Grace E.

Simons, Chairman
No, 33 Jan, 20, 1970
NATURE'S REVENGE -- THE PARK FIGHTS BACK
ELYSIAN PARK, ravished, mutilated, neglected for a decade, has struck back
uith a massive landslide, Earth, trees, boulders, power lines and 200,000 gallons
of ;ater cascaded do;m the hill, depositing on Golden State freeuay a mound of
debris 100 feet wide and 30 feet deep, As if by design, the park picked a time
that uould cause motorists the greatest inconvenience. The slide occurred about
10 A.M. December 31, It created monumental traffic jams for Ne; Year's Eve re-
velers and the annual New Year's Day safari to Pasadena,
THE ELYSIAN EARTHSLIDE is a warning.to city and state to stop moving moun-
tains to accommodate automobiles. Blaming the unstable nature of the terrain for
the slide is simply an easy "out" for officials. The instability of the land uas
knmm as far back as 1937. l<hatever the immediate cause, contributing factors un-
doubtedly the long neglect of the park's water system, together ;ith the cut-
ting of the Elysian Hills for freeways and Dodger Stadium roads, Isn't it time
to provide proper irrigation for Elysian Park and to call a halt to park mutila-
tions?
HELICOPTER NOISE -- HHO POLICES THE POLICE?
THE POLICE COMMISSION was told by the Recreation and Parks Commission Jan.
5 to vacate the helipad it established, illegally, on park land adjacent to
Elysian Park -- but the helicopters are still flying. Permission to use the
site temporarily for pilot training ;as granted by the Rec. and Parks Dept. last
May, On Dec, 18 and again on Dec, 22, the Commission turned do;m a police re-
quest for a permit for continued use of the area because of its incompatibility
with park purposes, Query: How do you evict the police? Call the Police Dept.?
$500,000 ASKED FOR PARK IRRIGATION
COUNCILMAN ROBERT J. STEVENSON has requested approximately $500,000 in
the 1970-71 City Budget for irrigation in Elysian Park. This as approved by
the Rec, and Parks Commission Jan. 8, and now goes to the City Administrative
Officer.
NEll DEPARTMENT ON ENVIRONMENT
liELCOMED, BUT IT NEEDS MORE TEETH
IN A RARE SHOI'I of leadership, the City Council on Feb, 15 approved by a
10-4 vote a proposal for a ne; Department of Environmental Standards and instruct-
ed the City Attorney to draw up an ordinance for its establishment. It is to
have authority to implement a comprehensive program and enforce standards for im-
provement of the total environment. The proposal stemmed from three separate mo-
tions introduced by Councilmen Ernani Bernardi, Marvin Braude and Arthur Snyder,
SUCH A DEPARTMENT could provide a springboard for a concerted attack on
all types of pollution, but its effectiveness will depend upon how it is set up.
As presented, the proposal is in its protection of open space and its or-
ganizational structure. It should at least protect the integrity of parks by
prohibiting traffic arteries, helipads and other non-park intrusions. It should
also provide for a land bank. The bank would become a depository for any parcels
of city-owned land not needed by city departments, with a view to making such
land available for park or recreation purposes uhere desirable, The present prac-
tice is to sell "surplus" land to connnercial interests.
THE NEW DEPARTMENT uill embark upon a challenging, but uncharted, course
that ;ill require judgments in diverse and specialized disciplines. No one man
should be expected, by himself, to determine policy in matters of such magnitude,
while also managing the department. The two functions should be separated.
Policy should be left to a board of commissioners, either elected or chosen from
lists provided by professional and conservation organizations. They should have
civil service protection. The city's environmental future should not be entrust-
ed to run-of-the-mill political appointees.
NO, MAYOR YORTY
SOMEONE SHOULD TELL the Mayor that pollution is a dirty ;mrd, He uants to
dump millions of tons of garbage into six park and mountain canyons -- from now
until 1990! That means 20 years of pollution of mountain scenery, soil and under-
lying ;ater. Sites selected are in Griffith Park, Santa Monica Mountains, San
Fernando Valley and San Pedro. The plan should be rejected with a loud "NO"!
: ITIZENSC0MMITyTEE TO SAVE ELSIAN PA:RK'
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ilo,7>2 Morton Ave., Los A!Jgeles, Ciilif. 90026 /;MiA 5-,842.
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PROPOSED CHARTER A THREAT TO OPEN SPACE
DEFENDERS of the proposed L.A. City Charter seem to hold the naive
that future mayors "ill be all-"ise, public-spirited men of integrity, "ho "'ill
shun temptations to line their pockets at the public's expense. If reality
should prove then in three or fou!" years the people "ill be able
to the self-serving rascal out of office. The argument is that by concen-
trating po"er in the hands of the mayor, people nill knon "ho is responsible for
any wrong-doing. Perhaps so, but that non't save beach or camp or open space.
THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE is not interested in pointing the finger of blame,
after the. parks are gone. uant to keep the parks intact. To do this, the char-
ter must safeguard the people's right to intervene "henever a threat arises. No
such safeguard exists in the proposed charter. For this and other reasons, it
must be rejected.
DON'T BLACKTOP THE GREEN TRIANGLES
RECREATION AND PARKS plans to give a number of pleasant green triangles
dotted throughout the city to Public 1?orks, "hich could doom them to burial un-
der blacktop. Why not keep them as mini-parks? We need every one of these
oases in our desert of blacktop and concrete!
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