We'd like to see a "20 percent" provision inserted into the bill that corresponds to sub-region. The same could be added for the Gateway Cities COG, which includes Whittier and other southeast county cities.

Concerns raised over hills project
Thursday, July 10, 2008, Whittier Daily News, By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer and Thomas Himes, Correspondent
MONTEBELLO - Residents who attended a meeting about a possible development in the Montebello Hills expressed opposition to transforming the vast open space into a residential neighborhood. About 80 community members on Tuesday provided input on the Montebello Hills Specific Plan, a project that proposes to build 1,200 residential homes, a series of trails and a public park on 480 acres of open space. An Environmental Impact Report on the project is currently being drawn up by P&D Consultants.
Mayor Bill Molinari said much of the community is in favor of the development. "It is the last opportunity we have to develop the remaining hills," Molinari said Tuesday. "It would bring a lot of assets to the city."
But Linda Strong, a member of the "Save the Montebello Hills" task force, said, "It has tremendous ecological and recreational potential for current and future Montebello residents."

Park trail is shelved by Council
Thursday, July 10, 2008, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, By Jennifer McLain, Staff Writer
ROSEMEAD - A cement jogging trail that would have cut through one of the city's most popular parks was shelved Tuesday. Improvements at Rosemead Park will be stalled until the city explores funding options and puts the project out to bid again.
After a nearly two-hour discussion of the trail, which would have cost almost $425,000, the City Council decided to reject all bids and go back to the drawing board. They also will reach out to officials at Rosemead High to explore teaming up and developing a fitness trail that could be open to the public.
Residents and council members Margaret Clark and Gary Taylor had concerns that the trail would be disruptive to park users and would bring more pavement to a city that has little park land.

Schwarzenegger, Feinstein propose $9.3B water bond
Thursday, July 10, 2008, Orange County Register, by Juliet Williams, Associated Press Writer
SACRAMENTO (AP) – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday proposed a $9.3 billion bond to shore up California's water supply through a combination of reservoirs and conservation projects. Billions also would be spent to help the ecologically fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the heart of the state's intricate water-supply system. Schwarzenegger hopes to win approval from leaders in the state Legislature and put the plan before voters in November.
An overview of the plan states that additional reservoirs are needed to help "offset the climate change impacts of reduced snowpack and higher flood flows." This year, farmers and cities will receive just 35 percent of their contracted water from the state.
Negotiations among legislative leaders have been stalled for more than a year, in part because of a philosophical debate over who should pay to build new dams. The plan appears to offer something to Democrats, Republicans and environmentalists but would require all parties to compromise. Thursday's proposal does not contain enough money to build a canal to route fresh water around the delta.

Cool canyon
Monday, July 7, 2008, Pasadena Star News,, By Brian Day, Staff Writer
About 30,000 people flocked into the San Gabriel Canyon over the Independence Day weekend, officials said, trading the hot city streets for the cool waters of the San Gabriel River. "This is our busiest holiday weekend," said U.S. Forest Service Resource Officer Karen Fortus. San Gabriel Canyon Road was shut down Friday afternoon, blocking access to the canyon, which had reached it's maximum capacity, Fortus said. On Saturday and Sunday, she said the canyon was brimming with visitors, but road closures were not necessary.
Many river visitors said they much prefer the shores of the San Gabriel River to the beach. The biggest problem, Fortus said, is the trash visitors leave behind in the forest.

Whittier Hills to be surveyed before possible oil drilling
Sunday, June 29, 2008, Pasadena Star News, By Sandra T. Molina, Staff Writer
WHITTIER - A report to be completed next month could foretell the future of oil drilling in the Whittier Hills. The city of Whittier is paying $36,000 for a habitat survey on city-owned hillside where the City Council is considering allowing Matrix Oil to drill 20 new wells.
The field work on the habitat survey began in April and will continue through July 30, said Andrea Gullo, director of the Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Preservation Authority. The Habitat Authority manages about 3,860 acres of preserved public open space, of which 1,878 is owned by the authority. If the study identified all effects of drilling on the environment, and those could be mitigated, only then "would we move forward," said Councilman Owen Newcomer.

