Gray Davis' Well Deserved Honor

In late 2003 Governor Gray Davis’ Wildlife Conservation Board released $140 million to purchase 192 acres of land that is now part of the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve (1).  The deal, involving the Trust for Public Land, the California Coastal Conservancy and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (formerly the Department of Fish and Game), rescued this property from potential development. Combined with Friends of Ballona Wetlands’ lawsuit against the Coastal Commission, the settlement of which preserved additional lands, Davis’ action created the roughly 600-acre Reserve that today awaits comprehensive restoration.

Davis received much criticism at the time from groups and individuals that today oppose a comprehensive Ballona restoration (and unsuccessfully opposed the recent Malibu and Oxford Basin restoration projects). Nevertheless, without Davis’ courageous leadership, the inevitable reconstruction and restoration of Ballona lands buried under fill dirt from Marina del Rey construction would not be possible.  For that, and his decades of support for the conservation and state acquisition of valuable natural lands, Friends of Ballona Wetlands will honor the Governor at its 9th annual Moonlight on the Marsh celebration on Saturday, October 18, 2014, at the Marina del Rey Marriott.  See this link for details:

http://www.moonlightonthemarsh.com

Davis’ first major step on behalf of the Ballona Wetlands was in the late 1980’s, when he negotiated an agreement by which the then current developer of the Playa Vista project agreed to forgo developing 60 acres of land that is most important to the wetlands in exchange for an option to buy from the state 70 acres of land north of the Ballona Creek channel and east of Lincoln Boulevard (known as Area C).  The Davis-negotiated agreement triggered the 1990 settlement of the Friends’ six year-old lawsuit, through which the Friends challenged the Coastal Commission’ approval to develop land within the core area west of Lincoln and south of the Channel that is most viable and valuable for Ballona Wetlands restoration and enhancement.  More important, Governor Davis’ administration committed $140 million of voter-approved bond funds to purchase for the public and posterity the additional acreage that now constitutes the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve.  It was the largest single expenditure of Prop 50 bond funds in all of California (and given our tax base in L.A., I’d say we deserved it).

Ruth Lansford, who founded the Friends in 1978 and continues as its President Emeritus, credits Davis above all others for spearheading the state government’s involvement in preserving the wetlands.  Andy Henderson, the Friends’ 2014 President, said that greater appreciation of Davis’ role is long overdue.  “We are grateful that Governor Davis agreed to allow the Friends to host a well-deserved tribute to his public leadership on the Ballona Wetlands issue, and more“, Henderson said.  “We want to make sure that Davis is recognized as well for his broader commitment to land stewardship and sound environmental policies.”

The Friends’ mission is to champion the restoration and protection of the Ballona Wetlands, involving and educating the public as advocates and stewards.

Enjoy your Ballona Wetlands!

www.ballonafriends.org

(1) Los Angeles Times, California Section.  September 30, 2003