Press Release

For Immediate Release

 

Arroyo Seco Partnerships Making Progress Toward More Livable Communities

 

Breaking down the barriers that often exist between communities in Southern California, a dynamic set of partnerships between local organizations in the Arroyo Seco region is reshaping the future of one of the county’s most historically important areas.

 

Running from behind Mt. Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains to the Los Angeles River just north of downtown, the Arroyo Seco – translated “dry riverbed”—connects the communities of La Cañada Flintridge, Altadena, Pasadena, and South Pasadena with the neighborhoods of northeast Los Angeles – Garvanza, Highland Park, Hermon, Montecito Heights, Monterey Hills, Lincoln Heights, Mount Washington, and Cypress Park.

 

Over the last decade organizations and residents in these communities have been working together on a series of projects and initiatives to improve the quality of life for everyone in the region.  Specifically:

 

The Arroyo Seco Foundation, based in Pasadena, and North East Trees, an urban forestry group with offices in Cypress Park, completed a groundbreaking study this past year on how to improve flood control and water resource management by restoring the natural flow of the Arroyo’s stream.

 

Residents along the Pasadena Freeway banded together and, with the help of former State Senator Richard Polanco, won recognition for the road as the Historic Arroyo Seco Parkway – the first freeway in the American West.  In 2002, the Parkway was declared a National Scenic Byway.  This designation qualifies the Arroyo for federal highway funds to improve and beautify the areas visible from the Parkway.

 

The Museums of the Arroyo event each spring opens the doors of the Heritage Square Museum, the Lummis Home and Garden, the Southwest Museum, the Gamble House and the Pasadena Museum of History for a special joint open house.

 

Teachers from the different school districts along the Arroyo have worked with institutions such as the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College and the Southwest Museum to hold special workshops on how to integrate study of the Arroyo into school curriculum

 

With these accomplishments to build from, planning is almost complete for an unprecedented event to show the potential power of communities working together.  For almost two years, community organizations and residents have been working to close the Pasadena Freeway for a Sunday morning bike ride and walk that will connect the diverse communities that share the Arroyo Seco region.  Organizers hope the event, scheduled for June 15, 2003, will show the potential for the area to become a model for how to create livable communities across Southern California. 

 

The Arroyo was Los Angeles’s first suburb, served as the center of Arts and Crafts movement in California and many cultural institutions, such as the Rose Bowl, Southwest Museum and Jet Propulsion Laboratory are located in or adjacent to the canyon.  Today, the Arroyo Seco region represents the cultural diversity of Southern California.  The partnerships forged at the community level across the Arroyo demonstrate a regional movement addressing the environment, transportation, community development and historical preservation that promises to continue over the next decade.   

 

More information about ArroyoFest can be found at http://www.arroyofest.org/

Or by contacting:

Oralia Michel Marketing & Public Relations

One West California Blvd, Suite 228

Pasadena, CA 91105

626-568-0902

Fax: 626-568-1021

E-mail: oralia@ommpr.com

Contact: Oralia Michel, Principal

 

ArroyoFest: at a glance

 

What: A weekend of activities centered around the closing of the Historic Arroyo Seco Parkway (a.k.a. the Pasadena Freeway) for a bike ride and walk on Sunday morning, June 15, 2003.  Cyclists will be able to choose between rides of 4, 12 and 16 miles.  Walkers will go ½ to 4 miles depending on the start location.  The cost of bike ride is $10.  The walk is free. 

 

When:  Sunday, June 15, 2003, activities on the Parkway will occur between 7 and 10 a.m.  The bike ride will begin at 7 a.m.  The walk will begin at 8:30 a.m. from Pasadena and 9:00 a.m. from various locations in the city of Los Angeles.  A community festival will take place in Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park from 7:30 to 1:30 p.m. adjacent to the Parkway.  The Parkway will re-open to vehicular traffic at 10 a.m.

 

Who: In its first year, ArroyoFest expects to attract participants, from the communities of the Arroyo Seco region as well as residents throughout Southern California seeking to participate in this unprecedented event.  The ArroyoFest Volunteer Steering Committee consists of representatives from environmental, transportation, community and cultural groups from up and down the Arroyo and throughout the region.  ArroyoFest is supported by grants sponsorships and in-kind donations from a number of local businesses, foundations and government agencies.

