Footage of carp swimming upriver under Hyperion Bridge 2/29/08 11am

USING THE RIVER IS NOT A CRIME: Judge rebuffs Garcetti L.A. River power grab, throws out Philip Estrella “loitering in river” case

This from Carmelo Gaeta, yesterday (Thurs) evening:

“I just spoke with Philip. The case was thrown out. His public defender told him the judge doesn’t even want to see the case and the judge will just dismiss it, on the grounds that Philip was not loitering as stated in LAMC 41.22.”

This is the second time in recent memory that a judge has dismissed a loitering-in-the-river ticket; the last time was the Duckman.

Again, if LAMC 41.22 has any legal bearing on what goes on in the River, and that’s questionable given the overlapping jurisdictions (city, county, state, federal) and lack of governing authority, it is to do with what’s been called the “spirit and intent” of the law, which is to outlaw vagrancy and vandalism in the area.

The courts have now ruled twice that walkers, fishermen, stoneskippers, duckfeeders, and so on are not vagrants, by definition, and thus those activities are not prohibited by LAMC 41.22, no matter what Councilman Eric Garcetti’s staff say.

The courts have the final say here, not Eric Garcetti. The councilman’s office should immediately and publicly withdraw and rebuke their previously stated plan to order the Army Corps of Engineers and DWP to post threatening (and misleading) “No Trespassing according to LAMC 41.22″ signs along the banks of the L.A. River.

Contact Councilman Garcetti’s office:
Kabira.Stokes.Hochberg@lacity.org
Julie.Wong@lacity.org
Mitch.Ofarrell@lacity.org
Phone 323/957-4500
Fax 323/957-6841

Carp pod swimming upriver under Los Feliz Bridge – Feb 27, 2008

more River photos by Carmelo Gaeta

Medicinal and/or edible plants found by Nance Klehm this morning in/along River and islands

Medicinal and/or edible plants found by Nance Klehm this morning in/along the L.A. River and its islands in the Glendale Narrows area:

castor bean
plantain (herbal not banana)
melva
lamb’s quarters (wild spinach)
chickweed
mugwort
cleavers
dandelion

Nice catch by a six-year-old

Garcetti deputy on banning the public from the L.A. River

On Friday, Garcetti deputy Julie Wong told Jenny Burman of the LAObserved/Chicken Corner blog:

“The public has not been allowed to go into the channel for any reason (including fishing) for decades because of public safety concerns. For safety reasons, Council President Garcetti (along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, LAPD, the LA Fire Department, and others) does not support changes to this policy.”

Photographs by “Green Goddess” – Oct 7, 2007

Above: “L.A River at the confluence of the Arroyo Seco. Leo Limon, the guy who paints the cats.”

Fisherman ticketed by Park Rangers for being “in LA river floor bed”