L.A. River Becomes A Priority: DWP Approves $3m for Consultant

Councilman Reyes, in 2002 you helped create an Ad Hoc Committee on the Los Angeles River, which involved the chairs of several different council committees in creating a common river rivitalization vision.The city has now announced that it is searching nationwide for a consultant to devise a river plan. Please update us on the work of the Ad Hoc Committee and your expectations for this study.

The committee has been able to bring forth the cutting edge of development ideas from throughout the country. Several cities from different states have presented to us their own development plans, processes, and governing structures in order to inform us about all the different elements required to put together a revitalization of the full river. On top of that, we've had a tremendous participation by the local neighborhoods and community groups, as well as the official jurisdictions – the county, the state, and the federal government.

We have enjoyed an incredible relationship with the Army Corps of Engineers. We have a three-star general here in the city, so we spent six or seven hours with him on one day flying over the river, looking at all the development scenarios that would improve natural habitats, such as cleaning the water and taking out the contaminants, and how to use these as economic development engines that can attract investment to create riverfront-type development.

So, by balancing all of these different stakeholders and looking at all the different issues, we were trying to create a reservoir of information. This knowledge base allows us to move in a pragmatic manner that speaks to a strong base of support, which will put us in a position to return our "backyard" to a "front yard." So again, the whole process of the committee has been to create a focal point. I believe we've accomplished that in the strong work of Jan Perry, Eric Garcetti, Wendy Gruel, and Tom LeBonge, along with the support of the mayor. We've been able to get to a point now where we can articulate the kind of vision that we feel this place deserves. A metropolis like Los Angeles should have its own waterway that can compete with all the cities of the world.

What is the council's timetable for awarding a contract for the river planning study?

On February 1, 2005, we plan to release the RFP. On the 15th, we'll probably have a mandatory pre-submittal meeting at the Board of Public Works. Submittals will be due on April 1. The week of April 11, top firms will be selected, and we hope that by May 9 we will have a compliance review. Then on July 1, we should have notice to proceed. What is really exciting about this is that we have Members of Congress like Lucille Roybal-Allard who have been able to put forth the L.A. River as part of the mission of the Army Corps of Engineers and its national leadership. We have an incredible amount of energy pushing the momentum forward. And so it's very exciting for me to see this stage of development, because it speaks to how multi-jurisdictional efforts can come together to make these dreams a reality.

It's been very fruitful and we are, I believe, picking up momentum. In the era of term limits, it is harder to appreciate the speed at which we are moving. But I strongly feel that I only have five years left, and I need to make as strong a push as possible to set the table for a new type of scenario that meets the needs of our environment and stimulates natural settings, while relieving the pressures of many neighborhoods which have for decades have been neglected. I strongly believe that how we manage the river will also define how we manage the adjacent communities along the river.

Elaborate on the talents and experience that you hoping to secure through the RFP and what you hope the selected river consultant will produce for the city.

Well, the consultant will have to be a very dynamic, cutting-edge type that understands the pushing and pulling forces in an area that runs through a major part of the Southern California region. We will have to find a person or an entity that can absorb the watershed issues that define the river as a central corridor and major waterway. The consultant will have to be able to prioritize the flood control channel, where public safety is paramount. Simultaneously, the consultant will have to balance all the needs of a water system and understand the flow of water that we must clean before it gets to the beach and the ocean, while also understanding the very serious land-use implications, which require the ability to engage and respect the cultural and language diversity that you find up and down the river.

As you can see, we're looking forward to working with a very dynamic team that can fold in these priorities of natural habitat, the ability to clean our water and eliminate contaminants, creation of multiple benefits in each location that become part of our urban fabric and create identities – or re-emphasize identities – of the different neighborhoods along the river, and that is able to engage the community and understand how to listen to the community folks. Some people take communities for granted because of their income levels or because people don't speak English, which I think is a big mistake. We're trying to weave a fabric that reflects the great tapestry of diversity and cultural uniqueness up and down the river corridor.

Councilmember, as a recipient this month of an award from the AIA/LA, you are the most expert city official to ask: How difficult a challenge will it be for any consultant to balance community interests, economic development interests, flood control, and natural habitat issues along the lengthy L.A. River corridor that runs from the San Fernando Valley south to the Ocean? That seems like a tall task.

It is a tall task, but then again, they told us that the Gold Line would never be built, and we built it on time and under budget with many of these same complexities. I believe the river is a much grander and greater challenge because of its relationship to the region. But I also feel that any great public works project like this requires the kind of attention we have been giving to it.