 

Where: ArroyoFest events will occur up and down the Arroyo.  The Freeway Walk and Bike Ride will occur on the six miles of road between Glenarm Street in Pasadena and Avenue 26 in Los Angeles.  Cyclists and walkers will come together in Sycamore Grove Park for a community festival adjacent to the Parkway.

 

Why: The mission of ArroyoFest is to connect the communities of the Arroyo Seco in order to improve the quality of life for area residents. 

 

For more information:  Visit our website at www.arroyofest.org.

 

ArroyoFest: Backgrounder

 

On Sunday morning June 15th, the Pasadena Freeway, officially known as the Historic Arroyo Seco Parkway, will fill with people in one of the most extraordinary events in the history of Southern California -- the ArroyoFest: Freeway Walk and Bike Ride.  ArroyoFest will bring together the diverse communities of the Arroyo Seco region, as well as people throughout Southern California, to bike and walk on the oldest freeway in the American West and enjoy a community festival stretching throughout the Arroyo’s scenic canyon.

 

Connecting the rugged San Gabriel Mountains with the Los Angeles River, the Arroyo Seco and its 22-mile stream link together the communities of Altadena, La Cañada-Flintridge, Pasadena, South Pasadena and the neighborhoods of Northeast Los Angeles.   The goal of this wonderfully creative event is to bring these communities together so that residents can more effectively address the important environmental, transportation and community issues facing the region. 

ArroyoFest, however, is more than just a local celebration.  Because freeways are so symbolic of life in Southern California, the event will encourage people from across the Southland to think about the possibilities for creating more livable communities where they live, communities with abundant parks, clean and convenient transportation, a strong sense of history and an appreciation for our region’s cultural diversity. 

 

Like the many signature bridges that grace the Arroyo, ArroyoFest is really about renewing and strengthening a sense of c

onnection -- to one another, to nature and to our past.   It will do this first by celebrating those things that link the communities of the Arroyo Seco -- such as the historic Parkway, the stream and its watershed and a rich history and artistic tradition rooted in many cultures.  It will also provide an important opportunity to highlight and build public support for the connections that are being made today through a number of exciting projects and initiatives for the Arroyo area.  These projects include:

 

ArroyoFest will provide momentum to these and other community initiatives and mark a turning point in the history of Southern California, by helping people imagine a different set of choices that will ensure a more sustainable future for everyone in the region.  ArroyoFest will begin a dialogue by suggesting questions such as, “How can transportation best bring us together as a people?” and “How can we connect our resources – our parks, our trails and even the waters of the canyon to restore a healthy stream?”  Finally, the event will connect people with their past and their future, with the traditions and legacy of the place they call home.

 

The effort to organize ArroyoFest has already created connections and forged partnerships between a number of organizations, institutions and government agencies.  For almost two years, a diverse coalition of community groups has worked to organize this innovative event.  The ArroyoFest Steering Committee consists of representatives from environmental, transportation, community and cultural groups throughout the Arroyo and the Southern California region.   The committee’s work builds on a long tradition of local community activism and a belief that the Arroyo can serve as a model for multi-modal transportation, stream restoration in an urban setting, parks that serve the needs of both people and wildlife and a sense of place that is shared and enhanced by many cultures and which is passed on from one generation to the next.  We hope you’ll join us and get connected on the Parkway, June 15, 2003! 

 

Transportation

Over the last hundred years, our transportation system has barely kept pace with Southern California's explosive growth.  To meet 21st century needs, we need more options than just cars and freeways.  More buses, trains, and bike and pedestrian paths can create a multi-modal transportation system that reduces traffic congestion, brings people together, and responds to community needs.

The Arroyo Seco Parkway (otherwise known as the Pasadena 110 Freeway) has long served as the main route between the Arroyo communities.  The oldest freeway in the American West, its purpose in the 1940s was to create a safe and scenic road - a parkway - that would connect Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles.  More than half a century later, modern demands have overwhelmed the Parkway’s original design.  Motorists drive it like any other freeway in the Southland and, not surprisingly, struggle with its short ramps and sharp curves.  Today, the winding 110 slows to a halt during rush hour and its identity as a parkway has become worn around the edges.

 

During the 1990s, former State Senator Richard Polanco, in conjunction with a number of community groups, initiated the effort to upgrade the Historic Arroyo Seco Parkway, and recently, the Parkway was designated an American Civil Engineering Landmark.  This past summer, the federal government declared this historic road a National Scenic Byway. 

