**7. Applying research and law to support equal access to parks**

Community alliances have relied on such evidence and laws to help create public lands and preserve access to existing lands in Los Angeles over the past ten years through advocacy in and out of court. Victories include the creation of Los Angeles State Historic Park and Rio de

<sup>11</sup> *See* Cal. Gov. Code § 11135; 22 CCR § 98101(i) (2007). *See Darensburg v. Metropolitan Transp. Comm'n*, No. C-05-01597 EDL, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63991 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 21, 2008) (standing to sue publicly funded agency for discriminatory impacts on quality of life for people of color under 11135 and its regulations).

<sup>12</sup> Cal. Gov. Code § 65040.12.

<sup>13</sup> *See, e.g., Alexander v. Sandoval*, 532 U.S. 275 (2001); *Gonzaga Univ. v. Doe,* 536 U.S. 273 (2002).

Social Science, Equal Justice and Public

there.

**7.3 Baldwin Hills Park** 

average of 11% (García et al., 2010).

non-Hispanic white, and 4% are black (García et al., 2002).

Health Policy: Translating Research into Action Through the Urban Greening Movement 171

The neighborhoods surrounding Taylor Yard are park poor, income poor, and disproportionately populated by people of color. Nearby neighborhoods offered only between 0.3 and 0.9 acres of parks per thousand residents. Approximately 27% of the residents within a five-mile radius of Taylor Yard lived in poverty and the median household income was just \$32,863. 56%of the residents are Latino, 17% are Asian, 20% are

Even after all parties agreed that the site should be home to a new state park, however, officials with the California Department of Parks and Recreation initially opposed active recreation at Taylor Yard. State officials relented in favor of a balanced park that includes active and passive recreation in light of community needs after The City Project presented an analyses of the policy and legal justifications for a balanced park that included active recreation under federal and state civil rights laws, drawing on the kinds of evidence discussed above (García et al., 2002). "I am all for preserving rocks and trees and those things, but to me, it seems more important to help the children first," according to Raul Macias, a businessman and founder of the Anahuak Youth Sports Association (Bustillo, 2002). The balanced park, which opened on Earth Day in 2007, provides active recreation with soccer fields, courts, a running track, and bike paths, as well as passive recreation, natural open space, and picnic areas. The same youth who play soccer there also plant trees

The Baldwin Hills rest at the geographically and demographically diverse center of Los Angeles. Encompassing an area of over two miles, the Baldwin Hills are one of the largest undeveloped areas of open space in urban Los Angeles County (California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2002). This area is the historic heart of African-American Los Angeles, with more than 50% of the population being African-American compared to the countywide

Baldwin Hills is one of the most park-poor areas in California, with barely one acre of publicly accessible parkland per 1,000 people. Within a five-mile radius of the Baldwin Hills there is only one picnic table for every 10,000 people, one playground for 23,000 children, one soccer field for 34,000 people and one basketball court for 30,000 people. On weekends and especially on holidays, the gates to Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, the only regional park serving three million people within five miles, are often closed before noon because the heavily used park has simply run out of space (California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2002). Even with its rolling hills, stunning views, and historical significance to the development of Los Angeles, one of the most distinguishing characteristics of the

A community alliance helped save the proposed Baldwin Hills Park, a two-square-mile park in the historic heart of African American Los Angeles that would be the largest urban park designed in the U.S. in over a century. Advocates and activists stopped a power plant there in 2001, stopped a garbage dump in 2003, and saved the Baldwin Hills Conservancy and its budget in 2005 after a governor's commission threatened to eliminate both. "People sometimes think they can do things like this, believing that this community won't have people to speak up for them, but they're wrong," Robert García told the *Los Angeles Times*.

Baldwin Hills area is the adjoining oil field with more than 1,000 active oil wells.

Los Angeles State Park as part of the greening of the Los Angeles River, and improved zoning regulations of the adjoining oil fields to better protect human health and the environment at the Baldwin Hills Park. The alliances have relied on several strategies: (1) community organizing and coalition building, (2) strategic media campaigns including new media, (3) policy and legal advocacy outside the courts, and (4) access to justice through the courts. Each of these other strategies are based on the strategy of translating research into action.

