Ruth Galanter Proposes Public Acquisition of Playa Vista Acreage 

Mirror Staff

   On August 2, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Ruth Galanter issued a statement calling for the public acquisition of Playa Vista land west of Lincoln Boulevard. 
   Playa Vista, the mega-development that stretches east and west of Lincoln, south of Marina del Rey, is in Galanter’s Council district, and from the moment developers announced plans for it, a consortium of environmental groups has opposed them—with weapons ranging from demonstrations on the site to a succession of lawsuits, but construction work has proceeded and the developers have won crucial concessions and tax breaks from the City of Los Angeles, presumably at the behest of Galanter. 
   The developers got a further boost when Dreamworks, SKG, announced plans to build the first major new Hollywood studio in 50 years at Playa Vista. But, a couple of months ago, Dreamworks withdrew from the project, citing its inability to secure financing. 
   Opponents saw the Dreamworks withdrawal as a major setback for Playa Vista Capital, but it, in turn, downplayed its significance. 
   In this context, Galanter’s call last week for public acquisition of the wetlands caught many people by surprise. 
   The full text of her statement follows:
   “California has a rare opportunity to join in a partnership to protect the remaining Ballona Wetlands. Thanks to the long-time efforts of the Friends of Ballona Wetlands, the owners of the private Playa Vista land are obligated in perpetuity (and regardless of who the owner is) to restore and maintain nearly all the area west of Lincoln Boulevard and south of the flood control channel. A private foundation has been created to develop and manage the wetland restoration, and is hard at work seeking the necessary government permission to begin. 
   ”But it is time to broaden that commitment to include all the area with restorable wetlands. he map of historic Ballona Wetlands (including what is now Marina del Rey) shows that all the historic wetlands occur coastward of Lincoln. 
   “It is my intention to seek public acquisition of property owned by Playa Vista west of Lincoln that has not yet been set aside for restoration. I have been working with State and local officials on strategies for acquiring those acres still slated for development so that they can be added to the 216 acres west of Lincoln Boulevard already committed to restoration. I am now convinced that we can achieve this important environmental victory. 
   “I call on state and federal agencies as well as private philanthropists to assist me in protecting all that land from any further development and to expand the efforts already underway to rescue the remaining wetlands from further degradation. 
   I call on the landowners to work with me, with the Friends of Ballona Wetlands, and with other officials to achieve this restoration expeditiously so that we can begin rehydrating the wetlands as soon as possible.”