MTA delays action on Gold Line extension
Friday, June 27, 2008, Pasadena Star News, By Dan Abendschein, Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES - The board of Los Angeles County's main transit agency voted Thursday to delay committing any funds to the Gold Line extension until November. The delay means that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will miss the deadline to receive $320 million in federal funding for the project. The MTA would have had to put up $80 million to secure those funds. Local politicians have long pushed for the $400 million first phase of the 24-mile, $1.4 billion extension that could ultimately run all the way to Ontario International Airport.
The MTA board justified the delay to November to await the results of an expected county ballot measure that would increase sales tax by a half-cent to fund transit projects. A delegation from the San Gabriel Valley said that it would be hard to garner support for the tax measure without funding for the Gold Line. Valley council members also complained that they had already started to plan rail-adjacent residential and commercial developments to take advantage of the Gold Line.
"Nobody from any region here feels they have been treated fairly," said County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, an MTA board member. "That is because the need is so great and we don't have enough to go around."

Groups battle over Whittier Narrows plan
Monday, June 23, 2008, Pasadena Star News, By Mike Sprague, Staff Writer
WHITTIER NARROWS - An environmental fight is breaking out over whether a proposed 19,000-square-foot San Gabriel River Discovery Center belongs in this natural habitat. Supporters of the project say the Discovery Center will teach people about water resources, provide educational and outdoor experiences and be an educational resource to better understand the San Gabriel River. But opponents say the building is too big and the project will wipe out a habitat that supports birds and other wildlife. They are mobilizing to block it.The issue is expected to come to a head in September when an environmental impact report on the project is expected to be released.
      Belinda Faustinos, interim executive director for the San Gabriel Discovery Center Authority, said it's the perfect location. "The river is within walking distance of the site," she said. Other sites such as at Santa Anita and Durfee avenues or at the Whittier Narrows Equestrian site wouldn't work, Faustinos said. The other two sites are in a flood zone, while the Nature Center isn't, she said.
      "They want to bring 140,000 people," said Ed Barajas, a member of the Friends of the Natural Area. “The nature area is barely holding up. It's not a soccer field where they just water it." Tim Worley, director of water policy for the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, said he doesn't understand the concern about more people. "We think it's important to get more people to enjoy and understand the environmental watershed and river," Worley said. Faustinos concedes the project will have an impact on the area, but said it is an appropriate use for the area. The project will be built in ways to make it have less of an environmental impact, she said.
      The Friends group plans to continue their opposition. They've already established a Web site, http://www.naturalareafriends.net . The Discovery Center also has its own Web site, http://discoverycenterauthority.org .

A jewel in the necklace
Sunday, June 22, 2008, Pasadena Star News
OPINIONS – The biggest problem with the San Gabriel River is that very few know it exists. So the unveiling of a 17-mile "Emerald Necklace" plan showing what the river could be – new passive parks, restored streams and new trails in a loop of green space from Irwindale/Arcadia/El Monte to Pico Rivera/Whittier – was a brilliant marketing move. But the whole restoration effort still lacks some aspects that would really put a there there. That's why the planned San Gabriel River Discovery Center is absolutely critical to the restoration of both the San Gabriel and the Rio Hondo rivers.
This nature center would focus all eyes on the entrance to the necklace, and give hundreds of thousands of visitors who know little of nature a first-hand learning experience each year. Various water districts, along with the county, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Authority and the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy are part of a joint powers agreement working on raising money for, designing and building the center. hey've chosen an excellent location, at the site of the existing Whittier Narrows Nature Center, just off Durfee Avenue and southeast of Legg Lake. .
As we eagerly await the long-delayed Environmental Impact Report, we have some concerns. First, The building must have a minimum impact on mature trees and wild birds that nest in those trees Second, the project proposed at a whopping 18,230 square feet may be too large. Also, we share the concern that the 150-space parking lot is too big and needs better landscaping. Third, the EIR must address the potential historic resource of the clapboard cottage that serves as the existing nature center, which would be demolished to make way for the modern building.

Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach celebrates its 10th year
Saturday, June 21, 2008, Los Angeles Times, By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, which turned 10 years old Friday, ranks among the most popular in the nation in attendance, pulling in 1.4 million people a year from throughout Southern California. "This aquarium is on the younger side," said Steve Feldman, spokesman for the Assn. of Zoos and Aquariums, "but they are definitely among the biggest and the best." In partnership with a growing number of corporations and organizations including Honda, the BP Foundation, the World Wildlife Fund and the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, the aquarium now aims to become a center for teaching the virtues of watershed preservation and offshore aquaculture.
At a time when the world's seas are in deep blue trouble, the aquarium assists in local coastal cleanups and fish population surveys. Last week it opened an exhibit called "Ocean on the Edge: Top 10 Ocean Issues," which includes a display that compares healthy coral with samples bleached white by diseases brought on by stress and temperature change.

Keeping Western waterways clean
Saturday, June 21, 2008, Los Angeles Times
OPINIONS – Over the course of almost 40 years, the Clean Water Act – which compels landowners to secure permits from the Environmental Protection Agency before dredging or discharging pollutants into "waters of the United States" – has become the cornerstone of our water-quality law, helping states and local governments make development decisions that keep the country's watersheds healthy. But today, just as elaborate plans for a long-awaited Los Angeles River restoration have begun moving forward, the river and its already stressed watershed could lose some of the law's protections.
      By the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' definitions, according to a memo released June 4, only two short stretches of the Los Angeles River are "traditionally navigable": 2 miles in the Sepulveda Basin and 1.75 miles in Long Beach. No one knows, just yet, what the consequences will be for Los Angeles – the river or the watershed – because the corps has not yet determined whether specific waters are or aren't covered by the act.
      Still, real threats remain to Clean Water Act protection for the dozens of ephemeral waterways that feed into the Los Angeles River. Environmentalists and local officials worry that without assurances of the federal protection that has kept these waterways (relatively) clean for more than a generation, people will be free to develop without oversight, and water quality and habitats will degrade bit by bit. The EPA could step up its involvement in making determinations of navigability. The EPA has the power to challenge corps decisions.
      Ideally, Congress should rewrite the Clean Water Act in plainer English. Fortunately, the House has already started the process with HR 2421, the Clean Water Restoration Act. The bill would replace the term "navigable waters of the United States" with "waters of the United States." We urge the committee to finish its work and get this bill onto the floor as soon as possible, and we call on the California delegation to support it.

Around Pasadena
Lawmakers OK Brown Act bill
Friday, June 20, 2008, Pasadena Star News
A bill that would add new language to the state's open-meetings law was approved by the state Legislature this week. SB 1732 would amend the Ralph M. Brown Act to clearly state that city staff cannot meet outside the public eye with elected officials to lobby them to vote for items on a public agenda. Staff would still be able to meet with officials to brief them on an agenda item - as long as there was no discussion of how officials planned to vote. A version of the bill last year was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Popular bike trail to close during basin cleanup
Tuesday, June 17, 2008, Pasadena Star News, By Airan Scruby, Staff Writer
      The San Gabriel River Spreading Grounds, along with its bike path, will be closed on weekdays for three months while the Los Angeles County Public Works Department scoops sediment from the basin. The closure of the 38-mile San Gabriel River Bike Trail, which runs from Seal Beach north to Azusa, will begin within the next week or two, Assistant Division Engineer Chris Stone said.
      Local cyclists say they are disappointed by the closure. Ernest Gonzalez, manager of G's Cyclery & Wheels, said many of his customers use the trail daily to bike to work.
      Stone said the summer closure is unavoidable, because water flows through the work area during the winter. "This is one of the things we need to do to help us conserve more rainfall during the winter months."

