Dateline>City of Angels

Class envy is so unappealing, especially when it surfaces in local leaders who should know better. I’m referring to Monday’s L.A. Times article, “Griffith After the Ashes,” which reveals “competing visions” for the park’s rehabilitation. One always expects a tussle between environmentalists who want pristine, untouched nature preserves and recreationists who advocate some accommodation for hiking, swimming, golfing, etc. But apparently, according to the Times, at least one L.A. councilmember is also injecting class politics into the mix:

“Griffith Park is at a pivotal place,” said Councilman Ed Reyes, who thinks it’s time for the park to better serve lower-income youths who live a short bike ride away in areas such as Lincoln Heights. “I know it’s going to raise a lot of fireworks,” he added, “because people there now really treasure their sense of isolation and exclusivity…. Right now,” he said, “the knee-jerk reaction has been more, ‘This is mine, I want to keep it…. I paid my million, $2 million, $3 million for my house…’”

What? Has Mr. Reyes ever actually visited the park?

Driving or cycling through its winding roads and vistas, the one thing that has always struck me is how Griffith Park truly belongs to everyone. No gathering space better reflects the city’s diversity, from immigrant families picnicking to people of all classes and backgrounds enjoying its carousel, pool, pony rides, soccer fields, zoo, observatory and related facilities at little or no cost. Visit on a weekend; I defy anyone to say with a straight face that disadvantaged neighbors are underrepresented. Yes, some of the nearby “horse property” owners access the park’s bridle trails from their backyards. And, yes, there is a huge golf course on the park grounds. But overwhelmingly, this park is used by us “common folk” without regard to social status.

If Lincoln Heights youths can’t safely ride their bikes to the park, that says more about L.A.’s traffic conditions than it does about Los Feliz “isolation.”

I’ve lived in the Silverlake-Echo Park area for over a decade now. In all the community meetings I’ve ever attended, I’ve never heard any complaints over the diversity of park goers — or any attempt to curtail access from adjoining neighborhoods. (In fact, just the opposite.) Rather than demean them, we should thank the park’s immediate neighbors for the keen interest they’ve taken in promoting its preservation and responsible use — not to mention the tax support their “exclusive” multi-million-dollar properties have provided.