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Mayor Fights for Pricey L.A. River Project in D.C.
A good chunk of Mayor Garcetti's trip to Washington D.C. is to garner support for long-running plans to revitalize the beleaguered L.A. river. The plans have been accelerated in recent months, with the new L.A. mayor making the revitalization project a top priority.
Garcetti has actively campaigned on behalf of Alternative 20 - a plan set forth by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that is widely seen as the best and most comprehensive plan to restore the river. The alternative aims to revamp and beautify an 11 mile stretch of the river, from Griffith Park to Downtown Los Angeles. The plan includes reestablishing a marsh habitat the bring wildlife back to the area, as well as establishing connectivity to the area's ecological zones, which includes the Santa Monica Mountains, Verdugo Hills, Elysian Hills and San Gabriel Mountains.
"We're at a key moment in our efforts to restore the L.A. River and I am making it clear to Washington that L.A. deserves Alternative 20, the most robust option and the only one that equitably shares costs,'' Garcetti said, according to City News Service.
Garcetti plans to remain in the nation's capital to attend California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard's "L.A. River Day" event - an event aimed at convincing Congress to agree to implement Alternative 20. A delegation of L.A. city councilmen, including Mitch O'Farrell, Gil Cedillo, Bob Blumenfield and Joe Buscaino, will also be on hand to lobby on behalf of the alternative, according to City News Service.
There's a good reason for all of this lobbying to take place: While Alternative 20 is clearly the most thorough choice, it is also the most expensive, coming in at a cost of about $1.08 billion.
Public comments on the intricacies of Alternative 20 have been underway since September and are extending through November 18.
Related:
http://laist.com/2013/06/02/video_paddling_down_the_los_angeles.phphttp://laist.com/2013/05/29/photos_los_angeles_river.php#photo-1
http://laist.com/2011/10/27/ed_reyes_asks_president_obama_to_help_revive_la_river.php
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