Donald Sterling visits South LA church + Bernard Parks defends Magic Johnson



Donald Sterling at a South LA church | NBC screenshot

Donald Sterling at a South LA church | NBC screenshot

NBC Los Angeles: Shunned Clippers-owner Donald Sterling made an appearance last weekend at a South L.A. church with a predominantly Black population, telling NBC, “I’m here to support this wonderful group.”

LA Times: South L.A. councilman Bernard Parks praises Magic Johnson’s investments in the neighborhood in wake of Donald Sterlings harsh words against the basketball legend.

See also on Intersections: Bernard Parks reflects on 50 years of public service

Streetsblog LA: Why is South L.A.’s Harvard Park often “awfully empty?” Sahra Sulaiman says the lack of sidewalks around the park prevents accessibility.

Streetsblog LA: Check out the new bike lanes on Grand Ave. south of Downtown.

South LA schools turn campus playgrounds into public parks



A sign advertises the weekend hours for the Trinity School park. | Joey Wong

A sign advertises the weekend hours for the Trinity School park. View more photos on Flickr. | Joey Wong

 

As summer hits and schools close down in South L.A., where do the children play?

The area is low on parks, and parents are often too busy working to take kids to parks or other recreation areas. If the children have nowhere to go, they may resort to playing on the street or staying at home with video games.

Two organizations are working to provide another option. People for Parks and Beyond the Bell are partnering with schools to turn the playgrounds into “Community School Parks” open to children on the weekends and throughout summer. [Read more…]

South L.A.’s Martin Luther King Jr. park scores new sports field



MLK Jr. Elementary 5th grade class with community leaders.

Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary 5th grade class with community leaders. | Stephanie Monte

A class of fifth graders from Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in South L.A. excitedly rushed to score goals at the school’s new sports field on Thursday, just next door at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center.

Councilmember Bernard Parks and representatives from the Department of Recreation and Public Works were on hand to announce the completion of a project that they say will provide a safe place for kids to play and exercise.

To hear comments from Parks and others, click play on an audio story from Annenberg Radio News:

The bright green synthetic grass field measures 80 by 130 feet and is surrounded by fencing and two sets of bleachers. The construction cost about $650,000 from a special project fund. [Read more…]

LA Parks Initiative Opens South LA Park



Click here to read the story.

Grand opening for Trinity Street Elementary’s community-park



By Steve Weingarten of People for Parks

Los Angeles ranks last among major U.S. cities for access to public green space. Only about 1 in 3 L.A. kids live within walking distance (a quarter-mile) of a park, compared to more than 90% of young Bostonians and New Yorkers. That isn’t to say we don’t have wonderful “super-parks,” from Griffith and Exposition to the beaches and mountains. Most families, though, can’t afford to drive to a park. One problem in changing that is that land in the urban core is more often turned into strip malls, not pocket parks.

Five years ago, People for Parks developed an alternative approach. Hundreds of school playgrounds in “park-poor” neighborhoods are paved with asphalt simply because it’s cheap and easy to maintain, not because that the best surface for recreation. Why not tear up as much asphalt as possible and landscape them for the benefit of the students during the daytime and for the surrounding community on weekends and during school breaks?

First the L.A. City Council approved the concept of Community-School Parks, followed by the L.A. Unified School District. The economic crisis knocked the City of L.A. out of the picture, but the LAUSD and People for Parks continued working on the project. Now — on Saturday, Jan. 28 — we will cut the ribbon on our first CSP and it’s in your readership area: Trinity Street Elementary. Visit the PFP website at www.peopleforparks.orgimage

Daisies in the concrete



By Kiran Kazalbash

Jim Park has worked for the Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department for over 30 years as a landscape architect and park planner. As one of the designers for the Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Park, he has seen the seeds he planted for this project become a beautiful natural area for the public to enjoy year-round. He sees the park as an oasis in the middle of densely populated South LA; a place where people can come to exercise, picnic and enjoy the spectacular views of the greater Los Angeles area.

Creating healthy neighborhoods



imageBy Eddie North-Hager

This is the second part of a series called Healthy ‘Hoods, which examines the notion of environmental injustice in South Los Angeles.

Hiking along some of the seven miles of trails in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, it’s easy to forget how close you are to the middle of the city. And with four more parks comprising nearly 60 acres right across the street, it’s easy to think that South Los Angeles is filled with parks just like this one.

But this rich concentration of green space in the far northwest corner of South L.A. belies the fact that the rest of this area is so park poor.

