Los Angeles Times writer Louis Sahagun continues to cover important stories for our area. At 73, he’s certainly had his fair-share of “Page 1, above the fold” stories and has apparently survived the latest editorial purge of more than 70 staff.

A few weeks ago, we spoke at length about the disappointment many of us old-time LA River advocates feel about the billion dollars recommended by the feds in 2014 that has yet to show up and be put to use on our river. Even with lots of proposed projects and activities, no central environmental leader has appeared to take the reins from the now-deceased co-founder of Friends of the L.A. River, Lewis MacAdams. Read Sahagun’s excellent reporting >>HERE.

And he recently reported on an effort to urge President Biden to sign an Executive Order to expand our National Monument. by almost 110, 000 acres. We’ll see how this goes, but for me personally I got almost as excited about parts of the San Gabriel Mountains receiving monument status under President Obama, as I did when the Army Corp recommended the big restoration bucks, essentially green-lighting a massive effort to rewild 14 miles of the LA.

The problem with both is — money, or rather, “Show me the money!” as Cuba Gooding Jr. demanded in “Jerry Maguire.” In the first instance, Alternative 20, we’re still waiting; in the second, monument status doesn’t come with any additional funding. Read Louis’s story >>HERE.

Stay tuned and see you on the river, Jim Burns