Wetlands funding effort is approved
Saturday, June 14, 2008, Long Beach Press Telegram, By Joe Segura, Staff Writer
      Three funding packages were approved this week by the Long Beach City Council, injecting new life into efforts to upgrade two of the city's natural resources The council gave the nod to the application for a $1 million grant for the Colorado Lagoon restoration effort; a second vote sealed a $1,050,985 contract for an engineering design study for that upgrade effort; and the third gave the green light to the receipt of a grant for $217,593 to assist in the design for proposed upgrades of the DeForest Wetlands Project east of the Los Angeles River in the city's northwest area.
      Colorado Lagoon is a 28.3-acre tidal lagoon that hosts sensitive estuarine habitat, provides recreation and retains and conveys storm flowr, and it is currently listed as one of the state's impaired water bodies. The total project cost is pegged at $12.6 million, and the city has received about $5.6 million, resulting in a $7 million shortfall.
      The grant for the DeForest Wetlands Project will "enhance the current spreading grounds and retention basins to include a functional multipurpose wetlands, groundwater recharge, and passive recreation, said Parks, Recreation and Marine Director Phil Hester. The district began the design phase of the projects in 2004, with its own funding, and the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. The district has completed the nearby Dominguez Gap Wetlands project, but only preliminary design and environmental review have been completed for the DeForest Wetlands project.

SEADIP Survey: Wetlands
June 12-18, 2008, Long Beach Gazette Newspapers, By Harry Saltzgaver, Executive Editor
A citywide survey of opinions about how to deal with development in southeast Long Beach has confirmed public priorities that activists long have claimed — restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands, improvement of traffic flow and only modest commercial development. The survey was prompted by a city council directive before going further to revamp the Southeast Area Development and Improvement Plan (SEADIP), a zoning master plan approved in 1977. At the same time, efforts were underway to redevelop part of the tank farm at Loynes Drive and Studebaker Road into a Home Depot retail center, and dense redevelopment of the SeaPort Marina Hotel.
Since that time, the Home Depot center project has been dropped and Lennar Homes has left the SeaPort project, which has started over with new development partners.
Restoration of Los Cerritos Wetlands was by far the top priority for respondents. Most of the wetlands is privately owned and is being operated as an active oil field. The respondents virtually ignore the potential for residential in the area, which has been another large component of the SeaPort redevelopment plan. Providing housing opportunities ranked dead last in priority. The survey report is available at www.longbeach.gov/plan/pb/apd/special_studies/seadip.asp .

Rising oil prices increase profits from area wells
Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Whittier Daily News, By Ben Baeder, Staff Writer
      Area oil-pumping companies that once eked out small profits from marginally producing wells now are reporting huge gains in oil sales from Whittier and Santa Fe Springs oil fields. Experts say once-dormant wells along the Puente Hills could be exploited again if oil prices keep rising. Trapped oil rests along a fault system that stretches from Montebello to northern Orange County," said J.C. "Mac" McFarland, an oil consultant.
      Breitburn Energy, which operates wells in Santa Fe Springs, had a rise in sales due in large part to buying additional fields. Plains Exploration and Production Co. - which runs about 100 wells in the Montebello hills and operates wells in other parts of the country - bought new fields. Matrix Oil, which operates wells in western Whittier drilled four new wells during the last two years,.
      Abandoned fields can be found in Rowland Heights, Whittier Narrows, Turnbull Canyon and Hacienda Heights, according to the California Department of Conservation. And all of them still have oil, according to information from the department.
      George Basye of Aera Energy LLC said the wells owned by the company in hills near Rowland Heights hardly produce much oil these days. Executives at Aera, which owns wells in the Puente Hills that have been pumped continuously since the 1880s, plan to develop the property. The wells probably will be abandoned, Basye said.

Whittier Hills are for habitat
Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Whittier Daily News, by Hazel Maxine Kestler, Whittier
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – Wow! Do I ever feel betrayed. After all these long, hard years of fighting to get the oil fields from Chevron and Unocal all cleaned up, purchased and preserved for wildlife habitat, and where the public could make use of the beauty of the hills for nature study, hiking, biking, walking, along comes a new Whittier City Council that is thinking about the possibility of drilling for oil again in that same area. This acreage that was purchased for wildlife habitat was purchased in part with Proposition A county bonds. So, how can a Whittier City Council legally rent, sell or lease the wildlife habitat out to the oil companies?

