With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
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.
New Section Of L.A. River Opens Up For The First Time In Decades On Memorial Day

This Memorial Day a stretch of the L.A. River near downtown will be opened up to kayakers, fishermen and riverside ramblers for the first time since the river was paved decades ago.
There is going to be a little ceremony around 10 am on Memorial Day marking the opening of a 2.5-mile section of the river that starts at Marsh Park, which is near Elysian Valley (just northeast of the 2* and 5 freeway interchange). Some kayakers will paddle downstream (while politicians and a rep from the US Army Corps of Engineers look on).
This section of the river will be open from Memorial Day until Labor Day. You don't need a reservation or permit unless you're a part of a big organized group. The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority will manage the new recreation zone, which will be open from sunrise to sunset.
This is all a part of a broader effort to open up the channelized and underappreciated Los Angeles River to Angelenos.
If you go, take some pictures of whatever you do and e-mail them to us or drop them in our Flickr photo pool.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

-
If California redistricts, the conservative beach town that banned LGBTQ Pride flags on city property would get a gay, progressive Democrat in Congress.
-
Most survivors of January's fires face a massive gap in the money they need to rebuild, and funding to help is moving too slowly or nonexistent.
-
Kevin Lacy has an obsession with documenting California’s forgotten and decaying places.
-
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures.
-
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump.
-
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence.