City of los angeles general plan

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CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-19

Policy 4: continue to increase funding for equine trails and facilities

acquisition, construction, maintenance and equine related city

activities.

Program: exploration and development, with the assistance of

private equine interests, of potential funding sources for equine

related facilities and activities.

Responsibility: departments of *Animal Regulation, Office of

Administration and Resource Services, *Recreation and Parks,

other agencies as appropriate.

For related information about trails see: 

N

 Community plans of the Los Angeles City General Plan, Los Angeles

Department of City Planning (especially for communities in the north

San Fernando Valley).

N

 "Guide to Existing and Potential Equestrian Trails," Los Angeles

Department of City Planning, revised February 1991.

N

 "Major Equestrian and Hiking Trails Plan, an Element of the Master

Plan of the City of Los Angeles," Department of City Planning and

Department of Recreation and Parks, 1968.

N

 "Open Space Element," Los Angeles City General Plan (under

preparation).

SECTION 8: EROSION

Wind, water and human activity cause erosion of land surfaces. Erosion

can result in the loss of valuable ground surface materials, depositing

them into basins and the ocean, and can result in the reduction in air

quality due to wind carried dust. Erosion, especially water erosion,

can damage the watershed and contribute to hillside instability and

flooding. Following brush fires, the threat of erosion is great due to

loss of ground cover.

Inland erosion. Since 1952, when Los Angeles became the first city in

the nation to regulate hillside grading, the city has promulgated

regulations that enable evaluation of slope stability and imposition of

mitigation measures. The building code (LAMC Sections 91.700 et seq.)

and Specific Plan for the Management of Flood Hazards (Ordinance

172,081) regulate grading, excavations, landfill and other construction

activities that might cause or be impacted by slope or ground

instability, erosion or flooding. Other development permits, such as

subdivision permits, for projects on hillsides or in unstable areas

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CITY OF LOS ANGELES CONSERVATION ELEMENT

Adopted September 2001

II-20

typically contain conditions for mitigation of potential slope

instability and erosion, including slope reinforcement, planting,

irrigation and drainage requirements. To hold the soil and protect

watersheds from erosion following major brush fires, federal or state

agencies sometimes seed denuded areas with wild plant seeds which

rapidly germinate. However, such seeding may introduce plants which

damage the local ecological balance and may increase brush density.

Some botanists recommend no seeding and, instead, reliance on the

natural regeneration of existing plants, some of which are assisted in

their germination by fire conditions.

Beach erosion. Beaches within the boundaries of the city include Will

Rogers and Dockweiler state beaches and Venice beach. City beaches are

leased to Los Angeles county. The county maintains them and their

related facilities and provides life guards and other services. Beaches

are part of the ocean related ecological system. In addition, they

provide a buffer which protects coastal areas and infrastructure (e.g.,

adjacent neighborhoods and streets) and they are a prime recreational

and visual attraction for tourists and local residents. The loss of

beaches could have a direct impact on the ecosystem, safety and the

economy.

Los Angeles is affected by seasonal storms, generally between October

and April. The storms can dump several inches of rain in a few hours.

A 100-year capital storm can drop as much as 24 inches within 24-hours.

Storms wash the land and carry debris, sediments, waste and other

matter to the ocean. Over the millennia changes in river courses and

geologic structures have resulted from earthquakes, erosion and other

natural phenomenon. These natural actions have changed the shape and

character of the coastline. They continue to operate but, in some

cases, human activity has interceded to contain, redirect or redefine

the coastline and natural events in ways that have impacted the

beaches. 

Apart from the flood control system, probably the most significant

human intervention was the development of the Los Angeles-Long Beach

harbors in the San Pedro Bay. In 1891 the U.S. Congress selected the

bay as the site for a deep water port to serve southern California. The

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed the port in 1914. Construction

and expansion of the port and creation of the adjoining port at Long

Beach required dredging of existing sediments, creation of new land

forms and beaches and installation of structures within the bay. These

activities caused significant changes in the ecology of the bay and

adjacent coast. The initial channeling of the Los Angeles River (1921)

was to divert water away from the harbor to protect it from flood

damage. Channeling local rivers and streams and capturing sediments

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