>Vandals Strike Farm Lot 59, Oasis For Urban Farming On California Ave. At Willow Springs Park

LBReport.com

News

Vandals Strike Farm Lot 59, Oasis For Urban Farming On California Ave. At Willow Springs Park

Is It Related To Nearby Chronic Transient/Homeless Encampment, Or To Previous Fire That Destroyed Historic LB RR Depot, Or A Symptom Of Chronic City Hall Inattention To Willow Springs Park, Or Any Or All Of These?

LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. Support independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.

VIDEO runs 1 hr/20 minutes is a large file (465MB) and may take some time to load.

Paid advocacy content
AND for VIDEO and FURTHER INFORMATION on EL DORADO AUDUBON, CLICK HERE.
Paid for by El Dorado Audubon

(UPDATED Dec. 2 with SHP clarification following Dec. 1 City statement from initial November 29, 2016) -- Property leased by the City of Long Beach (with voted City Council approval) to a local non-profit to demonstrate the benefits of urban farming was vandalized over the recent Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

To view video of the recent vandalism, click here..

Farm Lot 59's Sasha Kanno (President/Farmer/Founder of non-profit Long Beach, Local Inc.) tells LBREPORT.com that she attributes what took place to a combination of chronic problems from a transient/homeless encampment on adjacent city property plus what she describes as a general inattention to Willow Springs Park by city officialdom.

[Scroll down for further.]

Ms. Kanno notes that the city recently cleared a transient/homeless encampment from adjacent Willow Springs Park and she speculates that the recent vandalism may be retaliation. She also notes (with sadness) what she described as a general City Hall inattention to safety and security at the site reflecting a larger lack of follow-through on ambitious, publicly approved plans to improve the Willow Springs park area.

"It's time for the City of Long Beach to take action and secure the Willow Springs Gulch so we can work in a safe environment," Ms. Kanno stated on Farm Lot 59's Facebook page..

Advertisement
Computer Repair Long Beach

UPDATE: On Dec. 1, the City of Long Beach provided us with the following statement:

City of Long Beach Statement Regarding Farm Lot 59
We take great pride in our parks and open spaces, and work very hard to keep them clean and safe.
We have recently increased security in the area, including adding new fencing and removing debris.
We have a daily City presence on site due to mulch composting and tree planting operations.
City contractors remove trash and graffiti on a regular basis.
~~Signal Hill Petroleum has 24 hour security staff on site.~~

UPDATE Dec. 2: Signal Hill Petroleum Communications Specialist Stefanie Gillet tells LBREPORT.com:
"Signal Hill Petroleum has oilfield personnel who monitor our wells 24 hours a day. They are not trained security and do not engage in any activity that should be handled by police personnel."

We take this matter very seriously, and our Police Department is reaching out to the tenant to address security.
We encourage all our tenants, as well as residents and businesses, to report crimes to our Police Department so we can start investigating.

Despite limited resources, we have made several improvements to this open space over the past few years
2012 - Conservation Corps invasive plant removal in preparation for future park improvements.
November 2012 - Long View Vista Point was complete with benches, walking path, drought-tolerant native plant landscaping and irrigation, watershed map and interpretive signage.
December 2015 - Long View Point improvements included a walking labyrinth, additional drought-tolerant native plants, two vista seating areas, and tree trimming and invasive plant removal.

[end update]

The recent vandalism damaged or destroyed Farm Lot 59 property and crops that help the non-profit sustain itself.

What took place follows a September 2016 fire that destroyed a historic RR depot, transported at considerable difficulty to a location at Willow Springs Park adjacent to the urban farm. The RR depot somehow caught fire in the middle of the night with no utilities attached. On November 28, LBFD Public Information Officer Firefighter / Public Information officer Jake Heflin told LBREPORT.com that the cause of the RR depot fire remains undetermined and continues under investigation.

Since 2011, the City has leased the property to Long Beach Local, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit that says [website text] it "relies on donations, grant funding and the sale of our farm products to cover our operational costs. Our mission is to help create citizen farmers in the City of Long Beach."

By coincidence, Farm Lot 59 the group is holding a previously scheduled fundraiser later today (Nov. 29) at the Long Beach Creamery, 4141 Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

On its Facebook page, the Long Beach Creamery says today's funderaiser "is even more important after the farm was vandalized yesterday. 50% of the proceeds will go to the farm and we will be making special Buttercakes where 100% of proceeds will be donated to the farm."

Ms. Kanno indicated that she and her farm workers have endured other problems (including someone defecating in her small office on the property), said she believes previous and recent vandalism is related to the homeless encampment, said the Thanksgiving weekend vandalism shows why city officials need to provide some type of long-term solutions to improve conditions in the city owned park area.

The Council-approved lease reciting the respective responsibilities of the parties can be viewed at this link and was renewed in 2014 by the Council at this link.

Farm Lot 59 displays its work on at this link (video shot several months ago.)