LA Animal Services is partnering with NBC and Telemundo for their annual Clear the Shelters Campaign. With more than 1,800 amazing animals in the six City shelters, LA Animal Services is offering special adoption fees for dogs, puppies, cats and kittens happening now through August 31. To see the amazing animals available to adopt or foster, go to LAAnimalServices.com/pets.
Several city departments provide Know Your Rights training and resources: Community Investment for Families Department, LA Public Library, and Department of Recreation and Parks.
Know Your Rights: Whether you are at work, home or in your community, it's important that all Angelenos know their rights.
Reminder: Join Us for the LA Park Needs Assessment Community Meetings!
A friendly reminder that the Phase 2 Community Meetings have just kicked off, and we hope to see you this month at one of the locations across the City! Thanks to your valuable input during Phase 1, we’ve started building a vision for our parks and recreation spaces.
Your voice continues to be essential. Whether you’re returning or joining for the first time, your participation makes a difference. To find a Community Meeting date and location that is convenient for you, visit bit.ly/EngageLAPNA Virtual meetings are also available.
About the Park Needs Assessment:
The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks is conducting a Park Needs Assessment to better understand how we can improve and develop our parks to meet the needs of the residents of Los Angeles. It will guide future investment in park infrastructure and amenities that is reflective of the diverse cultures and communities of Los Angeles and its projected population growth. The Park Needs Assessment process will include many opportunities for the community to participate and engage through community meetings, pop-ups, key group meetings, equity focused events and more! To learn more about the process, visit the Park Needs Assessment website at bit.ly/LACityParksNeeds.
MAY IS RESPONSIBLE ANIMAL GUARDIAN MONTH
Pet owners in LA City can celebrate by following Important Pet Laws
Councilmember Blumenfield Introduces New Environmental Efforts to Ensure Clean Drinking Water and Reduce Health Risks from Artificial Turf |
Recently the Council approved Councilmember Blumenfield’s motion that instructs the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to test for the presence of Polyfluoroalkyl / Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and other similar contaminants and provide information on how to ensure safe potable drinking water for the City. This was prompted by recent revelations that DWP, for the first time ever, detected these contaminants in two water sources in the San Fernando Valley (the Pollock Well Field and at the Tujunga Well Field). While the levels were not deemed dangerous, it raised enough concern for Blumenfield to put together the motion.
Separately, Blumenfield introduced a motion to help Los Angeles transition away from artificial turf/synthetic grass and encourage the transition to California drought-friendly landscaping. Made from petroleum products, artificial turf/synthetic grass has been found to cause serious environmental issues as it degrades, can magnify the ‘heat island effect,’ and can burn in a wildfire. In the past it had been heralded as a good water-saving landscape alternative, but the conventional wisdom has been rapidly changing as the product has been studied, peer-reviewed and tested. Ultimately, a ban on future non-functional / decorative turf may be necessary. Artificial turf is now known to contain harmful substances such PFAS, and other “forever chemicals”. In April 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration, through the Environmental Protection Agency, categorized PFAS and other “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances dangerous to human health. The EPA has concluded that exposure to PFAS may lead to reproductive effects, developmental delays, and risks of some cancers. Exposure can occur through inhalation, ingestion, skin contact, and mucous membrane exposure, including microplastic dust kicked up on artificial turf fields.
On the effort regarding artificial turf, Charming Evelyn, Chair of the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Water Committee, said, “Sierra Club stands in strong support of this motion from City Councilmember Blumenfield. This is a crucial step for preventing widespread contamination and protecting public health.”
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