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.
New California Grants Aim To Help Underrepresented Groups Access State Parks

Low-income people of color tend to be underrepresented among visitors in California’s state parks. Partly because they may lack transportation to the parks — but also because of a sense they are not welcome.
Now, a grant program in its second year is taking aim at both issues of transportation as well as representation.
“Sometimes it's people not seeing themselves in parks, whether it is the staffing that reflects who they are as a community or as park users,” said Myrian Solis Coronel, community engagement director for the nonprofit Parks California.
The Parks California group is co-funding $311,000 in grants to 20 nonprofits, mostly for transportation.
The nonprofit organizations have created outdoor programs designed to help build a connection to nature and help people feel welcome in state parks, but getting participants there is the big challenge.
Three of the grant recipients are in the greater L.A. area:
Nature for All is an L.A. County nonprofit that will bus about 200 people from neighborhoods on a series of field trips to visit state and county parks and beaches. Once they arrive, bilingual staffers will show them how to use transit and local bike paths to independently get to the parks and build that sense of belonging and ownership.
Pukúu Cultural Community Services is a nonprofit focused on Native American families along with young people from San Fernando. It will offer a dozen trips to state parks with workshops and demonstrations focused on traditional ecological knowledge, storytelling, outdoor and cultural activities.
Community Nature Connection will use its grant to work with the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians Education and Cultural Learning Department. It will offer four trips to state parks for tribal youth and families and focus on ecology, land acknowledgements, storytelling and traditional names and uses of plants.
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.

-
There’s still a lot to be determined as the refinery, which supplies about one-fifth of Southern California's vehicle fuels, works to restore production and as data is collected.
-
The FCC voted to end E-Rate discounts for library hotspot lending and school bus Wi-Fi.
-
About half the Pacific Airshow’s 2025 lineup has been grounded because of the federal government shutdown.
-
USC says it’s reviewing the letter also sent to eight other prestigious schools nationwide. California's governor vowed that any California universities that sign will lose state funding.
-
Scientists say La Niña is likely, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a dry winter in Southern California.
-
According to a grand jury report the contractor took advantage of strained relations and political pressures to “force” the city to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to settle disputes.