Ballona Wetlands Land Trust

Ballona Wetlands Land Trust is a grass-roots, non-profit community organization, founded in 1994, dedicated to the acquisition, restoration, and preservation of the entire Ballona Wetlands ecosystem in Los Angeles, California.

June 2010

On March 26, 2010, Ballona supporters packed the City Council chambers at L.A. City Hall to show their opposition to further development on the Wetlands. The council voted in favor of massive new development, gridlocked traffic and pollution, and passed Playa Vista Phase 2 on a 12 to 2 vote.

Councilmember Bill Rosendahl kept his word and honored his pledge to vote No on Phase 2 while Phase 1 is not yet fully built or occupied, and its traffic impacts not yet fully known and mitigated.

Also voting no was Councilmember Paul Koretz, who was concerned about the many birds and animals killed by cars on roads adjacent to Playa Vista, and the lack of safe wildlife corridors.

A big THANK YOU to councilmembers Rosendahl and Koretz! Thank you for voting with your conscience in the face of huge pressures from developers and politicians!

And fervent thanks also to our wonderful supporters–your cards, letters, and emails to councilmembers persuaded two members of the council to vote No!

On April 6 the Council again voted in favor of the project, and Mayor Villaraigosa signed the paperwork approving the project shortly thereafter.

However, our fight for Ballona Southeast continues!  We know we can count on our many enthusiastic supporters, and we’ll also be reaching out to other Ballona groups.  Litigation will continue to be a primary focus, as well as the involvement of the wider Los Angeles community.  Our goal of a Natural Treatment Wetland is crucial, and we plan to obtain an engineering assessment of the proposed area for it.

We will need your help! If you are willing to contribute your time to our efforts, whether through donations, tabling at events, or help with fundraising, please contact us. We have come a long way with your support, and we can still save the remaining open space at Ballona!

The Natural Treatment Wetland could clean Ballona and Centinela creeks before they reach the preserved 600-acre Ballona Ecological Reserve and Santa Monica Bay. This could be done at a fraction of the cost of mechanical water purification; our vision is not only ecological; it is financially viable.
For more information go to www.naturaltreatmentsystem.org, or read the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust’s Vision Book,  “Natural Treatment Wetlands at Ballona Southeast”(pdf).