USA Today, America's paper of record, takes note of our city's attempts to turn the Los Angeles River from storm drain back to a real wild, muddy river with wildlife and greenery. The only things holding back this magical tranformation are "money and political will" - the same excuse we used for not cleaning our room as a child.
Turning a master plan into reality will depend on money and political will, [Councilman Ed Reyes] says. The river goes through nine of the 15 City Council districts, ensuring receptive ears at City Hall. But there's work to educate voters on the river's value, architect [Arthur Golding] says.A pig, Mr. Reyes? If by a pig you mean a smelly, muddy, feces laden, ugly abomination, then you're certainly correct.One public relations obstacle: The river doesn't touch the influential West Side, Malibu or Beverly Hills. "That's been a huge problem for Friends of the Los Angeles River — the river doesn't run through any rich neighborhoods," MacAdams says. "We don't have any movie stars. We don't have any celebrities."
Reyes says the river also has an "image problem."
"We were brainwashed to think it was nothing but a sewer. Some say it's like trying to put lipstick on a pig," he says.
· Fervor flowing as L.A. looks to revive river [USA Today]