This designation qualifies the Arroyo for federal highway funds to improve and beautify the areas visible from the Parkway.  Caltrans is now working to rehabilitate this historic Parkway to make it both safer and more attractive.

 

The opening of MTA’s Gold Line in the summer of 2003 also offers an opportunity to enhance transportation options along the Arroyo.  By coordinating bus service with light rail stations and extending a bike path from Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles, we would be able to reduce traffic, make streets safer and lower the speed limit along the Parkway.  Future Gold Line stations have the potential to become the center of pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented villages connected by a network of bike paths and walking routes.  Existing equestrian trails even offer the opportunity to take advantage of a different kind of horsepower. 

 With additional support, the Arroyo Seco can become Southern California’s first truly integrated transportation corridor.

 

Environment

With its mountains, beaches, and mild climate, Southern California is one of the most beautiful place to live.  However, today, Los Angeles has fewer parks than any other large city in the country, and across our region, we have paved our rivers and use them to send precious rainfall to the sea.  The Arroyo Seco offers a wealth of opportunities to reverse these trends and fulfill the environmental promise of Southern California. 

 

The Arroyo’s 22-mile canyon runs from near Mt. Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains to the Los Angeles River just north of downtown.  For thousands of year, this scenic canyon has served as a wildlife corridor connecting the San Gabriel and Santa Monica Mountains and, through the river, joining these mountains with the sea   I

n 1911, Theodore Roosevelt said that the Arroyo should be a national park and today the area remains an important habitat for several threatened and endangered species.   Because of it unique blend of natural and urban characteristics, the California Resources Agency recently declared the Arroyo one of ten model watersheds for the state.

 

While parkland is scarce across the region, almost all the land along the Arroyo is in public ownership.  This creates the potential for a continuous network of public parks and open space from the mountains all the way to downtown.  Throughout the Arroyo there are exciting new plans to transform and restore this scenic canyon.  The City of Pasadena is in the process of completing a master plan for its portion of the Arroyo that includes the restoration of several areas. 

In Los Angeles, the National Audubon Society is constructing a new nature center at Debs Park to connect people with the outdoors.

 

 

 

And where the Arroyo joins with the Los Angeles River, Confluence Park will provide a vital link to the new Los Angeles River State Park system.

At the center of these new and enhanced parks could be a living stream.  The Arroyo Seco Foundation and North East Trees, in conjunction with a number of other agencies, have recently completed a study of ways to restore the natural flow of the Arroyo stream, while at the same time improving flood management and enhancing the area’s water resources.  This study has attracted the interest of the Army Corps of Engineers, which is currently conducting its own research how to revive the Arroyo and its tributaries.  Returning a living stream to the Arroyo’s canyon can serve as model for restoring the Los Angeles River and other watersheds across region. 

 

History, Arts and Culture

In just over 200 years, Southern California has grown into a trendsetter for the 21st century.  But along with this legacy has come a talent for forgetting our history and destroying the landmarks that tell us who we are as a people.  

 

The Arroyo Seco’s storied past speaks to the entire region and today it remains one of the most important areas in the history and culture of Southern California. The Arroyo’s banks were originally the home of native Tongva villages and Spanish and Mexican ranchos.  Settlers founded Los Angeles at the confluence of the Arroyo Seco and Los Angeles River and the area became both the site of city’s first suburbs and a favorite location for the region’s burgeoning movie industry. 

 

In the early 1900s, the Arroyo Seco was at the center of the Arts and Crafts Movement for all of California.  Within its sycamore-shaded canyon poets, painters, and photographers gathered to interpret life “in the Southland.”  The most famous of these, Charles Fletcher Lummis, built El Alisal, his home, at the Arroyo’s edge and founded Los Angeles’ first museum, the Southwest Museum, overlooking the Arroyo’s scenic canyon.  Noted California Impressionist painters included Franz Bishoff, Guy Rose, and Elmer and Marion Wachtel and William Lees Judson, who founded the USC College of Fine Arts on the banks of the Arroyo.  During the Great Hiking Era, the Arroyo was also one of most popular destinations for hikers and picnickers looking far a respite from the bustling city.

 

Today, local groups and museums are working to preserve the Arroyo’s historic and cultural landscape, maintain its artistic tradition and honor the history of the diverse communities that call the area home.  The Arroyo today contains the largest historic district in the City of Los Angeles, thanks to a coordinated effort led by the Highland Park Heritage Trust.  Despite limited funding, arts groups run numerous youth programs and hold a variety of special events.  Local galleries have become a vibrant part of community life and each spring cultural institutions in the area open their doors to the public for the special program, Museums of the Arroyo Day.