On the one hand, some might feel that we've been moving too fast, but on the other hand, this process has been talked about for the past 25 to 30 years. Not until today have we reached this level of maturity when it comes to making decisions about what is best for the region. In my mind, because it is so complicated, we need to be that much more methodical. We need to be that much more purposeful in every action we take, understanding that the only way it will work is through consensus-building and going through the pain – call it creative tension if you will – between all the different groups. Yes, it is a challenge. But it's something that we need to do and can't shy away from.

We need to approach it in a very respectful way but be very aggressive in terms of trying to reach real objectives. We have to push this to a point where we can start competing on a national basis for funding to clean our waterways, lower air pollution through landscaping, and be innovative in our public policies with respect to the built environment. This where we start bringing forward concepts like green rooftops, or the vision of mixed-use housing with schools under one roof. This is where we start talking about cleaning the waterways while creating peaceful, attractive settings where people can congregate, get together, and live as a community with all its diversity.

There has already been some progress near Downtown with Taylor Yard and the Cornfield now being converted to state parks. How do these two state parks fit into your plans for revitalization along the river?

They are very important. They will be like giant anchors that cause everyone to pause and take a break in these parks. We will start grading Taylor Yard in December and hope to see the construction of the Cornfield happening very soon. We are working closely with the state on that. These parks will be the biggest pearls, if you will, of a necklace of parks that can evolve along the river. These will be the two biggest pieces, which will showcase and celebrate the history of the city at its birthplace. They also have the ability to change the image of an area that has been historically viewed as undesirable, that has been penalized and given all of the ‘not in my backyard' uses that have been strung along this corridor – meaning the rail lines, the pipelines, the oil lines, and the sewer lines.

And so the image and sense of place are profound in these changes. People will realize that we have a very real river if we give it a chance to breathe, and if we give it the kind of nourishment it deserves through creative architectural and urban design approaches, then many other constituencies will see what could happen in their own backyards up and down the river. So for me, these parks are a great platform on which we can revitalize areas of the city that have been neglected over many decades.

Let's turn to your idea, which you have floated in past interviews, of using inflatable dams to create a small lake near Downtown, as was done in Tempe, Arizona. Elaborate on that idea, and whether it might be part of the ultimate plan/vision brought back to the Council.

As controversial as it may sound, the rubber dam concept is based in reality. It's not wishful thinking; it's not a notion that is out of reach. The Army Corps of Engineers thinks that it is a very exciting concept. Some people might say that we are just "putting lipstick on a pig." But, if it is designed with a systemwide approach, if it has multiple rows, if we use it as a staging area for water to feed wetlands up and down the stream, if we use it to create amphitheaters and other locations for gathering that serve as a magnet pulling people along the corridor on bikeways and pathways, then I believe that we will have achieved many of the goals that we set out to achieve and created multiple benefits.

It is very real. The question now is: How do we engineer it? How do we maintain the integrity of our purpose, which is flood control? The Army Corps of Engineers has said it's doable. It is a matter of our approach and design.

In closing, and with your first term on the Council coming to an end, how hard it is to break down bureaucratic silos? What lessons have you learned through grappling with the difficult working relationship between the city and the school district on school facilities that are applicable to your efforts to work holistically on river restoration?

Well, what I have learned is that there is a real sense of mission about how schools are being built. Because of the time factor for the resources, as well as our interest in alleviating the pressure that has built up in our year-round, overcrowded schools, they are moving very methodically. I understand and respect that sense of purpose. But, I believe that pressure points have now been relieved somewhat because of these efforts, and so now it is time to shift gears a little bit and allow for new kinds of concepts. For example, why not create housing for teachers as part of their compensation, so their salary doesn't just pay for the rent or the mortgage? Why not support them by creating facilities that include housing nearby or on top, lending themselves to a greater quality of life and hopefully attracting the personnel we need to fill these teaching roles?

It's true, one could take the point of view and say, "Education is my problem, and housing is your problem, not mine." I can see how someone can slip into that. But at the same time, we need to start opening up and creating more flexibility to allow for housing near schools. It has been very hard because of this strict schedule saying, "It's got to get done by this time." But that is a double-edged sword. We will miss opportunities that are realistic if we don't refocus. After this round of elections, in the next two or three months, I want to regroup and come back to those areas in which we have some strong opportunities. But again, we need to continue to court the school district and work with the board to find ways to address our housing needs and recreation needs and speak to the environment of students in its totality.