After seven years of discussion, debate and delay, the final draft of the long-awaited Griffith Park Vision Plan has been adopted by the Los Angeles Parks Commission. One of the first consequences is that long-time Griffith Park city advocate, Joe Salaices, has been named the park Superintendent.

One of the LFIA’s priorities in recent years has been the adoption of a formal management plan for Griffith Park that provides a governance element which includes neighboring community organizations and park user groups.  “We are extremely proud of our association’s participation in the recently released Vision Plan and the substantial authoring provided by our representative, Valerie Vanaman,” commented LFIA President Chris Laib.  “We have already submitted our suggested edits to the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, as well as our request that the LFIA is given a seat on the Park Advisory Board.”

While many venues in the park have master plans, Griffith Park as a whole does not.  We believe that the recently released Vision Plan is a good initial step by the Department of Recreation and Parks and Council District 4, and we hope it will lead to the first Master Plan in Griffith Park in over 30 years.  “We owe it to our successors to preserve the delicate ecosystem in this glorious gift given to our city by Griffith J. Griffith in 1896,” concluded Chris Laib.

The next step is for the city council and the Department of Recreation and Parks to name a Citizens Advisory Board. The LFIA is very excited about having a representative on that body.