In 1992 the city of Los Angeles
leased a 14-acre piece of land to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to
begin a community garden. The land was located at East 41st and South
Alameda Streets in South Central L.A. The community of South Central had
long struggled with poverty and was recovering from events that led to
the 1992 L.A. Uprising. No one would have pegged it as the home of what
would become one of the nation’s largest urban gardens. But that is
just what the plot of land became. The farmers and community members who
worked it named themselves the South Central Farmers Feeding Families.
The farm contained over 100 species of fruits, vegetables and herbs,
including avocados, guava’s, and white sage brush. In 2003 the city sold
the property and the South Central Farmer’s received a notice to vacate
in 2004. They fought the eviction in court, gaining wide spread support
from community members and nationally known figures like Ralph Nader,
Joan Baez, Immortal Technique, and Darryl Hannah. The South Central
Farmer’s were evicted in 2006. Shortly after, in 2007, the Farmer’s were
gifted 85 acres of prime farmland in Buttonwillow California. While
leasing land in Bakersfield, they made needed improvements to the
donated farm, including adding a water well. This past June they
celebrated their official move to Buttonwillow. But their fight to
return to L.A. is not over. On July 30th the South Central Farmers will
meet with L.A. Deputy Mayor Larry Frank to discuss possibilities.NORTH HOLLYWOOD — Gathering Saturday afternoon at the Mayflower Club to start a city revolution, a group of local civic activists and business leaders, including former Mayor Richard Riordan, officially launched a grass-roots effort to "clean up City Hall."
L.A. Clean Sweep, co-founded by former Daily News Editor Ron Kaye, aims to sweep a slate of community-oriented candidates into city offices and replace incumbents the group derides as ineffective and indifferent to the public.