How did western L.A. County end up having 59 acres of park space per 1,000 people and South L.A. end up with 1.2 acres per 1,000 people?

According to the report in “Parks and Park Funding in Los Angeles: An Equity Mapping Analysis,” the evidence adds up to a conclusion that environmental injustice was no accident.

Past discrimination in housing, past discrimination in employment, ongoing placement of facilities that pollute, and the inequity in locations for urban services add up to the reality that the poor and communities of color are likely to be relegated to park-poor neighborhoods, reports the study’s author, Jennifer Wolch, Dean of the College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley.

“[W]ealthier districts are more likely to boast plentiful parks and greenbelts provided by public funding,” the report finds.

Some of the problems we are facing today have their roots in laws created in 1904, according to the report. It was the first ordinance to regulate where business and residences could locate.

The zoning code “protected the affluent, predominantly Anglo Westside from industrial uses and high density housing,” finds Wolch, who was then the director of the USC Center for Sustainable Cities.

Industry and high-density housing were allowed to locate, instead, right by the city’s eastern and southern areas, where the working class called home. Parks and other urban amenities were located in other parts of town. As parks increase a home’s value, this inequality translates into a larger gap between the rich and poor, the report finds.

Los Angeles wasn’t alone. In 1912, the city of Torrance developed a well-thought-out plan to house the city’s workers, mainly Latinos, downwind of the city’s industrial plants and their pollutants, Wolch reports.

In addition to school segregation through the 1940s and racially restrictive housing covenants through the 1950s, parks were also historically segregated in Los Angeles.

Blacks could only swim in the public pool on International Day, the day before the pool was cleaned and the water drained, according to “Healthy Parks, Schools, and Communities: Mapping Green Access and Equity” by Robert García and Aubrey White of City Project.

Bruce’s Beach in Manhattan Beach was one of the few beaches blacks could enjoy in the 1920s. By the ‘30s, city officials forced them out, leaving only one other place for blacks to enjoy the ocean — the Inkwell at Pico Boulevard — according to the City Project report.

“The struggle to maximize public access to public lands while ensuring the fair treatment of people of all colors, cultures, and incomes can transform the Los Angeles region into a more livable, democratic, and just community, and provides a replicable advocacy model for community redevelopment,” García and Aubrey report.

With such a history, how can a neighborhood — especially one so dense and so park poor as South Los Angeles — become a healthy neighborhood that encourages physical activity?

Build parks near homes. Keep sidewalks safe. Create bike lanes. These attributes lead to “walkable communities” because they encourage people to walk more, according to the study, “Walking and Bicycling: An Evaluation of Environmental Audit Instruments.”

“Applying public health criteria to land-use and urban design decisions could substantially improve the health and quality of life of the American people,” according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Walking a little more or having a park nearby could help shed just a few pounds. A few makes an impact — losing seven pounds helps reduce the risk of developing diabetes in high-risk patients by 60 percent, and diabetes is linked to obesity.

“If you make some changes, you can feel safe walking to the corner store or the mall,” says Anthony Crump, a policy analyst with the Community Health Councils in South L.A. “If you have a bike lane and bike parking, kids and adults will be more likely to use them.”

In the same way, shade trees, crosswalks, street furniture and other types of infrastructure can encourage people to walk. People are more likely to ride bicycles when there are bike racks to park their bike and bike lanes that are clearly marked.

The Children’s Nature Institute is attempting to deal with South L.A.’s urban legacy by enticing kids to go outside and enjoy the local flora and fauna.

“You have to get a lot out the space you have,” says Michelle Rhone-Collins, executive director of the Children’s Nature Institute in South L.A. “There are barriers that keep people from the pristine spaces. So how do you still continue to experience nature and access those benefits? With us, we are going to walk right outside of the door.”

Institute staff take children on hikes right on the city streets and inspect ant hills, spider webs and bean pods. They take what they can get and use it as a science lesson and a moment of wonder.

It seems intuitive that green space would be a healthful benefit. Still, it’s easy to underestimate how much of a difference it can make on your mind and body.

“There are demonstrable benefits to having open space as well as experiencing different species of birds and animals, even when people are not trained to know what they are looking at,” says Travis Longcore, science director of the Urban Wildands Group and an associate professor at the University of Southern California.

“Every study says yes it matters. People internalize elements of their environment,” Longcore says.

But how much of an effect can it be?

People in an office with plants score better on repetitive task and memory recall, Longcore says.

