TheFoothillsForum

I agree, SW, but words during a campaign aren't always supported once a candidate is in office.

Here is another informative article from the LATimes archives
http://articles.latimes.com/1995-09-14/ ... ion-center

ns→World War Ii
"Documents Offer Glimpse of WWII Detention Center - Tujunga: Priests and bankers were among those sent to temporary station.
By DANICA KIRKA, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES|September 14, 1995

"Today is the dawn of the CCC camp of Tujunga which is outside of Los Angeles. . . . We are prohibited to go within 10 feet of the fence, and it is most painful to be cut off from the outside world."

--Daisho Tana's diary, Sunday, March 15, 1942...."

....... From the day after the Pearl Harbor attack until the end of 1943, the Immigration and Naturalization Service ran a little-known detention center in Tujunga for civilians classed as enemies of the United States.

Daisho Tana, a teacher and Buddhist priest, was among them.

But his is a story that until now has been largely untold. Historians have focused on American citizens of Japanese ancestry ordered by presidential proclamation into camps tactfully called "relocation" centers.,,,,"

"...Yet despite the guards, the barbed wire and the twice-weekly visitors, many Tujunga residents at the time never knew the true purpose of the rustic barracks, washroom and mess hall that were off a dirt road....."

".....Even retired Tujunga postmaster Tom Theobald says now he didn't realize the camp's mission despite an encyclopedic recall of minute details of the town's history, down to the addresses of businesses long since shuttered. He thought it held military prisoners of war......"

And a picture of the Tuna Canyon Detention Station—mess hall credited to the Pacific citizen on this site http://www.gaic.info/camp_temporary.htm#tunacanyon

Thanks, coop, for sharing that 1995 article. I forwarded it to Lloyd/Little Landers Historical Society. He may have already saved a copy of the article back in 1995, but to be on the safe side I let him know about your post.

That last URL was interesting too.
According to the text at the bottom of the page, Tuna Camp is described as having a 50x50' pool!

http://www.gaic.info/camp_temporary.htm#tunacanyon
"Tuna Canyon Temporary Detention Station, Tujunga, California"

"Located seventeen miles from Los Angeles, in Tujunga, California, Tuna Canyon was the site of an old CCC camp, converted to a temporary holding facility for enemy alien men. The inhabitants were mostly of German and Japanese ethnicity, a number from Latin American countries.

Wooden barracks, divided into 2 man rooms, housed the inmates. Although the camp had a capacity of 320 people, it seldom held more than 100. Barbed wire fences surrounded the site, and visits from family members were conducted through the fences. Only English could be spoken, effectively cutting off almost all communication for some prisoners.

The site had a small hospital, and a doctor visited daily. There was a canteen and, a rarity at internment sites, a 50x50 foot swimming pool. A minister held Protestant services, in English, on a weekly basis. The camp closed its doors in 1945."

LA is all too often known for "paving over paradise". An October 25th news article in the LA Times examines SB 790, the Stormwater Resource Planning Act, which "..allows municipalities to tap funds from two of the state's existing bond funds for projects that reduce or reuse storm water, recharge the groundwater supply, create green spaces and enhance wildlife habitats..."[/i]


State hopes to use storm water to counter drought, by Susan Carpenter, L.A. Times, October 25, 2009
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-stormwater25-2009oct25,0,5206186.story

During an average wet season, the city of Los Angeles sends 100 million gallons of storm water into the Pacific each day. Because it carries various effluents to the ocean, that water had, for many years, been handled as pollution.

But a new California law seeks to expand the role of storm water management to incorporate strategies that will use it as a resource.

The Stormwater Resource Planning Act, SB 790, allows municipalities to tap funds from two of the state's existing bond funds for projects that reduce or reuse storm water, recharge the groundwater supply, create green spaces and enhance wildlife habitats. The measure takes effect Jan. 1.

"I was proud to carry 790," said Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills), who wrote the bill. "It uses existing funds to create new water supplies out of water that in the past was simply treated and dumped. This bill helps create a significant new source of water for our always water-short state."

With California in the throes of a budget crisis and a water crisis -- the state is in its third year of drought -- the competition will probably be fierce among the many government agencies that manage the state's storm water.

SB 790 allows agencies to apply for and, if approved, draw on funds remaining from Proposition 50, the $3.44-billion water security bond passed by California voters in 2002, and Proposition 84, the $5.4-billion safe drinking water bond passed in 2006. Exactly how much money is left from those bonds is unclear.