 

In many ways, the measure of success for these initiatives will depend on how they are carried forward by the next generation.  Toward this end, local educators have recently partnered with the Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College, the Southwest Museum and others for a series of teacher workshops that will help bring the Arroyo into the classroom and ensure that the Arroyo remains an artistic and cultural center for Southern California.

 

Map of the Arroyo Seco Area

Sponsors

 

Urban and Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College

City of Los Angeles, Cultural Affairs Department

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

The Southern California Gas Company

City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power

ArroyoFest is also sponsored by:

Amalgamated Bank, American Union Financial, Avery-Dennison Corporation, City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks, City of South Pasadena, Councilmember Ed Reyes, City of Los Angeles, Council District 1, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, Oralia Michel Marketing and Public Relations, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

 

ArroyoFest is also supported by generous grants and donations by:

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, City of Pasadena Department of Water and Power, City of Pasadena Department of Public Works, Community Outreach Partnership Center, Occidental College, Environment NOW, The Ford Foundation, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Metropolitan Water District Community Partners Program , Operating Engineers, Local 12 and REI.

 

Endorsers

 

ArroyoFest has been endorsed by the following elected officials:

 

U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein, United States Senate

Congressmember Adam Schiff, U.S. House of Representatives

Congressmember Lucille Roybal-Allard, U.S. House of Representatives

Congressmember Loretta Sanchez, U.S. House of Representatives

Former State Senate Majority Leader Richard Polanco

Former State Senator Tom Hayden

State Senator Jack Scott

State Assemblymember Ed Chavez

State Assemblymember Carol Liu

State Assemblymember Jackie Goldberg

State Secretary Maria Contreras-Sweet, Business, Transportation and Housing Agency

State Secretary Mary Nichols, California Resources Agency

Supervisor Michael Antonovich, County of Los Angeles

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, County of Los Angeles

Mayor James K. Hahn, City of Los Angeles

Councilmember Ruth Galanter, City of Los Angeles

Councilmember Eric Garcetti, City of Los Angeles

Councilmember Tom La Bonge, City of Los Angeles

Councilmember Nick Pacheco, City of Los Angeles

Councilmember Alex Padilla, City of Los Angeles

Councilmember Bernard Parks, City of Los Angeles

Councilmember Ed Reyes, City of Los Angeles

Mayor Bill Bogaard, City of Pasadena

Mayor Pro-Tem Paul Little, City of Pasadena

Councilmember Steve Haderlein, City of Pasadena

Councilmember Chris Holden, City of Pasadena

Councilmember Joyce Streator, City of Pasadena

Councilmember Steve Madison, City of Pasadena

Councilmember Sid Tyler, City of Pasadena

Councilmember Anthony Portantino, City of La Canada Flintridge

Mayor Dorothy Cohen, City of South Pasadena

Mayor Pro-Tem Michael Ten, City of South Pasadena

Councilmember Michael Cacciotti, City of South Pasadena

Councilmember David L. Magrave, City of South Pasadena

Councilmember Odom Stamps, City  of South Pasadena

Councilmember Benjamin “Frank” Venti, City of Monterey Park

Councilmember Daniel Arguello, City of Alhambra

Mayor Frank C. Robert, City of Lancaster

Board Member David Tokofsky, Los Angeles Unified School District

Superintendent Percy Clark, Pasadena Unified School District

President Tommy McMullins, Pasadena Unified School District

President Scott Tracy, Governing Board, La Cañada Unified School District
Steering Committee

 

Margaret Arnold

Neighborhood Arts Coalition

Pixie Boyden

City of Pasadena, Northwest Commission

Claudine Chen

Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

Bill Deverell

Professor

Joji Dreyfuss

Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council

Edgar Garcia

Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Council

Carmela Gomes

Educator

Misty Iwatsu

North Figueroa Association

Tom Lockhart

Equestrian Trails, Inc.

Jerilyn Lopez Mendoza

Environmental Defense

Oralia Michel

Oralia Michel Marketing and Public Relations

Alexis Moreno

Latino Urban Forum

Michael O'Connell

Cypress Park Youth & Family Center

Darryl Ramos-Young

Debs Park Audubon Center

Marcus Renner

UEPI-Occidental College

Edward Rivera

Highland Park Community Development Corporation

Julie Uehara

West Pasadena Residents Association