Consider:
Physical activity relieves depression and anxiety, which also correlate to high blood pressure and heart attacks.
Outdoor play is critical to a child’s cognitive development
Views of nature are linked to the mitigation of attention deficit disorder.

“Studies show that when going outside for exercise, it is better for your psychological health and well being, as well as helping prevent obesity and diabetes,” Rhone-Collins says.

In the third part of the series, we’ll look at a hiking path and green space in the South L.A. community of Leimert Park that was saved from being developed into apartments and hillside homes.

This story originally appeared on KCET.org

Eddie North-Hager is the founder and editor of hyper-local social network and news site Leimert Park Beat. This project was made possible through the support of the USC Annenberg Health Journalism Fellowship program, funded by The California Endowment.

Obesity epidemic hits South L.A. harder than most



imageBy Eddie North-Hager

“Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States.”

That quote should read like a public health bombshell, yet it’s not even news anymore. It was the opening line of a study published in “Science” magazine back in 1998. The authors, James O. Hill of the University of Colorado and J.C. Peters of Procter and Gamble, Co., were among the first to identify this American public health disaster. But, if anything, the problem has gotten worse.

From 1980 to 2004, the percentage of young people who were obese tripled nationwide, rising to 18 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Here in Los Angeles County, officials report more than half the adult population is now overweight.

And while obesity is a problem for Americans in all walks of life, it’s worse when you don’t live near a park, when access to public transportation is limited, when sidewalks are broken and streetlights are few.

“We have to recognize that where we live affects our health,” says Anthony Crump, a policy analyst for Community Health Council, a group that aims to eliminate health disparities in South Los Angeles.

Crump studies the relationship between the built environment and personal health.

“If you live with limited access to parks and recreation, to high quality food, it is reflected in your health status,” Crump says.

In fact, a National Institutes of Health study found that just living in a socioeconomically deprived area leads to weight gain and a greater risk of dying at an early age.

As a homegrown example, people in Culver City live an average of eight years longer than people in Jefferson Park, according to Crump. Yet these two communities in the middle of Los Angeles are only a couple of miles apart.

“There are a whole lot of reasons why, but the bottom line is that the disparity is huge,” Crump says. “Look at the big picture and it’s a stark reality.”

The neighborhoods of South Los Angeles suffer more than most:

– Thirty-three percent of children there are overweight.
– One in seven residents has diabetes, compared to one in 12 in West L.A.
– Forty-two percent of South L.A. residents live below the federal poverty level, compared to only 12 percent in West L.A., and the numbers correspond with the rate of diabetes in each area.

South Los Angeles — nearly 100 square miles and a million people — also happens to be the most park poor area of Los Angeles, with about 1.2 acres of park space per 1,000 people. The national standard is 6 acres for every 1,000 residents. Western Los Angeles county has 59 acres of parks per 1,000 residents.

But South L.A. is not alone in terms of limited park space. Nearly two-thirds of the children in Los Angeles County — mostly the children of the poor — have no park or playground near their home, according to the City Project, which promotes increased parks and recreation for underserved communities.

“When you have less access to parks and the streets are unfriendly for walking and biking, there is less physical activity among kids and adults alike,” Crump says.

There have been some positive changes, though. Dania Bautista is trying to shed a few pounds, and the city has made it a little bit easier for her. The 29-year-old works up a sweat at Van Ness Park in South L.A. on the outdoor elliptical machine, one of several pieces of workout equipment installed throughout the park.

She comes to the park to watch her friends play soccer. Instead of being just a spectator, she takes the opportunity to get in a workout.

“I do this for my health — I’m fat and I need to lose weight and it’s not pretty,” said Bautista, who operates a tamale cart. “Before, I didn’t work out at all.”

Even modest weight loss (only 7 pounds) has been shown to reduce the risk of developing diabetes by nearly 60 percent. That’s 30 minutes of physical activity on most days. It’s going to the park or riding your bike to the market.

Ultimately, the health of a neighborhood can be measured by the levels of obesity and chronic disease, cardiovascular health, and exposure to pollution and cancer causing agents.

The stakes are high and involve more than just individual health. Obesity greatly increases the risk of developing many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, lung disease, asthma, cancer and depression.

Medical care associated with such illnesses costs California tens of billions of dollars — care for diabetes alone cost Los Angeles County $5.6 billion in 2005.

As Hill and Peters wrote in 1998, “To stop and ultimately reverse the obesity epidemic, we must ‘cure’ this environment.”