L.A.'s Bureau of Sanitation, which has received $22 million in bond funds from the state for various storm water projects, is expected to apply for more funds through SB 790.

According to Wing Tam, assistant division manager for the bureau's watershed protection division, the money will fund an expansion of the city's rainwater harvesting projects and green infrastructure, including large cisterns, stream restoration, biofiltration and downspout disconnections.

"It's important for us to capture storm water and use it as a resource," said Tam, who noted that the city's paradigm shift from viewing storm water as pollution to seeing it as a resource has been a gradual process evolving through 10 years of pilot projects.

"Not only does that help us with water quality, but quality of life. A wetland park deals with water quality, but it also creates a park for people to use. It's multiuse. That's our future," Tam said.

This is GREAT news! Now we need to make sure our new CD2 Rep is on board with this, and keep the VHGC a GC!

Good point. We need a representative that can be creative in their search for funding and know how to put things together.

In the Community News section of the November 2009 issue of the North Valley Reporter:

Verdugo Hills Golf Course: Pictures Tell the Story



"Pictures above tell the story of a beloved Golf Course that 'Save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course' Committee wants to save from development as open space in perpetuity. They are waiting for the release of the Final Environmental Impact Report [FEIR].

The above picture of traffic on Lowell Ave., waiting to climb the On-Ramp to the 210 Freeway, as pictured below, was taken at 7:30am, November 3, around the corner from the Verdugo Hills Golf Course.



Activists say a plan by the Developer to build 229 housing units on the course, within walking distance of this On-Ramp, will further impede local traffic, as well as add to an already congested 210 Freeway, as shown above. The developer's FEIR is expected to be released to the public sometime in early 2010."

Source: http://northvalleyreporter.com/pdfs/NVRnewsNov09.pdf, at the top of Page 4.

More information available in the November 6, 2009 email blast:
http://www.gcvoice.org/emails/2009Nov6.htm

.

Note: Passage of this legislation could benefit all of California; however, the last paragraph of the article points out the bill won't go into effect unless a ballot initiative is approved. That's not an easy hurdle.

Excerpt:
"The package could create an opportunity to improve water recycling and conservation efforts at the Verdugo Hills Golf Course."


Political Landscape: Late night yields bills
Burbank Leader, Last Updated Friday, November 6, 2009 11:26 PM PST
http://www.burbankleader.com/articles/2009/11/07/politics/gnp-pollandscape110509.txt

Legislators early Wednesday approved a set of historic water conservation and regulatory proposals after an all-night session that lasted until about 6 a.m.

The package of five bills, which includes measures to curb the state’s water usage, revitalize the ailing Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and monitor groundwater levels, among others, now awaits Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature.

Major components of the plan would require Californians to curb urban water usage 20% by 2020 and place an $11-billion water infrastructure improvement bond on the November 2010 ballot.

“This is something that’s very badly needed for the state of California,” Schwarzenegger said at a news conference Wednesday, when he called the package “the most comprehensive in the history of California.”

Schwarzenegger had urged lawmakers into action for the reform effort, calling a special session and threatening to veto hundreds of bills if legislators didn’t make progress on addressing the state’s deteriorating water systems and storage mechanisms that have driven California into worsening droughts in recent years.

But talks stalled for weeks as Republicans and Democratic leaders butted heads.

In the end, the deal earned bipartisan support and was largely a result of Schwarzenegger’s years of pressure for passing reforms, lawmakers said.

Legislative leaders praised the governor for pushing for a set of challenging reforms, which Senate Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth (Murrieta) said would be felt for generations.

“They will have you to thank for a safe, reliable and clean water supply,” Hollingsworth said.

The unusual show of gratitude toward Schwarzenegger came from members of both parties, with Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) crediting the governor for his leadership alongside Sen. Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto), who had a hand in crafting the final reform plan.

The bills will help address California’s growing urban and agricultural needs, Hollingsworth said in a statement after the passage of the plan.

“With hundreds of thousands of acres fallow and tens of thousands of unemployed farmers and farm workers, this comprehensive water package represents a step toward getting water flowing and helping people get back to work,” Hollingsworth said.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) called the bills “the most significant water infrastructure and policy advances since the State Water Project in the 1960s.”

The water infrastructure improvement bond, if approved by voters, will provide $2 billion to restore damaged ecosystems around the delta and $500 million to improve the delta’s sustainability.