Aquarium of the Pacific Rides Wave of Popularity
Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Long Beach Press Telegram, By Paul Eakins, Staff Writer
LONG BEACH - As the Aquarium of the Pacific prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary this month, attendance there has risen every year since 2002, topping out at 1.4 million visitors in 2007, according to aquarium officials. The aquarium has 600 volunteers who help keep its day-to-day operations running. The aquarium, which is home to more than 12,500 ocean animals, representing nearly 500 species, has had its ups and downs since it opened June 20, 1998.
Through the years, the aquarium has opened several exhibits to expand its mission of education, many of which are interactive. This year, the aquarium opened new environmentally friendly "green" classrooms and a Gulf of California exhibit in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund. Officials also are planning to upgrade the aquarium's sea otter habitat with a $1 million donation it received from British Petroleum last year. As part of the aquarium's 10th anniversary celebration, a new exhibit called "Ocean on the Edge: Top 10 Ocean Issues" will open Friday.

Aquarium is a place to learn
Wednesday, June 11, 2008, Long Beach Press Telegram, By Tiffany Rider, Staff Writer
LONG BEACH - More than 200,000 students visit the Aquarium of the Pacific each year. The aquarium offers more than 100 programs to youth and families, 35 of which are school programs. Alie LeBeau, the teacher and school resources coordinator at the aquarium, said that the aquarium staff tailors presentations to reach youths and instill an appreciation for the environment, marine life and ecosystems.
The majority of students who attend the aquarium take advantage of the self-guided tours. Courses in classrooms are also available, for a more "hands-on educational experience." The majority of student visitors are at the elementary school level. The aquarium offers scholarships to students who need funding for expenses to visit.They provide free admission and a free bus ride to and from the aquarium. In 2007, the aquarium had 11,600 students on scholarship who brought another 1,200 chaperones with them.
The Ocean Experience is a boat trip offered by the aquarium twhere youth, "really can become oceanographers for the day." Students are given the opportunity to see what lives in the ocean by inspecting sea life caught in large cages off the boat. For those who are not able to make the trip to the aquarium, there is the Aquarium on Wheels, which holds tide-pool animals and baby sharks, and travels within a 50-mile radius. Youth Camps are offered to children ages 5 to 14. All are day camps, except for one sleepover camp for seventh- to ninth-grade students.

Aquarium Doing Swimmingly On 10th Birthday
June 5-11, 2008, Long Beach Gazette Newspapers, By Kurt Helin, Editor
      Starting at its annual black-tie Conservation Gala this Saturday, the Aquarium of the Pacific will spend the next year celebrating its decade in Long Beach. “If there was one place where we need to figure out how people can live and work in harmony with the environment, it is here in Long Beach.” said Dr. Jerry Schubel, now the CEO of the aquarium.
      That ties into the new exhibit that opens at the aquarium during the gala — Oceans on the Edge. The exhibit focuses on 10 problems impacting the ocean, and by extension the planet. Those include global warming, ocean pollution, overfishing and human population growth, just to name a few.
      “We'll open a new watershed exhibit and a new classroom this fall,” Schubel said. Money to build that new building (on the south side of the aquarium) came from a variety of sources: Rivers & Mountains Conservancy; Institute of Museum and Library Services; Metropolitan Water District; Water Replenishment District of Southern California; California Coastal Conservancy; Long Beach Water Department; and Los Angeles County Board of Supervisor Don Knabe and more.
      Aquarium board members are now looking at sponsors for a potential new expansion, one that will focus on the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and their impacts. Within the next decade, the aquarium would like to do an expansion that includes more rotating exhibit halls.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirms non-navigable status for most of L.A. River
Thursday, June 5, 2008, Los Angeles Times, By Deborah Schoch, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials announced today that they are standing by their decision that most of the Los Angeles River is not navigable. The ruling sparked sharp criticism from some other regulators and conservationists who warned that it will weaken federal Clean Water Act rules protecting the river's sprawling 834-square mile watershed. They believe the ripple effect of the decision will make is easier to develop large areas of the Santa Susana, Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains because landowners will not be required to obtain certain federal permits.
The Corps review of the river has been attracting national attention, since it is among the first to test the scope of a 2006 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened protection of certain seasonal streams of the sort common in Southern California and the arid West. The Corps made one change to its draft decision by adding as navigable the two miles of the Sepulveda Basin in the San Fernando Valley to the 1.75 miles of river between the ocean and the Pacific Coast Highway bridge in Long Beach. Adding the Sepulveda basin section of the river will extend protection to upstream tributaries, Corps official said, but they did not identify the specific streams.

