save griffith park

no more development

WHO ARE WE?

The coalition to Save Griffith Park is a big tent open to everyone who loves the Park. We come from every socio-economic level and all ethnic and cultural groups. We live in homes and apartments in more than 220 different zip codes throughout Southern California. We participate in neighborhood councils, residents' associations and affinity groups from the Valley to San Pedro and all points in between. As diverse as we are, we agree on one thing -- the best legacy we can leave to future generations is the preservation of Griffith Park.

We recognize that developing the greatest natural urban park in the United States is a waste of a precious resource that, once lost, can never be replaced. If you agree, please join us. Take a moment to sign the Urban Wilderness Petition; let your voice be heard by politicians and the media, and attend a public meeting listed here. Every week or so, this site is updated, so continue visiting this page.

Did you know that despite overwhelming negative community input, the current Griffith Park Master Plan, now in draft form, proposes the intensive development and commercialization of Griffith Park? Suggested "improvements" (with their page numbers from the plan*) include:

  • Eight multi-level parking structures (5.17-5.19, 5.27)
  • Two aerial tramways (5.8, 6.6)
  • Street widenings, such as a 117-foot wide Crystal Springs Promenade (5.5)
  • Introduction of traffic into the interior of the Park (5.8)
  • Division of the Park into separate themed "zones" (7.2-7.6)
  • Creation of a hotel, restaurant, culinary school and sports complex in the Park's interior (6.8, 8.9, 6.25)
  • Redesign of the 18-hole golf course at the expense of the Zoo Magnet School (6.19)
  • A commercial pier on the Los Angeles River at the Los Feliz Bridge (6.10)
  • Additional public-private partnerships and revenue-enhancing schemes (8.9)

    *Please note that many of these "improvements" appear multiple times throughout the plan. You can also find them on pages other those listed above.

What can you do to halt these destructive proposals?

  1. Visit www.laparks.org and read the Master Plan draft; download and return the response form with your comments.
  2. Call, write or email Mayor Villaraigosa (mayor@lacity.org) and your Los Angeles City councilperson (www.lacity.org) and tell them what you think about the Master Plan. Please copy your mail to wm@savegriffithpark.org.
  3. Sign and mail the attached Griffith Park Urban Wilderness Petition to Griffith Park Master Plan, Los Angeles Dept. of Recreation and Parks, 3900 Chevy Chase Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90039.
  4. Sign the Griffith Park Urban Wilderness Petition at one of these local merchants.
  5. Voice your opinion at a public meeting. It is vitally important that you attend these meetings and speak up during "public comment." Rec & Parks is counting on the current furor over the draft master plan to simply disappear. The Griffith Park Master Plan Working Group is doing outstanding work in rewriting the draft; however, their output remains a secret -- as of December 6, Rec & Parks has failed to post meeting summaries from October and November; nor have they posted the approved rewrite of the draft's "Vision" chapter, which was unanimously approved by the Working Group. Click here if you would like to read it.

The Master Plan draft is available on-line at Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

Download the latest LFIA Observer dedicated to the Master Plan.