Ballona Wetlands
* We would like to make several important corrections in the June 28 article regarding the dropping of our court appeal on the proposed Playa Vista project.
Far from “throwing in the towel” on the project, we simply lost the first round in our legal fight to stop this development from being built on, and surrounding, this last great coastal wetland in Los Angeles County. This case did not challenge the entire mega-development; it challenged only Phase I under one specific law, the California Environmental Quality Act. Phase I only represents one-quarter of the proposed project. The developer agreed to pay $15,000 toward our legal costs and to drop our obligation for court costs awarded to it of $7,900. This was in return for our agreeing not to pursue our appeal in this particular action.
The developer has previously promised to spend $10 million toward a “restoration” of 10% of the historical 2,100 acres of the Ballona Wetlands system, but that is only if the developer receives development permits for the other two-thirds of its land, which totals 1,000 acres. This 1,000 acres includes restorable wetlands and upland habitat areas, trails and wildflowers.
Save Ballona Wetlands feels that the wetlands are simply the wrong place for any Playa Vista-like development.
SAL GRAMMATICO, Board Member
Save Ballona Wetlands, Los Angeles
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