Is the L.A. River up a creek?
Sunday, June 1, 2008, Los Angeles Times, By Deborah Schoch, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
      The Los Angeles River can't float enough boats to qualify as a full-fledged navigable waterway, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Critics say the draft decision issued by Corps regulators weakens federal water protections for many seasonal streams that feed the river. They say this could translate into more mountain development and more dirty runoff flowing through cities to the Pacific.
      A 2006 U.S. Supreme Court decision weakened the power of the Clean Water Act to protect certain seasonal streams. Federal regulators must first find the closest navigable waterway. Then they have to decide whether the stream has any effect on that waterway. If it doesn't, landowners may not be required to obtain certain federal permits before building homes, roads or other projects over those seasonal streams. Their plans, however, would still be subject to local laws and building codes.
      In a case involving the Los Angeles River, regulators determined that most of it isn't navigable in the first place. So some streams on the edges of its watershed – most in the mountains and foothills ringing Los Angeles – may lose some federal protection, critics say. "When we looked at the L.A. River, we did not find evidence of navigation" beyond the Pacific Coast Highway bridge in Long Beach, two miles north of the ocean, said Aaron Allen, the regulator who wrote the draft decision.
      Col. Thomas Magness, commander of the Corps office that oversees part of the Southwest, emphasized that the Corps is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on a final decision. "The implications of these decisions could be quite large," said David Smith, chief of wetlands regulation at the EPA southwest region, who has met twice with Corps officials while trying to change their decision.
      The drama got its start in the Santa Susana Mountains north of Chatsworth. There, rancher Wayne Fishback hoped to fill some seemingly dry stream beds to build a road and prevent erosion on his mountain property above Brown Canyon Wash, a tributary of the Los Angeles River. He asked for guidance from the Corps of Engineers, which regulates parts of the Clean Water Act. In Allen's review, he concluded that only 1.75 miles of the river upstream from the ocean is navigable. The remaining 49-mile stretch did not meet the legal test of being navigable, he wrote.For Fishback, that was good news: His land lies so far upstream from the PCH bridge that he probably can fill four of his streams without navigating the permit process.
      Some local officials are urging the Corps to conduct its review in public. Tracy Egoscue, executive officer of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, characterizes the Corps' decision as showing "a fundamental lack of understanding and respect for the resource to come in and make a decision without citizen involvement."

Montebello applies for park funds
Saturday, May 31, 2008, Pasadena Star News, By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
MONTEBELLO - A neglected area of overgrown brush surrounding the Rio Hondo might soon be replaced with open park space, bike paths and nature trails. The city is applying for a $9million grant to fund its Rio Hondo Riverscape Conservatory Project. The project is part of the regionwide Emerald Necklace Project, a 17-mile loop of trails and parks to be built between the Rio Hondo Channel and the San Gabriel Valley River. Also proposed is an educational facility that will be used for school field trips and teaching about the environment.
The city is in the second stages of applying for the grant from the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles rivers and Mountains Conservancy. Mayor Bill Molinari also noted part of the 35 acres is owned by the county and Plains Exploration & Production Co., which both support the project. PXP also owns the Montebello Hills, which may be developed with 1,200 residential homes. "We don't have enough recreational areas in the city and this would help," said City Administrator Richard Torres.

