Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price (Ninth District) last week expressed disappointment that South Los Angeles again did not receive a federal Promise Zone grant, but he has not resigned himself to inaction. In fact, Price has vowed to continue to implement the same goals he laid out in the proposal, telling the media that “we will bring this effort forward.”
A group of some of the most powerful and influential community stakeholders have joined with Price to express their disappointment over being passed over for the second straight year. These entities include the Los Angeles Unified School District, the University of Southern California, UCLA, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the Community Coalition, the Brotherhood Crusade, L.A.’s Promise and the Coalition for Responsible Community Development. Each of these groups, along with local congressional representatives Karen Bass and Lucille Roybal-Allard, have vowed to continue working to improve the ninth district and surrounding regions “one block at a time” as Price has often referred to in his ongoing campaign to forge a “New Ninth.”
The Promise Zone funding is not a grant, but rather a designation that provides for “extra points” toward any city’s application for funding from the federal government. The proposed sidewalk repair plan will be reviewed by the council’s Board of Public Works, of which Price is a member, with officials scheduled to hold hearings to determine which sidewalks will get priority for repair. All new funds for these and other city public works projects come from the city’s general fund.
This week Price said he remains undaunted in his efforts to bring specific improvement to his district, notably cleaning out alleys and cracking down on illegal dumping, pushing for more park space, repairing sidewalks, fighting for small business owners and advocating a minimum wage increase for many working-poor families. He said the grant denial will not in any way hinder his efforts to make the ninth councilmatic district one of the city’s most dynamic and innovative communities.
“We will continue to pursue efforts to help our community grow and prosper,” Price said in a statement released on Monday. “We will advance key projects and important policy agendas that will improve our quality of life. Our ‘Clean and Green’ goals are ongoing as we celebrate the opening and renovation of various parks around the community. My colleagues and I on the city council are working to raise wages for all workers in the city as I am committed to addressing poverty in our community.”
Price has also embarked on an aggressive plan to add more open park space to the ninth district, and that includes allocating $7 million for a full scale renovation of the 19-acre South Park at Avalon Boulevard and 51st Street. The park is one of the city’s oldest recreation facilities, and the project will include a full restoration of Palm Alley, new soccer fields, a walking path and remodeling of the park’s bandshell. And even with the ongoing drought and resulting city water-conservation measures, there will be a new fountain with a recreational splash pad.
Additionally, new sidewalks are scheduled for parts of South L.A. For decades the city has struggled with buckling sidewalks brought on primarily by bulging tree roots. This problem is said to have lead to costly injury claims and has limited the mobility of the disabled community. Price helped spearhead an new agreement between the city and disability advocates that calls for more than $1.4 billion to be spent on the city’s most problematic sidewalks over the next 30 years.
“As a member of the Public Works Committee, I am eager to get to work on this plan, ensuring that the ‘New Ninth’ and all communities of need get their fair share of resources,” Price said. In the coming months, the City’s Public Works and Budget and Finance committees will discuss the rollout of the first phase of the sidewalk repair plan which will prioritize sidewalks adjacent to city property, heavily trafficked commercial corridors and the most unsafe walkways that prevent access of disabled persons.
In regard to the failed grant proposal, community stakeholders have said they will continue to work with Price to see to it that the southern region of the city will grow and prosper just as much as any part of town. Larry Frank, president of L.A. Trade Technical College said, “We are not discouraged by the announcement (that federal officials would skip South Los Angeles) and plan to continue to do everything we can to pursue other sources of funding to support the goals we laid out in the proposal. This includes applying for future rounds of the Promise Zone program.”