#### **7.1 Los Angeles State Historic Park**

In the City of Los Angeles, the diverse Chinatown Yard Alliance helped stop a proposal by city officials and wealthy developers to build warehouses in favor of the 32-acre Los Angeles State Historic Park at the Cornfield, the last vast open space in downtown Los Angeles (García et al., 2004). The community within a five-mile radius of the Cornfield is 68% Latino, 14% Asian, 11% non-Hispanic white, and 4% black. Thirty percent of the population lives in poverty, compared to 14% of California as a whole. The median household income is \$28,908 – just 60% of the \$47,493 median household income for the state (García et al., 2002).

The *Los Angeles Times* called the community victory "a heroic monument" and "a symbol of hope" (Ricci, 2001). "Nothing like this has ever happened in Chinatown before," the late Chinatown activist Chi Mui said. "We've never had such a victory. And now, every time people walk with their children down to that park, they'll see that great things can happen when folks come together and speak up. We can renew our community one dream at a time" (García and Strongin, 2011). The victory at the Cornfield required an administrative complaint on civil rights and environmental grounds before the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to cut off the federal subsidies for the warehouses, as well as a lawsuit under state environmental laws. Ultimately, however, the Cornfield is not be a park because of any court order, but because of a creative deal between Alliance members and the developers. The developer agreed to abandon the warehouse proposal after the Alliance persuaded the State to purchase the site in order to build a park (García and Strongin, 2011).

Unfortunately, as of this writing, the site of the Los Angeles State Historic Park at the Cornfield is not yet a completed park. Budget constraints and other issues have delayed development of the park. In an encouraging turn of events, the California Department of Parks and Recreation released a revised park development plan in December 2010 that calls for construction to begin in 2013 (Guzman, 2010).

#### **7.2 Río de Los Angeles State Park**

Drawing on the lessons of the Cornfield, advocates and activists helped stop a commercial development in favor of the 40-acre Río de Los Angeles State Park at Taylor Yard along the Los Angeles River in Northeast Los Angeles after a trial on state environmental grounds. As of this writing, President Barack Obama's report on America's Great Outdoors has named river trails along the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers as one of 100 priority projects in the United States, two per state.

The neighborhoods surrounding Taylor Yard are park poor, income poor, and disproportionately populated by people of color. Nearby neighborhoods offered only between 0.3 and 0.9 acres of parks per thousand residents. Approximately 27% of the residents within a five-mile radius of Taylor Yard lived in poverty and the median household income was just \$32,863. 56%of the residents are Latino, 17% are Asian, 20% are non-Hispanic white, and 4% are black (García et al., 2002).

Even after all parties agreed that the site should be home to a new state park, however, officials with the California Department of Parks and Recreation initially opposed active recreation at Taylor Yard. State officials relented in favor of a balanced park that includes active and passive recreation in light of community needs after The City Project presented an analyses of the policy and legal justifications for a balanced park that included active recreation under federal and state civil rights laws, drawing on the kinds of evidence discussed above (García et al., 2002). "I am all for preserving rocks and trees and those things, but to me, it seems more important to help the children first," according to Raul Macias, a businessman and founder of the Anahuak Youth Sports Association (Bustillo, 2002). The balanced park, which opened on Earth Day in 2007, provides active recreation with soccer fields, courts, a running track, and bike paths, as well as passive recreation, natural open space, and picnic areas. The same youth who play soccer there also plant trees there.

