Kennedy, Hampton Call for Diversity on One Arroyo Foundation Board of Directors

Councilman John Kennedy and Vice Mayor Tyron Hampton called for more diversity on a local board working to develop a vision for the Arroyo Seco.

The One Arroyo Foundation website lists 19 board members, including former Mayor Bill Bogaard. Eight women are on the board, but no African-American board members are listed on the website.

“I know 70 percent of the directors and I have the utmost respect for the individuals,” Kennedy said. “I would ask you to reconsider that you have a diverse board of directors. I don’t see it that way.”

Kennedy went on to say that he did not see much representation from his district and said the area has a history that is not “inviting to African Americans and Latinos.”

Kennedy was assured his comments would be taken back to the board.

The City Council will receive an update on the One Arroyo Trail Poject at tonight’s City Council meeting.

The update will include recent developments on design work prescribed in the One Arroyo Trail Demonstration Project.
After an extensive search and interviews with top design firms, the One Arroyo Foundation selected RJM Design Group to put together two demonstration projects in the Arroyo Seco.

RJM’s designs will focus on the connection points at Hahamongna Watershed Park’s Woodlands Loop and the Colorado Street Bridge Streamside Walk.

The projects are the first step toward achieving the foundation’s goal of creating a unified Arroyo Seco trail.

Hahamongna was settled by Tongva-Gabrielino Native Americans.

Hampton queried about the lack of a Native Americans from the Gabrielino-Tongva People.

“We can’t forget the Native Americans made these trails,” Hampton said.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Arroyo Seco consists of nearly 22 miles of trails and supports a vast and thriving natural ecosystem of native plants and wildlife species.
Preliminary work is expected to begin later this year.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in July unanimously approved Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s recommendation to allocate $500,000 to the One Arroyo Seco Trail Project.

“The Arroyo is a valued recreational and environmental resource for our community and our region,” said Barger. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work in partnership with the city of Pasadena to provide the funding for this project to further our mission to expand access to trails across our county.”

Once design work begins and the One Arroyo Foundation is ready to unveil a design for the One Arroyo Trail Project, the foundation will conduct a community outreach process to gather input and feedback to inform the final project delivered to the city.

The foundation will also work closely with city departments to ensure proper outreach.

Outreach for the projects will begin in January, virtually if COVID-19 restrictions are still in place. Should the Public Health Order allow for in-person events, the foundation will be encouraged to modify its approach to community outreach.

The project began to take shape in 2017 when the Arroyo Advisory Group (AAG) was formed in 2017 and was tasked with developing a cohesive vision for the Arroyo Seco, as well as examining ways to address significant deferred maintenance and fund improvements, despite limited funds.

In 2018, Mayor Terry Tornek led several hikes with local residents to get input regarding opportunities to restore and enhance Pasadena’s Arroyo Seco.

Following an 18-month process, the AAG’s final report provided recommendations and funding strategies for two trail demonstration projects to enhance, connect and preserve the Arroyo.

“I want to see the composition of the board changed to mirror the composition of our community,” Kennedy said.