Whittier police to begin patrols of Greenway Trail on dirt bikes
Friday, May 30, 2008, Whittierr Daily News, By Nohemy Martinez, Correspondent
WHITTIER - Come Monday, the Whittier Police Department will be ready to combat vandalism along the 6-mile Greenway Trail with two new dirt bikes that are specially equipped for police use. The Greenway is a bicycle/walking trail that stretches from the northwest corner of Whittier and ends near Lambert Road and Mills Avenue.
Last February the Greenway Trail was vandalized near the Palm Park area. Someone smashed new pathway lights and sprayed graffiti on signs. The damage was estimated at $40,000. Capt. Jeff Piper said using dirt bikes will give police easier and faster access to the trail than traditional vehicles can. In addition to the motorcycles, the department will assign 40 specially trained volunteers and police bicyclists to patrol the area.

Bicentennial Park improvements in the works
Thursday, May 29, 2008, Whittier Daily News, By Airan Scruby, Staff Writer
PICO RIVERA - Plans to use more than 60 acres of empty land for recreation may be put into action within a year, according to city officials. City Manager Chuck Fuentes said a new development plan and funding to improve the Bicentennial Park area in Whittier Narrows is in its beginning stages. The property, leased at no cost to the city by the Army Corps of Engineers, was once the site of the Pico Rivera Stables and Bicentennial Campground, and still includes the Pico Rivera Sports Arena. The sports arena hosts musical acts under the supervision of Leba, Inc., which contracts with Pico Rivera to use the property at a cost of $300,000 annually.
Proposed improvements would be paid for by the city, the Watershed Conservation Authority, L.A. County Parks and Recreation and Supervisor Gloria Molina as well as the Water Replenishment District. Those improvements include expanding the sports arena and making it enclosable, reopening campgrounds for tents, building a multi-use structure for community events, restoring natural areas and possibly adding a water feature and sports fields for local leagues. The suggestions will be submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers, after consultation and meetings with the public to discuss their needs, according to Watershed Conservation Authority Deputy Executive Officer Alina Bokde. "The process hasn't really even started," Bokde said. "We anticipate it will be about 14 or 15 months out."
The total cost of the projects should be about $40 million, Fuentes said. The city will be responsible for about one-third of the amount, with other involved agencies paying the rest of the tab.

Larry Wilson: Pasadena park undergoes metamorphosis
Sunday, May 18, 2008, Pasadena Star News
I hadn't been in Washington Park, just west of Lake Avenue on Pasadena's Washington Boulevard, in years. I recalled a graffiti-defiled place with a reputation as a place for gangs to hang, as its gully is not visible from any passing police cruisers on the street. But it turns out that 18 months ago, thanks to the Friends of Washington Square Park, the city, the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, the Theodore Payne Foundation and other people of great goodwill, the historic park has been transformed into an oasis of native plants, playgrounds, a ball field and the best-maintained tennis courts I've seen in the city.
In the 1920s the park, the city's first north of downtown, was designed by the great horticulturist and California plant booster Payne himself, along with Ralph Cornell, the landscape architect with whom Payne partnered on Occidental College. But in recent years it had fallen into the squalor I had recalled. Now, it's vibrant again. The planting is almost entirely indigenous, and there's lots of signage explaining the native iris and toyon. While some graffiti appeared a few days ago, it was quickly painted over by city crews. Handball player Oscar pointd out the cameras that'll flash and take your mug if you're in there too late at night, along with an audio warning to get out.

Local farm celebrates anniversary
Sunday, May 18, 2008, Pasadena Star News
SOUTH EL MONTE - EarthWorks Community Farm held a community event Saturday to celebrate the farm's three-year anniversary. Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte, helped the farm honor 40-year community activist Victor Ledesma who has been involved with the community and the farm since its inception. The farm is a program of the L.A. Conservation Corps, whose mission is to offer at-risk young adults and school aged youth with opportunities to succeed by providing them with job training, education, and work skills with an emphasis on environmental and service projects that benefit the community.

