All four "tree-sitters" arrested while protesting the destruction of an 11-acre oak woodland in Arcadia appeared in Alhambra Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to one count each of trespassing and obstruction a police officer. They are John Quigley, 50, of Glendale, Julia Jaye Posin, 23 of Venice Beach, Travis Jochimsen, 28, of Lancaster and Andrea Bowers, 45 of Los Angeles. They rejected an offer of community service and payment of restitution from the District Attorney's office. The four will appear in court again April 22 for a pre-trial hearing.
Bulldozers finished demolishing the 11 acres of oak tree woodlands in Arcadia, at the Los Angeles County Santa Anita Dam Sediment Placement Site yesterday. Four environmental activists, called "tree-sitters," were booked on trespassing and obstruction, then were later released. Los Angeles County Public Works said demolishing the 179 trees to make room for sediment dredged from nearby dams is a flood control effort necessary to ensure public safety. The bitter debate continues. Activists claim the project was not transparent to the public and media.
Editorial. Carlos Aguilar writes about Tongva natives' "Creation Myths and all of this rain." He warns that Santa Anita Dam above Sierra Madre runs the risk of overflowing as do several other 14 dams built in the first half of the twentieth century.
Environmental activists are calling for an independent investigation into a Los Angeles County flood control project--6 days after they failed to stop bulldozers from clearing 11.1 acres of native oak woodland for a dam sediment dump in Arcadia. The group calling for the probe includes Glen Owens, Camron Stone, and "tree-sitters" John Quigley, Andrea Bowers and Julia Posin. Los Angeles County supervisor Michael Antonovich's deputy Tony Bell said the three-year county public works planning process for the sediment project was completely open and the facts were available to the public.
Environmental activists gathered at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration to demand an investigation into the county's destruction last week of oak woodland in Arcadia. Shown in photo are activists Camron Stone, John Quigley, Andrea Bowers and Julie Posin.
Environmental activists plan to block work crews from clearing 179 oak and sycamore trees, north of Arcadia. Bob Spencer, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, confirmed that construction would begin this morning to clear the 11 acres of trees, to make room for an estimated 500 cubic yards of sediment from Santa Anita Dam, as well as debris from seven other area catch basins. Spencer said, "The purpose behind this project is public safety; the damn built in 1927 does not meet seismic standards. Arcadia city manager Don Penman hopes that the several hundred thousand cubic yards of extra capacity is not an invitation for frequent trucking from other basins.
Environmentalists, such as the Sierra Club in Pasadena and other groups, have requested an urgent meeting with Los Angeles County Department of Public Works officials to discuss last minute alternatives to the flood control project that would involve demolishing 11.1 acres of Arcadia woodlands. A 30-day moratorium on work at the site is ending in 2 days.
Hollywood actors Ed Begley, Jr. and Daryl Hannah called on prosecutors to drop a trespassing case against the group of tree-sitters who have become known as the "Arcadia 4." The four climbed into oak trees on January 12, 2011 while Los Angeles County bulldozers destroyed an 11-acre woodland around them. Begley rallied with supporters outside Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley's downtown headquarters. The four are John Quigley of Glendale, Julia Jaye Posin of Venice Beach, Travis Jochimsen of Lancaster and Andrea Bowers of Los Angeles. The trees were cleared to make room for a sediment site.
John Quigley, one of the "Arcadia four" tree-sitters arrested on January 12, 2011, while protesting destruction of an 11-acre Arcadia woodland, has told supporters he will appear today in Alhambra Superior Court and will plead no contest to trespassing.
John Quigley, the last of the protesting "Arcadia four" tree-sitters, took a deal from prosecutors and pleaded no contest to a single count of trespassing. He has a $60 fine, which was waived for jail time served, three years of informal probation, and 20 hours of community service at a nonprofit agency.
Los Angeles County agrees to a minimum 30-day moratorium on its plan to cut down 11.1 acres of oak and sycamore woodland for a dumping site for debris dredged from the Santa Anita Dam. The site is below Arcadia's Wilderness Park. During this time, opponents to the project will be looking at alternatives and the county will communicate the project's impact to the environmental community.
Los Angeles County keeps environmental activists and media off the site where the 11 acres of oak tree woodlands are being bulldozed near Wilderness Park. It is called Santa Anita Dam Sediment Placement Site. Activists were unable to save the area from becoming a debris basin. See related story "Razing woodland: protesters watch as trees are cut down" Pasadena Star News, January 13, 2011, p. A1, A7.
Los Angeles County Public Works is scheduled to clear 11.3 acres of pristine native oak woodland to dump tons of sediment dredged from Santa Anita Dam. Glen Owens, a founder of the Big Santa Anita Historical Society and a Monrovia planning commissioner, hopes it's not too late for a grass roots effort to oppose or at least postpone the project. The sediment dump would be entirely in Arcadia.
Los Angeles County supervisor Mike Antonovich plans to set aside $650,000 of county funds to re-seed the oak woodland habitat in Arcadia that was demolished last week for flood control purposes, after mud and debris dredged from the Santa Anita Dam has been spread at the site. Bob Spencer, spokesman for Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, said there is much more debris poised to come down the hills and "We need to find a solution." Other county wilderness areas face destruction to make way for sediment. Officials are already considering the relocation of sediment from Devil's Gate Dam, which could end up on a 40-acre mature black willow woodland in the Hahamongna Watershed Park. Environmental activists won't let that happen without a fight.
More than 11 acres of pristine native oak woodland at the Arcadia/Monrovia border, adjacent to Wilderness Park, are scheduled to be cut down to create a dumping ground for sediment dredge from the Santa Anita Dam, in a Los Angeles County Public Works project. The dam gets cleared out every 20 years or so. About 500,000 cubic yards of dirt and debris clogging the dam will be removed. Glen Owens, a founder of the Big Santa Anita Historical Society and a Monrovia planning commissioner, said the dirt shouldn't be dumped in one of only two native woodlands left in the San Gabriel Valley. Arcadia Councilman Bob Harbicht wants to hold a meeting with the city and county public works officials to clarify plans for the dirt dispersal.
Santa Anita Dam sediment project is nearly complete but residents and activists continue to question Los Angeles County's intentions for demolishing the 11-acre Arcadia Woodlands 1.5 years ago. Following the removal of the trees on January 12, 2011, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has been moving mud and debris from the dam to the middle and lower sediment placement sites by a massive conveyor belt. Moving the dirt makes flood control and water conservation possible for the neighboring populations of Arcadia and Sierra Madre.
Two of four "tree-sitters" that were arrested while protesting the destruction of an 11-acre Arcadia oak woodland in January appeared in Alhambra Superior Court on Thursday and had their arraignment postponed until February 18. They are John Quigley, 50, of Glendale, and Julia Jaye Posin, 23 of Venice Beach. Travis Jochimsen, 28, of Lancaster and Andrea Bowers, 45 of Los Angeles, were also arrested but did not appear for arraignment.