The delta is a major state water resource for agriculture and urban areas and has been drained so heavily that some fish species are threatened and 64 water agencies that rely on it have implemented water rationing restrictions, according to the governor’s office

The bond would also offer $3 billion toward storage projects, which would include improvements to facilitate storage in underground aquifers, and another $2.14 billion, including $488 million specifically for the Los Angeles area to promote advancements in groundwater storage, water recycling and treatment technologies.

That was all good news to Assemblyman Anthony Adams (R-Hesperia), whose district has the largest amount of available underground water storage space in the state, at 1 million cubic acre-feet, he said.

“We are really going to be in a good position in the San Gabriel Valley to be highly competitive acquiring resources,” Adams said.

The reform package’s inclusion of groundwater monitoring measures will be particularly important for California “so we can learn more about groundwater supplies and conditions,” Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada-Flintridge) said in a statement. California was one of few states that had not begun monitoring its groundwater resources, but the reforms will require the state to improve its efforts to prevent water waste by storing more underground, cleaning groundwater and monitoring its levels, Schwarzenegger said.

The package could create an opportunity to improve water recycling and conservation efforts at the Verdugo Hills Golf Course.

The package allocated $100 million toward water sustainability efforts through the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, which oversees the course’s water management, Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles) said in a statement.

“Open space protection is one of our most pressing needs and I was proud to have supported the Legislature’s effort to ensure greater conservation efforts for years to come,” Krekorian said.

For all the celebration and triumphant handshakes Wednesday, the governor acknowledged that the plan would not be in place unless voters agree to back the proposal for an $11-billion bond measure.

— Compiled by Zain Shauk and Jason Wells


http://www.burbankleader.com/articles/2009/11/07/politics/gnp-pollandscape110509.txt

Yesterday the Sunroom Desk, a blog which covers Glendale and surrounding cities, mentioned a recent post on the Save the VHGC Facebook page.

Thank you, Elise Kalfayan for, including the VHGC in your blog.
http://sunroomdesk.com/2010/03/18/voice-preparing-for-verdugo-hills-golf-course-feir/

Column about 'Tee's on the Green', the newly renovated cafe at the VHGC.
If you'd like to add a comment, you can post it online after Sharon Raghavachary's column: http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articl ... 041510.txt


I’m Just Sayin’: Enjoying lunch on the main course
By Sharon Raghavachary
Glendale News-Press
April 15, 2010

I am not a golfer. In fact, when I took golf as a physical education elective in high school, the only thing I learned was to reduce my divots from manhole-cover scale to the size of a small dinner plate.

I’d never been to the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, so I was curious when I heard from a friend that they have a great snack bar that’s been recently remodeled. She sent out an invitation on Facebook to stop by last Monday for breakfast, lunch or dinner to show support for the golf course.

I’m always looking for another choice for lunch, so I stopped in and was surprised to see familiar faces at several of the tables. Tiffany and Matt, who manage the snack bar and made all of the changes, are very enthusiastic about making it a success. Everything is made fresh to order, and no one goes away unhappy or hungry, given the generous servings.

While the inclement weather kept us inside, I can’t wait to go back on a warm, sunny day and have lunch at one of the picnic tables that sit under an oak tree canopy with a gorgeous view of the golf course. You can’t get that verdant scene at the In-N-Out drive-through.

With all of the newspaper articles over the last several years talking about the threat of development that’s been looming over the golf course like the black storm clouds Monday, some people think it’s already closed. In fact, now is a great time to play a quick nine or a full 18 holes, while it’s less crowded and much cheaper than other courses in the area. The driving range is even open in the evenings.

As the current owners of the golf course seek approval from the city of Los Angeles to develop it into a tract of 229 homes, the fight to save the golf course goes on.

The developer’s consultants are completing the final environmental impact report, which is not expected to be released to the public before June. They must address the extensive comments and questions raised in response to the draft EIR issued last summer.

The Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee of the Glendale-Crescenta Volunteers Organized in Conserving the Environment has all the information on its website, http://www.savethegolfcourse.org. Be sure to scroll down and check out the link for an alternative plan that would create a regional park, as well as preserve the existing golf course. Our area needs more recreational space, not more houses.

On another topic, for those of you who read my article last week about my stay at one of our finest area hospitals, our insurance company has agreed to pay for eight of the nine days, and I think they’ll come around for the final 24 hours.

I sure hope so, because I got the hospital bill this week. It’s for $92,876.89.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Get in touch SHARON RAGHAVACHARY is a former Crescenta Valley Town Council member and is on the steering committee for Crescenta Valley Community Assn. She may be reached at sharonchary@gmail.com.

