FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Green Party of Los Angeles County
www.cagreens.org/lacounty
Thursday, May 18th, 2006
- Mike Feinstein, Green Party County Co-coordinator, mfeinstein@feinstein.org
- Sara Amir, Green Party County Co-coordinator, saraamir@earthlink.net
"We call upon the Mayor and City Council to allocate funds necessary
to preserve the land for urban agriculture and community use” said
GPLAC co-coordinator Mike Feinstein, a former Mayor of Santa
Monica.
"Doing so would not only keep the social justice promise made
to the community in 1992, when it was given the land to farm
after the urban uprising. But standing by now while the farm
is destroyed would actually conflict with the Open
Space and Conservation Element of the Los Angeles General Plan," he
said.
The introduction to the Open Space and Conservation Element states
that " economic, social, and ecological imperatives require
that Los Angeles take full advantage of all existing open space
elements
in the City."
It goes on (under Objective 6.4 “Community Stability”)
to specifically name South Central Los Angeles as an area in
need of more parks and open space -- especially spaces that “contribute
positively to the stability and identity of the communities and
neighborhoods in which they are located” -- and references
how such spaces can establish "economic stability" and “pride
of place” in neighborhoods, all of which has already been
achieved at the South Central Farm.
The downtown 14-acre plot – located at Alameda and 41st
St. – has been sustaining 360 families by providing healthy
fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants supplementing their household
budgets since 1994.
"Allowing this living example of ecological sustainability and
community self-reliance to be destroyed now would be ‘penny
wise and pound foolish’”, added Feinstein.
The GPLAC has made the effort to save the Farm a major
priority for the last six months and will be participating in the "Save
the Farm" demonstration this Friday (May 19) at 9 a.m. at
Pico and Figueroa, before going into Los Angeles City Hall to
speak to the City
Council during public comment.
-end-