R-27 Correspondence – Juan Ovalle
From: juan ovalle [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2022 8:37 PM
To: Council District 9 <[email protected]>; Council District 8 <[email protected]>; Council District 7 <[email protected]>; Council District 6 <[email protected]>; Council District 5 <[email protected]>; Council District 4 <[email protected]>; Council District 3 <[email protected]>; Council District 2 <[email protected]>; Lena Gonzalez <[email protected]>; [email protected] Cc: [email protected]; CityClerk <[email protected]>; [email protected]; Brent Dennis <[email protected]> Subject: January 18th 2022 Council Agenda Item #27 PRM Master Plan 2022 - Attempted Public Statement - Never Called
-EXTERNAL-
Good evening Councilmembers,
First of all, Riverpark Coalition was a participant of the PRM Master Plan feedback session.
However, for some reason not acknowledged in the report.
Residents in the western half of Long Beach have approximately 17 times less access to green space than residents in the eastern half of Long Beach, according to our calculations.
Western Long Beach (aka the Diesel Death Corridor) also suffers from much higher rates of asthma, cancer, and COVID deaths in addition to lower life expectancies than eastern Long Beach. More so now than ever, the City of Long Beach has an obligation to lean into its stated goals of achieving equity in our city, it is time to end the lip service of politicians. The immense disparities in access to green space cannot be allowed to stand; park equity must be made a top priority for the City of Long Beach.
Given the urgent need for increasing park space in western Long Beach, and given the immediate threat posed to the last remaining parcels along the lower LA River, we ask the city to settle the CEQA lawsuit and correct the inequities of park space that the Parks Department Master Plan 2022 clearly states we have. I urge the City to use any and all available means to acquire the time-sensitive 3701 Pacific Place and Oil Operators Inc parcel at 712 Baker St before they are built on and lost forever to our community and all who care about justice and the LA River.
This report and its findings are not new, they have long been documented and a long- established promise laid out in the RiverLink Plan, which was unanimously approved by the City Council in 2015. So, now here we are again addressing a new Plan that again clearly states the critical need to correct inequities of park space.
Riverpark Coalition's appeal is not about just being a "Climate Activists" it’s about doing the right thing and protecting our environment, our earth, our people, the health of our overburdened communities of Western Long Beach, we deserve better from our City.
Juan E. Ovalle, Board Member of RiverPark Coalition