"Officials announce study of local mountains"
By Melanie Hicken
Glendale News-Press
June 4, 2010

PASADENA — Rep. Adam Schiff on Friday announced the start of the long awaited study of the region’s hillsides that could ultimately result in the federal protection of local area.

The announcement was a major milestone for Schiff (D-Burbank), who began lobbying for the so-called “Rim of the Valley” study in 2001. The study was authorized as part of federal legislation signed by President George W. Bush in 2008.

Two years later, the study was allocated $500,000, which will begin with an extensive public outreach and exploration process this summer.

“It’s a long process...I’m glad we have finally reached the stage of this study getting underway,” Schiff said Friday to a group of stakeholders and community activists gathered at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center.

The final recommendations could help preserve the more 500,000 acres above the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita Simi and Conejo valleys that are known collectively as the Rim of the Valley.

The study will create a “conservation strategy” and examine the feasibility of including some or all of the land into the federally protected Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

It will include public outreach, analysis of the wildlife and natural resources found in the mountain sides and how the federal government may get involved in protecting them.

Federal protection could essentially limit development in the open space areas which officials say are losing linkages essential for the maintenance of local ecosystems.

“If they become completely disconnected, we are going to lose much of it,” Schiff said.

The study area consists of parts of the Santa Monica, Santa Susana, San Gabriel, and Verdugo mountains, as well as the San Rafael Hills and adjacent connector areas to the Los Padres and San Bernardino national forests.

Officials acknowledged that the study would take several years to complete with a final report to Congress scheduled for 2014. Any implementation of the study’s recommendations would require additional action by federal or state lawmakers.

“We’ve come a long way,” said state Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), one of several local lawmakers who lobbied for the original legislation. “We still have a long way to go.

Jody Noiron, forest supervisor for the Angeles National Forest, said the study will need to balance preservation with the growing desire for public access to the land.

“Our challenge is we’ve got to find a way to get the other 17-plus million people in the Los Angeles Basin to care as much as we do about what the future of this land should be,” she said.

Source: http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/g ... 0788.story

"Developer plays chicken with community over golf course"
Mike Lawler/Treasures of the Valley Column
Crescenta Valley Weekly
June 10, 2010

Last week I wrote about the Indian village of Wikangna, and how its assumed location was the current site of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. That got me musing on the bad situation currently at the golf course.
The developers that now own the golf course have been forced into a game of chicken with members of the community that want to preserve the property as the family-friendly neighborhood golf course that it has been for 50-some years. Let me explain.

The developers initially proposed a mega-development on the site, either a WalMart-sized retail center or a 300-plus unit condo village. Encountering stiff opposition right from the start, they morphed their plans down to a “smaller” housing development of 229 detached homes. More importantly they recognized the community’s strong resistance to large development, and, smelling a profit, they went on record as being a willing seller. If they could double their money on the property, while not having to dirty their hands with an unpopular project, all the better. They could make a fat profit, and we could keep our golf course. Public agencies began to move toward pulling together funding for a buy-out, most significantly Supervisor Mike Antonovich who wanted in right away with $1.7 million in public park funding. And it seemed others would follow suit.

Then came the wrecking ball of the financial meltdown and most sources of significant funding from other municipalities faded. Our golf course developers were forced to follow through with development plans, even though they were cash-strapped.

I suspect at this point they just wanted out, but with no buyer for the golf course, and not wanting to be a golf course manager themselves, they had little choice but to move forward with their building plans.

Last summer they submitted the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), which was answered by an all-guns broadside from VOICE (the same group that stopped the Oakmont V development in the Verdugos), the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council, the Sunland-Tujunga Alliance, and from hundreds of community members and organizations.

The DEIR outlined the developers’ plans and the benefits of the development, and the obviously understated problems it might create. In reply, letters from VOICE and the community were quick to point out the huge impact in traffic, water, and schools, not to mention the loss of an important recreational feature of our Valley. The developers’ team of consultants has had a year to chew on the objections made by VOICE and the community, and any day now the final Environmental Impact Report will be submitted. That’s when the real fireworks will begin.

At this point, with housing prices tanked and their profit margin shrinking, I don’t think the developers really want to do this project. Their obstacles are huge, including the fact that the property isn’t even zoned for this kind of development. But they’re stuck. They gambled, bought the property when it was high priced, and can’t get back their investment with just a simple land sale.

It’s possible that they’re flirting with a concept community activists have dubbed “green-mail,” where developers attempt to blackmail communities into paying top dollar for properties they threaten with objectionable development.

