A bill now on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk comes in the wake of three devastating and record-breaking storms elsewhere in the nation, and offers a ray of hope in California’s own quest for climate resilience and equitable green space.

Senate Bill 5 – introduced by California State Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin De León, and passed through thoughtful collaboration with Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon –would place a $4 billion parks, water and flood prevention bond on the June 2018 ballot for California voters.

SB 5 is the first effort of its kind in more than 15 years.  

This bond measure will be the largest state investment in underserved communities if approved by voters, with $725 million for parks and green space within a 10-minute walk for park-starved communities. It will bring vital new resources in our collective mission to build a resilient and equitable future for every community in the state, rural and urban alike.

Its approval would help reinforce California’s proud stature as a global leader on environmental issues and climate resiliency in a time when political support for these causes is threatened nationally and worldwide. 

We believe Los Angeles—like many cities globally—is faced with the very real need to prepare for climate change and correct historic disparities in access to parks and green space. To ensure quality of life, it is critical that we bring nature into our cities.

A recent assessment by Los Angeles County found a 3,000-acre deficit in parks and open spaces countywide, a shortfall that would require more than $21 billion to address.

A $4-billion bond to cover statewide needs is truly only a down payment on what will be required to bring residents the safe outdoor spaces they need.

Four million people live in the Los Angeles River’s watershed, over a million of them within a ten-minute walk.

The Los Angeles River presents a significant, large-scale opportunity to create parks and improve climate resilience, benefitting the dozens of communities along its concrete banks.

Community-approved plans awaiting funding for implementation would improve water quality by restoring 719 acres of habitat and river channel while dramatically improving mobility and public access to the river.

The opportunity to pass parks and water bond called for by SB 5 hasn’t come a moment too soon. The Trust for Public Land and Friends of the Los Angeles River thank the legislature for its leadership in making California—and L.A.—a better place for all.

Marissa Christiansen is Executive Director of Friends of the Los Angeles River. Tori Kjer is Los Angeles Program Director for the Trust for Public Land.