photo courtesy of Tom Politeo
The cost of our fight is approaching $50,000. We need to raise $20,000 to meet our legal expenses. We anticipate incurring additional costs during the appeallate process. We need your help to continue the fight! Please send donations to Friends of Friendship Park, P.O. Box 6686, San Pedro, CA, 90734.
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The Site
Friendship Park is 123 acres of open fields, hills and canyons located on the San Pedro/Rancho Palos Verdes boundary in Los Angeles County. It is a natural habitat for many species including the threatened Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly, California Gnatcatcher, Coastal Cactus Wren and White-tailed Kite.
Friendship Park contains one of the oldest, largest and best preserved Tongva/Gabrielino village sites in California. This is sacred ground to Native Americans.
The Building
Friendship Park was designated a passive park in 1960 because any building would destroy this popular 125 acre walking area. Proposition A allotted $4,400,000 for development of passive park facilities at Friendship Park. While other Los Angeles County Parks desperately need funds, Friendship Park was allotted an unwanted memorial conference center and renamed "Deane Dana Friendship Park".
The proposed Deane Dana Center is not a passive nature center- it is a 6,426 sq. ft. conference center with a two lane road and parking for 66 cars. Among its elaborate features is a velvet curtained exhibition space for Dana's memorabilia, two fireplaces, banquet room, kitchen , locker room and shower. Outdoors there will be a Romanesque fountain and scrolled jardinieres. 17 street lights will illuminate what is now a serene and natural setting.
The Destruction
A steep (2:1) slope will be cut at the crest of the hill - 45 feet deep, 500 feet long delineating excavation of approximately 3 acres from the hilltop. The excavated rock will be used for "capping" the rest of the 17 acre hilltop with 10 inches of rock spread over a plastic sheet to "preserve" what's left of the ancient Tongva/Gabrielino village. Although plans call for revegetation of the site there is currently no funding available for complete replanting.
The Lawsuit
On December 3, 1995 the Friends of Friendship Park filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court with co-petitioners the Gabrielino/Tongva Tribal Council, the Los Angeles Recreation and Open Space Association, and the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society to force the County of Los Angeles to consider reasonable alternatives to their current plans.
At a hearing in Superior Court on April 26th, 1996 our attorney outlined the inaccuracies, lack of consideration of alternatives, improper site evaluations and ignored community input in the Environmental Impact Report approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on November 2nd, 1995. In Nomember 1996 we learned that judgement had been rendered in favor of the County of Los Angeles. The Friends of Friendship Park are appealing this decision.
The Friends
The Friends of Friendship Park is a non-profit community group dedicated to preserving the natural, open and inspirational quality of Friendship Park for future generations. Our 600 members reside throughout the South Bay.
To date we have kept the bulldozers away but the recent court decision against us enables the County of Los Angeles to begin construction. We need your help to save Friendship Park! Donations of money, time and expertise are needed. Call or write us if you want to help. Checks should be written to the Friends of Friendship Park.
Friends of Friendship Park
P.O. Box 6686
San Pedro, CA 90734
310/535-1877
