Actor Edward Asner was honored last week at the Crowne Plaza-LAX, along with other luminaries for their efforts to protect the Ballona Wetlands, Dunes & Grasslands during the last two decades of increased citizen activism. Asner’s role as narrator and host for the Documentary “The Last Stand: The Struggle For the Ballona Wetlands” was celebrated as one of a number of key standout actions taken to make certain this fragile ecosystem on the Los Angeles coast was saved from development.
United States Congresswomen Janice Hahn and Maxine Waters, former Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl , Ed Asner and Huey Johnson, former California Resources Secretary and Founder of The Trust for Public Land, who as champions of Ballona, were also honored. Four Los Angeles area journalists received awards for their reporting during the past decade, including Gary Walker from The Argonaut.
Australian actor and musician Hugh Sheridan, a wildlife enthusiast whose new cause is the Ballona Wetlands, emceed the event which was attended by numerous elected officials and members of their staffs. Present at the event were: L.A. Airport Commissioner Val Velasco, L.A. City Controller Ron Galperin, L.A. City Councilmember Paul Koretz and Culver City Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells.
An honorary host committee chaired by L.A. City Councilmember Mike Bonin, Assemblymember Autumn Burke and State Senator Ben Allen supported the event. Burke presented Hahn with her award. She announced, to cheers from the dinner guests, that she would be sponsoring a bill that Paul Koretz once championed in Sacramento, but failed to pass, which would protect the big nests of herons, hawks, eagles and egrets year-round so that these species’ life cycles would not be disrupted by felling of their rookeries.
This year Ballona Institute commemorated the 10th anniversary of the date that the last parcel of land at the Ballona Wetlands was transferred to a state resource agency for protection by announcing a year filled with celebratory events. Kicking off the year is this gala dinner. Additional events include a nature science summit in September, a series of hour-long “conservation conversations,” a daylong event filled with artistic nature expression, and a community luncheon singling out some community heroes.
Then State Controller Steve Westly signed a letter, on July 7, 2004 transferring the deed to approximately 73 acres of land east of Lincoln Boulevard and north of Ballona Creek known to many as “Area C.” Westly’s predecessor Kathleen Connell, along with concerned citizens, launched a “Free Area C” campaign when she was campaigning to become the mayor of Los Angeles. This campaign is credited with causing Playa Vista REIT investors Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to decline exercising their option to purchase the land which Playa Capital developers had previously planned to develop.
The land transfer in 2004 was hailed as significant, since the property had been claimed by developers, state tax collectors and various politicians, who wanted it variously for low-income housing projects, a county courthouse or funds for state education needs.
In December 2014, this same land parcel – Area C – was saved once again, from heiress Wallis Annenberg who wanted to build a dog and cat shelter and adoption center along with an urban, manicured park.
As part of the Celebrate Ballona! Gala Dinner, Bill Rosendahl was honored with the presentation of the first-ever “Ellen Stern Harris Coastal Champion Award.” Ellen Stern Harris is credited with spearheading the citizen initiative known as Proposition 20, which led to the state legislature’s adoption of the California Coastal Act and creation of the California Coastal Commission. Stern Harris is often referred to as the “Mother of the Coastal Act.” She was a member of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board and one of the first Coastal Commissioners, appointed by Governor Jerry Brown in 1973. She died in 2006, but celebrated with activists in 2003 and 2004 when the Ballona Wetlands acquisition become a reality. She noted this acquisition was important to her, since she’d watched lobbyists wrangle over this land 30 years before. Members of Stern Harris’ family, including Tom Harris, Fred Stern and Regine Wood were present at the dinner.
“This honor is so appropriate for Bill Rosendahl, because Ellen was a champion for the public’s interest, and so is Bill. Ellen would have been very pleased to know that Bill Rosendahl was the first recipient of an award in her name,” explained Robert “Roy” van de Hoek, President of Ballona Institute.
Marcia Hanscom, Executive Director of Ballona Institute explained further. “Ellen was one of my mentors, and this honor is not only for Bill, but also for Ellen. Interestingly, she contacted us after watching one of our Ballona activists being interviewed by Bill on his cable public affairs program,” Hanscom said. “And from that time until the acquisition, she was constantly giving us advice, editing my writing and helping steer our course toward success. She was an invaluable advisor.”
Huey Johnson was presented with Ballona Institute’s first “Great Blue Heron Award,” recognizing him for carrying on the work he’s done over many decades in the “spirit” of the Great Blue Heron – that spirit, according to native American stories, was one of “Determined Strength, combined with Gracious Beauty.” He not only founded The Trust for Public Land, but he also assisted activists in supporting their successful efforts that led to The Annenberg Foundation withdrawing their misguided plans for the wild areas at Ballona that are currently feeding grounds for the Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Audubon Cottontail Rabbit, Loggerhead Shrike, and Coyote, among others.
U.S. Congress Representative Janice Hahn was presented with a “Ballona Wetlands Champion Award” for her early communications with the US Army Corps of Engineers and County officials who have been planning an industrial overhaul of the Ballona Wetlands without input from the scientists representing community, wildlife protection and ecological restoration interests. She stated at the gala that she looked forward to continuing the work to insure that the community’s interests and those of Ballona Institute would be heard and the coastal habitats protected.
U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters was presented with a “Ballona Wetlands Champion Award” for raising her voice and exposing that native American burial grounds were being dug up and disrespected during the building of the Playa Vista development. Her advocacy on the behalf of the native people led to national news media coverage by The New York Times, NPR Radio and The Los Angeles Times op-ed pages.
Joining Ballona Institute in honoring Rep. Waters for this important remembrance was tribal leader Angie Behrns, who represented Gabrielino Tongva Chief Anthony Morales. He opened the gala dinner with a native blessing for the land and those gathered.
The third and final Ballona Wetlands Champion Award for this year was presented to Ed Asner, actor and narrator for “The Last Stand,” a documentary film produced by Sheila Laffey, which won numerous awards and was presented in screenings throughout the country, including special airings on PBS, in spite of efforts by powerful Hollywood and Wall Street interests to quash it. Asner was away from Los Angeles at a film screening during the gala, but appeared via video. He talked about how making this film was one of the highlights of his career and how he learned so much from doing so!
Four distinguished journalists from Los Angeles were also presented with awards for their coverage of issues during the last decade since the land at Ballona was saved from the bulldozers in 2003/2004.
Gary Walker, The Argonaut reporter – feted for his extensive coverage of rare and endangered species that have returned or been rediscovered in the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve area and surrounding wild, open spaces: including Orcutt’s’ Yellow Pincushion, California Gnatcatcher, Least Bell’s Vireo and El Segundo Blue Butterfly.
Jill Stewart, LA Weekly Managing Editor –honored for her writing and editing of numerous articles about inappropriate collusion between state government agencies and The Annenberg Foundation regarding plans to construct inappropriate development on ecological reserve lands.
Also for her guidance of new reporters and overseeing coverage about L.A. County’s previously unknown involvement in seeking permits for a highly controversial habitat alteration plan before any environmental review is completed.
Lila Garrett – KPFK’s “Connect the Dots” was feted for her connecting the dots related to government agencies being influenced by private interests to access and the use of public bond money for projects masquerading as restoration, while rare wildlife species have been or are being harmed.
Kristin Agostoni – Daily Breeze reporter for nearly 10 years was honored especially for her coverage of a genuine, community-engaged restoration at the City-owned Ballona Wetlands area called, Grand Canal Lagoon. Also acknowledged for her work seeking public records for secret meetings leading up to The Annenberg deal.