#### **7.3 Baldwin Hills Park**

170 Social Sciences and Cultural Studies – Issues of Language, Public Opinion, Education and Welfare

Los Angeles State Park as part of the greening of the Los Angeles River, and improved zoning regulations of the adjoining oil fields to better protect human health and the environment at the Baldwin Hills Park. The alliances have relied on several strategies: (1) community organizing and coalition building, (2) strategic media campaigns including new media, (3) policy and legal advocacy outside the courts, and (4) access to justice through the courts. Each of these other strategies are based on the strategy of translating research into

In the City of Los Angeles, the diverse Chinatown Yard Alliance helped stop a proposal by city officials and wealthy developers to build warehouses in favor of the 32-acre Los Angeles State Historic Park at the Cornfield, the last vast open space in downtown Los Angeles (García et al., 2004). The community within a five-mile radius of the Cornfield is 68% Latino, 14% Asian, 11% non-Hispanic white, and 4% black. Thirty percent of the population lives in poverty, compared to 14% of California as a whole. The median household income is \$28,908 – just 60% of the \$47,493 median household income for the

The *Los Angeles Times* called the community victory "a heroic monument" and "a symbol of hope" (Ricci, 2001). "Nothing like this has ever happened in Chinatown before," the late Chinatown activist Chi Mui said. "We've never had such a victory. And now, every time people walk with their children down to that park, they'll see that great things can happen when folks come together and speak up. We can renew our community one dream at a time" (García and Strongin, 2011). The victory at the Cornfield required an administrative complaint on civil rights and environmental grounds before the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to cut off the federal subsidies for the warehouses, as well as a lawsuit under state environmental laws. Ultimately, however, the Cornfield is not be a park because of any court order, but because of a creative deal between Alliance members and the developers. The developer agreed to abandon the warehouse proposal after the Alliance persuaded the State to purchase the site in order to build a park (García

Unfortunately, as of this writing, the site of the Los Angeles State Historic Park at the Cornfield is not yet a completed park. Budget constraints and other issues have delayed development of the park. In an encouraging turn of events, the California Department of Parks and Recreation released a revised park development plan in December 2010 that calls

Drawing on the lessons of the Cornfield, advocates and activists helped stop a commercial development in favor of the 40-acre Río de Los Angeles State Park at Taylor Yard along the Los Angeles River in Northeast Los Angeles after a trial on state environmental grounds. As of this writing, President Barack Obama's report on America's Great Outdoors has named river trails along the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers as one of 100 priority projects in

action.

**7.1 Los Angeles State Historic Park** 

state (García et al., 2002).

and Strongin, 2011).

for construction to begin in 2013 (Guzman, 2010).

**7.2 Río de Los Angeles State Park** 

the United States, two per state.

The Baldwin Hills rest at the geographically and demographically diverse center of Los Angeles. Encompassing an area of over two miles, the Baldwin Hills are one of the largest undeveloped areas of open space in urban Los Angeles County (California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2002). This area is the historic heart of African-American Los Angeles, with more than 50% of the population being African-American compared to the countywide average of 11% (García et al., 2010).

Baldwin Hills is one of the most park-poor areas in California, with barely one acre of publicly accessible parkland per 1,000 people. Within a five-mile radius of the Baldwin Hills there is only one picnic table for every 10,000 people, one playground for 23,000 children, one soccer field for 34,000 people and one basketball court for 30,000 people. On weekends and especially on holidays, the gates to Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, the only regional park serving three million people within five miles, are often closed before noon because the heavily used park has simply run out of space (California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2002). Even with its rolling hills, stunning views, and historical significance to the development of Los Angeles, one of the most distinguishing characteristics of the Baldwin Hills area is the adjoining oil field with more than 1,000 active oil wells.

A community alliance helped save the proposed Baldwin Hills Park, a two-square-mile park in the historic heart of African American Los Angeles that would be the largest urban park designed in the U.S. in over a century. Advocates and activists stopped a power plant there in 2001, stopped a garbage dump in 2003, and saved the Baldwin Hills Conservancy and its budget in 2005 after a governor's commission threatened to eliminate both. "People sometimes think they can do things like this, believing that this community won't have people to speak up for them, but they're wrong," Robert García told the *Los Angeles Times*.

Social Science, Equal Justice and Public

in densely developed communities.

and rivers.

education laws.

neighborhood.

positive change on communities.

Johnson Foundation.

**9. Conclusion** 

litigation.

**10. References** 

disadvantaged business enterprises, and youth.