Montebello hires firm to start EIR
Saturday, May 17, 2008, Whittier Daily News, By Amanda Baumfeld, Staff Writer
MONTEBELLO - The city, with opposition from residents, hired P&D Consultants to begin an Environmental Impact Report for a proposed project in the Montebello Hills. The project covers an estimated 487 acres of open space - one of the largest open spaces remaining in the San Gabriel Valley - and would include 1,200 residential homes, a series of trails and a public park.
The property is currently used as an active oil and gas production facility. The land is also home to the gnatcatcher, an endangered bird species that has prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to get involved in the negotiations. Two-thirds of the land must be devoted to a habitat for the bird.
The EIR process will take about a year and includes public meetings, a draft EIR, peer review, response to public meetings and the final EIR.

Council Approves Grants For Major City Park Projects
May 15-21, 2008, Long Beach Gazette Newspapers, By Harry Saltzgaver, Executive Editor
Long Beach is seeking nearly $5 million in grants for four park projects from the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, including two major projects along the San Gabriel River. The project with the largest potential long-term impact — a water conservation and water quality improvement plan at El Dorado Regional Park — would eventually convert six lakes in the regional park and adjacent Nature Center from potable water to reclaimed water. A second east Long Beach project would create a river walk park along the western levee of the San Gabriel River between Spring and Willow streets. The land currently is unused open space. Two big-ticket items are on the city's west side. The largest is restoration of the DeForest Park Wetlands near the Los Angeles River. The final grant request would help purchase the Pacific Electric Right of Way between Orange and Martin Luther King, Jr., avenues for development as a greenbelt with a pedestrian and bicycle trail.
The City Council approved the grant requests Tuesday. There is no date set for the request review by the conservancy board.

Grant to fund river makeover at Encanto Park
Sunday, May 11, 2008, Pasadena Star News, By Melissa Pamer, Staff Writer
DUARTE - By this time next year, Encanto Park could be edged with native plants and flowing water - part of a broader regional effort to provide access to the San Gabriel River. With a $508,000 state grant, Duarte will build a 1,000-foot-long "bioswale," or natural water filtration area, along the western perimeter of the park, which features views of the nearby San Gabriel Mountains and the river canyon. The bioswale - essentially a small wetlands in a narrow ditch - will filter runoff and help to solve a long-standing drainage problem at 12-acre Encanto Park.
The grant is from the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, which in 2006 provided $150,000 for planning the project. An outdoor classroom and interpretative signs will also be part of the project, funded with a $100,000 grant from county Supervisor Michael Antonovich.
The project goes along with the city's pledge in 2005 to support the Emerald Necklace park network. The "necklace" - would provide increased open space and access to parks along , the San Gabriel and the Rio Hondo rivers, from Duarte to Whittier. "One of the most beautiful places along the San Gabriel River is in Azusa andDuarte," said Belinda Faustinos, the conservancy's executive officer. Duarte officials are working with the Corps of Engineers to link Encanto Park to a nature trail along the river, to be called Encanto Nature Walk.

Long Beach cuts the ribbon on a wetlands wonder
May 9, 2008, Long Beach Press Telegram, By Pamela Hale-Burns, Staff Writer
LONG BEACH – With an array of beautiful flowers and wildlife in the background, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe cut the ribbon at the opening of the $7million, 50-acre Dominguez Gap Wetlands project in Long Beach on Thursday. The wetlands project, along the east and west sides of the Los Angeles River between Del Amo Boulevard and the San Diego (405) Freeway, still offers flood protection along the river's urban lower reaches. But it also helps improve groundwater quality, restores some native habitat and offers trails for walkers and horseback riders.
Water flows into the wetlands from the river and Long Beach-area storm drains. Some 1.3 million gallons per day is then treated by the wetlands' plant life, which removes traces of heavy metals, organic carbons, oil and greases from urban runoff. Some of the wildlife native to the area, including the red-shouldered hawk, the great blue heron, and the tri-colored blackbird, are returning to the region, according to county officials. Plants like purple sage, buckwheat, monkeyflower and willow trees are also part of the habitat. The 24-hour facility is open to the public except on storm days, when it is closed for security reasons.
Construction was funded with a $2.35 million Proposition 13 CALFED grant, $200,000 from Proposition 40 funds administered through the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy, $400,000 from the California Coastal Conservancy Wetland Recovery Project, and $4 million from the Los Angeles County Flood Control District.