Environmental Defense Praises Chinatown Cornfield Cleanup Proposal

Environmental Defense today praised Governor Gray Davis for including $40 million in his budget request to the legislature to acquire and clean up the former rail yard known as the Chinatown Cornfield. If the legislature approves the request, it will represent a leap forward in the effort to turn this blighted land into an attractive park. Environmental Defense went on to call upon the legislature to approve the request as soon as possible.

“It has been a great concern that the short-term energy crisis would overwhelm this opportunity for long-term benefits to Los Angeles. The window to purchase the last, vast open space near downtown is small, and this timely action from the Governor keeps that window open. Turning the Chinatown Cornfield into a park will enrich this park-poor community, in a city that already ranks last in the nation for per capita park space,” said Jacqueline Hamilton, director of Environmental Defense’s Los Angeles Environmental Justice Project Office.

As plaintiffs in a legal case settled earlier this year, Environmental Defense and others held off efforts to turn the site into an industrial and warehouse district, winning the chance to seek state funds to purchase the land. Environmental Defense called upon the legislature to approve this request quickly, since under the terms of the settlement the state must complete all approvals and actually acquire the land by Sept. 30, 2001.

“All of Los Angeles will benefit from this action. The Cornfield represents the city’s past, with remnants of the historic irrigation system that allowed for settlement by early residents of this area, and its future, in which a vibrant city provides attractive civic spaces for its residents to gather and enjoy nature. Study after study has shown that creation of accessible green space provides multiple benefits to local areas, and can even help reduce the urban heat-island effect, which can reduce energy consumption over time,” said Hamilton.