L.A.'s Last Coastal Wetland Ecosystem

"The debacle in the Ballona Valley, a large, ancient, silt-based flood plain and man-damaged wetlands nestled between the Westchester bluffs, Mar Vista hills, the 405 Freeway and Playa del Rey waterfront, is giving off tantalizing clues that it has entered an important pre-swarm stage. Dubbed "Playa Vista" by developers, the project will wipe out much of Los Angeles County's last remaining coastal wetland ecosystem. The project recently made page 1 of the New York Times, and the Calendar section, front page, daily op-ed page and Sunday Opinion section of the L.A. Times. In addition, several magazines are working up stories. And the leaks have begun: One concerns the apparent fact that Playa Capital investors are fighting over financial woes inside the project. (Playa Capital, which owns the Ballona Valley, is a group of investors made up of Beverly Hills billionaire Gary Winnick; a huge union investment fund, ULILCO; and two Wall Street real-estate investment trusts, the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund II and a Goldman Sachs real estate fund)."

Thanks to New Times LA Newsletter