Health Policy: Translating Research into Action Through the Urban Greening Movement 173

2. Prioritize projects that address physical, psychological, and social health needs, including childhood obesity and diabetes levels. Applying public health criteria to infrastructure investments could improve health and the quality of life in communities. 3. Prioritize projects that involve the joint use of parks, schools and pools to make optimal use of scarce land, money, and public resources, and expand open space opportunities

4. Programs like Civilian Conservation Corps and youth job programs should be funded to create green jobs and keep young people in school, physically active and healthy, and

5. Infrastructure projects should create green jobs for local workers, small and

6. Prioritize cultural, historical, and public art projects, such as the Great Wall of Los Angeles, that celebrate diversity, democracy and freedom in parks and other public

7. Transportation funding should support transit to trails programs as alternatives to single occupancy vehicles in order to provide access for all to parks, mountains, beaches

8. Funding agencies should ensure compliance with civil rights laws guaranteeing equal access to public resources including parks and recreation programs. Compliance with civil rights laws should be combined with other laws including environmental and

9. Projects should implement principles of equitable development: invest in people, invest

10. Implement strategic equity plans to improve parks and recreation in every

The urban park experience in Los Angeles demonstrates that social science research combined with legal analyses can be translated into systemic social change to build healthy, livable communities for all. Diverse coalitions have used multidisciplinary research, analyses, and technologies including GIS mapping and demographic analyses to provide evidence of the need for parks in Los Angeles. This evidence has, in turn, been used to support legal actions to implement change by creating new parks in park poor and income poor communities of color. In many cases, the legal tools and actions do not involve

The lessons presented in this chapter are broadly applicable. Though the type of change sought, the particular circumstances of the situation, and the applicable laws will vary from case to case and location to location, the cases of Los Angeles State Historic Park, Río de Los Angeles State Park, and Baldwin Hills Park are all best practice examples of how to affect

Active Living Research. (2007). *Designing for Active Living among Children*, Robert Wood

lead to permanent jobs and careers as stewards of the earth and its people.

places. Native American sites must be celebrated and preserved.

in stronger communities, invest in the open, and invest in justice.

"This is a human rights issue and fundamentally an issue of equal justice" (García and Strongin, 2011).

Drawing on the lessons learned in the victories at Los Angeles State Historic Park and Río de Los Angeles State Park, the community alliances working to create Baldwin Hills Park have relied on analyses of the racial and ethnic composition of the area, the number of parks per thousand residents, the related health consequences of a lack of places to play, including increased rates of obesity and diabetes, GIS maps and demographic analyses, the history of discrimination, and the values at stake (García et al., 2010).

In July 2011, various parties settled legal challenges to the environmental impact report (EIR) and oil field zoning regulations, also called a community standards district (CSD) to strengthen health and safety protections for residents of and visitors to the Baldwin Hills area that are affected by drilling operations by the Plains Exploration and Production Company (PXP). The petitioners in four lawsuits claimed that the County violated the California Environmental Quality Act by failing to conduct an adequate EIR before adopting the Baldwin Hills CSD, which was intended to regulate 1,100 acres of oil drilling and production activities in Baldwin Hills adjoining park lands. The settlement provides additional protections for people, parks and the environment in the Baldwin Hills, in one of the most diverse areas of Los Angeles and the historic heart of African-American L.A. Key elements of the settlement include:


The County agreed to comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and corresponding regulations, and California Government Code Section 11135 and corresponding regulations, among other requirements.

According to the County, the Baldwin Hills oil field is now the most heavily regulated oil field in the nation. The settlement agreement is a best practice example for other Environmental Justice matters.

#### **8. Lessons learned**

Green spaces, including parks, school fields, rivers, beaches, forests, mountains, and trails, are a necessary part of the infrastructure for healthy, livable, and just communities. The following recommendations for equitable development are based on the lessons learned from the urban greening movement over the past ten years to help ensure that everyone, especially children and youth of color and low-income communities, benefit equally from infrastructure investments.

1. Prioritize green space projects based on need in communities that are both park poor and income poor. The California legislative criteria for investing park funds in park poor and income poor communities is a best practice example for defining standards to measure progress and equity, and holding public officials accountable.