So how do you cure the environment? How do you create healthier neighborhoods? In the second part of this series, “Healthy ‘Hoods,” we’ll look at the ingredients needed.

This story originally appeared on KCET.org

Eddie North-Hager is the founder and editor of hyper-local social network and news site Leimert Park Beat. This project was made possible through the support of the USC Annenberg Health Journalism Fellowship program, funded by The California Endowment.

Developers plan large skate park next to Watts Towers



Skate park developers plan large skate park next to Watts Towers from 89.3 KPCC on Vimeo.

Some residents question whether a proposed $350,000 skate park billed as a way to help keep kids out of gangs is the best use for a vacant lot that sits in the shadow of the historic Watts Towers. Professional skateboarders and skate park developers are working with Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn’s office to build a large skate park. It’s a project that has a big fundraising campaign behind it; the Tony Hawk Foundation has already raised $80,000 to get the project off the ground.

But some Watts residents envision an outdoor green space, not a skate park.

“It’s not best use for that site,” said Janine Watkins, who owns a house next to the vacant lot and is also part of the Watts Towers Task Force, which helps conserve the towers and the area around it. “We already have so much concrete in Watts and they want to come and put more in.”


Courtesy California Skate Parks

Professional skateboarders and skate park developers are working with Councilwoman Janice Hahn’s office to build a large skate park in a vacant lot next to the Watts Towers. But supporters of the planned skate park believe the project could go a long way toward helping turn around a community with a history of violence.

“A park like this could have saved a lot of my friends’ lives,” said Terry Kennedy, an L.A.-based skater who grew up in Long Beach. “Because having somewhere to go and kick it, that’s the most important thing coming up in the inner city. If those kids don’t have something to grab their attention, then it’s on the streets.”

California Skateparks, out of Upland, envision an “artistic skateable environment” with mosaics, around three rings that mimic the design of the Watts Towers. Developers envision a place where kids can come to see demos and even participate in art clinics. If approved, it would be the first of its kind in the area.

Mark Hammond, a 21-year-old who skates in the area, thinks this would be a healthy activity.

“Skaters stay away from crime,” Hammond said. “It gives them an alternative to gang-banging.”

The Tony Hawk Foundation, an organization started by professional skater Tony Hawk, is trying to spread that message by helping cities build skate parks like the one proposed for Watts. Since the fall, Hawk’s foundation has raised $80,000 for the project. The Watts Tower skate park was the main recipient of its annual pledge drive, and Hawk also raised money through online campaigns.

There’s a lot of star power and heft behind the project. Supporters hope to raise the rest of the money for the project through outreach efforts from sports agent Circe Wallace, who also worked with Hahn’s office to build a similar skate park in San Pedro. Wallace represents pro skateboarders such as Kennedy and is approaching corporate sponsors and private donors.

But some residents don’t want a skate park near their homes. They want a conventional park.

“A lot of people in our neighborhood don’t have space to even put up a swing set on their yard,” said Jamika Graham, who lives a few blocks from the Watts Towers with her two children. “That space would be perfect for a regular park for everyone to use.”

The area around the Watts Towers is already a popular destination among local children and skateboarders.

Douglos Cisneros has worked as a security guard at the Watts Towers for six years. He says the neighborhood around the towers has gotten safer over the past five years. His biggest security threat, he says, is keeping the kids who do hang out there out of trouble.

“When the schools are on vacation there will be 20 or 25 kids hanging around, jumping on the fences,” Cisneros said. “I have to yell at them ‘Please get off. Please don’t do that.’”

Miki Vuckovich, executive director of the Tony Hawk Foundation, believes the spot which does see a lot of foot traffic, would be a perfect location for a skate park.

“Skate parks needs to be built somewhere out in the open,” Vuckovich said.

Janine Watkins says the neighbors who oppose the project are supportive of skate parks, just not next to the Watts Towers. She is working with her neighbors to convince the developers to build the park at the Jordan Downs housing project, located near David Starr Jordan High School.

“That’s not going to happen,” Wallace said. “The reality is that lot has been sitting vacant for 20 years. … What we want is a mixed use facility – grassy green zone, community areas, an environment that makes everyone feel engaged and doesn’t alienate anyone.”

Officials plan to hold community meetings about the proposal in the coming months.

“We don’t want to force anything upon the Watts neighborhood,” Wallace said.

————-

This story is part of a collaboration between KPCC.org and Intersections: The South Los Angeles Report, a hyperlocal project from the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.