(July 27, 2004) -- The Wrigley Association, one of LB's most active neighborhood groups, has elected veteran community advocate Joan Greenwood as its president.

Ms. Greenwood, a trained chemist, has frequently used her scientific expertise to challenge projects citywide that in her opinion invited pollution or other risks to health and safety.

During the 1990s, Ms. Greenwood was among the leading supporters of Friends of the Los Angeles River (FoLAR), pressing City Hall to treat the Los Angeles river as a community asset instead of a drainage ditch. FoLAR's approach, initially resisted by some at City Hall, was eventually embraced by LB officialdom.

At a Wrigley Association meeting earlier this year, Ms. Greenwood stated her concerns from the floor in opposition to a proposal by a Mitsubishi subsidiary to build and operate an 80 million gallon Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility in the Port of Long Beach.

The Wrigley Association also elected the following officers: Barbara Kingsley, Vice President; Tim Patton, Treasurer; Alan Tolkoff, Secretary; Richard Daniels, Sgt. at Arms; and Christopher Graeber, Parliamentarian.

The Wrigley area, named for its 1920s development by the Wrigley Corporation, runs from just south of the 405 freeway to PCH and from the L.A. river to LB Blvd.

The Wrigley Association meets on the first Monday of every month (exceptions for holidays, then the second Monday) at Veterans Park, 101 E. 28th St. in the Social Room.