Over time, the Pacoima Wash, a flood control channel for the L.A. River that flows through the community of Pacoima and between several neighborhoods of the San Fernando Valley, has become widely lamented as a source of community division. Prone to flooding and separating Pacoima residents from San Fernando, just a stone’s throw away, the Pacoima Wash blocks one of the most underserved communities in Los Angeles from access to resources in the rest of the Valley.
Pacoima Beautiful, a woman-led environmental justice organization founded in 1996 by a group of mothers in the community, has worked tirelessly to secure funding for bridges that would cross the Pacoima Wash, connecting Pacoima to other Valley communities, as well as a greenway that would provide opportunities for commuting, fitness, and recreation.
Support from the Bezos Earth Fund will extend Pacoima Beautiful’s efforts to reshape the first mile of a four-miles revitalization plan of the Pacoima Wash into a valuable community resource. Funding will go toward construction costs, community organization and outreach, professional development to secure additional funding, the hiring of additional staff, and volunteer training.