Flood Control

* Robert Jones’ “The River Entombed” (Essay, April 24) misses the whole point of the Los Angeles River saga. Here we have a historic opportunity for all of the Los Angeles River stakeholders--County of Los Angeles, environmental community, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, upstream cities, flood plain cities--to sit down and seriously look at the river’s watershed options for the coming decades. The federal and county governments have allocated $500,000 to fund watershed management studies and all of the parties have agreed to participate in an innovative task force.

Now Jones is telling us the Friends of the Los Angeles River cannot pay their attorney bill and that the County of Los Angeles must pay it for them. The seven cities I represent will be the recipients of the flooding caused by the overbuilding of the San Fernando Valley unless the flood protection project is built soon. I pray no lives are lost or family homes destroyed.

GERALD M. CATON

Downey City Manager

Los Angeles County Drainage

Area Alliance Lead Agency