Elephant exhibit loses support

By Carla Hall

Dec. 2, 2008 12 AM PT

The City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee voted 3 to 2 Monday to recommend that the city stop construction on the Los Angeles Zoo’s $42-million elephant exhibit.

“This has not been a very easy decision,” said Councilman Bernard Parks, the committee’s chairman.

The zoo has already spent $12 million from a mix of public and private sources. Councilman Tony Cardenas recently offered a motion to halt construction, saying the exhibit would not be big enough for the huge creatures to thrive. The zoo has one elephant but would acquire more when the exhibit was finished.

Parks focused on the city’s finances. “I think at the time this was approved in 2006, we had more money,” he said. “We don’t have that money now.”

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Carla Hall

Carla Hall is an editorial board member who writes about homelessness, reproductive rights, popular culture, animal welfare, and human rights in Asia and Africa, among other topics. Before joining the board, she was a general assignment reporter for the Los Angeles Times’ California section. She previously worked for the Washington Post’s Style section, where she juggled writing with acting roles in small theaters and even a couple of TV shows. She has a bachelor’s degree in the history of science from Harvard University.

Elephant exhibit loses support

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