Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
L.A.'s First Public Fruit Park is Set to Open
Photo of a mature orange tree by Antonov Roman via Shutterstock
()
Los Angeles, get ready to get to know your very first public fruit park! Wait, what's a fruit park, you ask? No, it's not a designated spot for eccentrics and oddballs, it's actually a public art project aimed at building community through the installation and maintenance of an urban orchard.
The project is the work of the collective Fallen Fruit (LAist coverage), who worked with the Office of Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and the Department of Parks and Recreation to plant the public orchard now known as the Del Aire Fruit Park. Not only does this urban food source break ground as the first of its kind in L.A., but it's also the first of its kind in California.
Here's the official description:
The fruit park includes an orchard with 27 fruit trees, ranging from peach to plum, 8 native grapevines and edible herbs — all of which will be harvested freely by the community.
Support for LAist comes from
Additionally, over 60 fruit trees were distributed in the neighborhood, allowing locals to really align with the community spirit of the project and the scope of the Fruit Park.
Here's a little more about the trees in the park from Fallen Fruit:
Through this collaboration Fallen Fruit invite the citizens of Los Angeles to reconsider their relationship with public and urban space to explore the meaning of community through sharing and creating new and abundant resources. The fruit trees planted in Del Aire Fruit Park reflect the natural ripening of fruit during a season, plums and peaches in the summer, pomegranate and persimmon in the fall, and citrus such as lime, lemons, oranges and kumquats over the winter and spring.
The Del Aire Fruit Park is holding a public dedication Saturday, January 5, from 10:30-11 a.m.
The trees, however, are still in their slender infancy, and the park's "full transformation will take time," cautions Fallen Fruit. (Read: Don't go expecting to cart away truckloads of free fruit.) However, events like fruit tree giveaways and the "Public Jam" held last year are the kinds of community activities aimed at further drawing in Angelenos to be a part of the landscape.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
After rising for years, the number of residential installations in the city of Los Angeles began to drop in 2023. The city isn’t subject to recent changes in state incentives, but other factors may be contributing to the decline. -
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs.
-
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
Best of LAist