Building Greener, Healthier Communities
LA RIVER
Overview
The Los Angeles River is one of the greatest opportunities to reshape our city’s future. It should be a place of flowing water, green space, and everyday connection to nature. Instead, it has been locked into concrete, treated as little more than a drainage channel for pollution.
Now, LA stands at a crossroads. With the 2028 Olympics approaching and new state funding coming online through Proposition 4, the window to make the right choices is now.
The choices made today will determine whether the river comes back to life, or remains trapped by concrete and short-term thinking.
The LA River spans
51 miles
through some of the most densely populated and underserved communities in the region
The Challenge
Every major rainstorm sends
billions
of gallons of stormwater rushing through the concrete channel and out to sea — water LA could be capturing to reduce our dependence on imported supplies
River-adjacent communities face
extreme heat, poor air quality, and limited access
to green space
Solutions
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We push for a different vision of the LA River, one that works with nature, not against it. That means restoring habitat, improving water quality, and using natural systems to reduce flood risk while cooling neighborhoods and capturing stormwater for local water supply, and restoring the river's role as a living system.
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We engage in major planning efforts like the LA River Master Plan to ensure they meet legal standards and truly serve communities. When plans fall short, we take action to demand transparency, stronger analysis, and better outcomes.
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We challenge projects that put short-term development ahead of community and environmental needs, working to preserve opportunities for open space, flood protection, and long-term ecological health along the river.
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We monitor issues across the watershed, from major planning decisions to pollution risks like the Santa Susana Field Lab.
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We work inside major funding programs — including the Prop 4 and the Safe Clean Water Program — to direct investment toward large-scale, multi-benefit projects along the river corridor that simultaneously address flood risk, water supply, habitat, and community needs.