And so the game of chicken is on! Their only hope is to aim this mega-development squarely at the community and floor it. They’re gambling that we will swerve at the last minute, and either put together a package to buy them out, or we’ll roll over and not fight them. The latter is unlikely. Either they’ll take a loss, lower their price and get the buy-out, or we’ll crash head-on in an epic fight.

So stay tuned for a very interesting year or two. Via this column in the next few weeks I’ll fill you in on the fascinating history of this piece of property. Its current purgatory status makes it probably the most dynamic property in the valley, but its history shows us that it always has been the most dynamic and interesting place in CV.

Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley.
Reach him at lawlerdad@yahoo.com

http://www.crescentavalleyweekly.com/viewpoints/06/10/2010/developer-plays-chicken-with-community-over-golf-course/

'Putting' a stop to golf course plans
Opponents of effort to turn Verdugo Hills site into homes play a mini round.

By Bill Kisliuk,
Glendale News-Press
July 26, 2010

Locals took to the kiddie links Sunday in a bid to save Verdugo Hills Golf Course. Marc Stirdivant, a member of Glendale-Crescenta Volunteers Organized in Conserving the Environment, joined friends and family for a round of miniature golf and a brief magic show at Golf 'n Grill in Tujunga in the latest effort to block plans to turn Verdugo Hills Golf Course into a 229-home development.

Stirdivant and others are trying to stop the project that he says will lead to traffic congestion and diminished recreational opportunities.
"This is a park-poor area of Los Angeles County," Stirdivant said. "It seems preposterous to us to add 229 homes while at the same time taking away a recreational facility that has been serving the people for 50 years."

Golf 'n Grill donated 15% of Sunday's proceeds, and magician Alfonso Aceituno, who said he visits Verdugo Hills to practice his putting, entertained those who came to support the cause.

"They are trying to make the town a better place, and I appreciate that," said Melvin Balabegian, a Golf 'n Grill manager.

Stirdivant said Glendale-Crescenta VOICE is working with lawmakers and several other organizations, including the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, to raise funds to acquire the site or battle the development proposal when it comes before the Los Angeles City Council.

Further studies must be completed before the city considers the project. No date has been set for a vote or completion of the final environmental document, Stirdivant said.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich has pledged financial support to preserve the course, according to savethegolfcourse.org, and Stirdivant said activists are hoping to enlist the help of Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian.

Krekorian could not be reached for comment Sunday.

After acquiring the roughly 60-acre Verdugo Hills site in 2005, owners MWH Development proposed condos and commercial development. The plans have shifted to focus on single-family homes. MWH has developed several sites in the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles.
Stirdivant said years ago his group convinced state and local officials to acquire another proposed development site and turn it into the Verdugo Mountains Open Space Preserve. But the state's financial situation has made that a long-shot, he said.

"Economic conditions have made it difficult for the state, county and city to use discretionary funds for open space," he said. "But at the same time, it has made things more difficult for developers."

Source: http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/t ... 6496.story

In response to the previous article, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Krekorian wrote this letter to the Glendale News-Press:

Still fighting to save golf course

Thank you for your recent article about community efforts to save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course ("Putting a stop to golf course plans," July 26).

I have long been an ardent supporter of protecting the course from destruction. As a member of the state Assembly, I stated my support for the course and my opposition to proposed legislation that would have facilitated development on the site.

As a member of the Los Angeles City Council, I have continued to work closely with Volunteers Organized in Conserving the Environment and the Verdugo Hills Golf Course Committee. I have always been fully committed to protecting this open space and seeking new sources of funding to save it, so any suggestion to the contrary is incorrect.

The Verdugo Hills Golf Course is a precious resource for our city, and it should be valued for its history, its natural beauty and preserved for future generations. I will continue the fight to protect the golf course.

Paul Krekorian
Los Angeles

Editor's note: Krekorian is a Los Angeles City Councilman, and former representative for the 43rd Assembly District.
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/o ... 5062.story

In her weekly column for July 29th, Sharon Raghavachary writes about 'Bandito Park', along Tujunga Canyon Blvd., providing some history of how it came to be and the man behind the rock creations, El Bandito himself, Richard Stewart.

Local Bandito aims to beautify
Sharon Raghavachary
Crescenta Valley Weekly
July 29, 2010

Sunland-Tujunga residents have a bandit in their midst. A man who calls himself El Bandito steals weeds, trash and debris from other people's property — community eyesores — and replaces them with artistic creations.

Don't worry, Sunland-Tujunga is not experiencing a crime wave, more like an outbreak of literally off-the-wall public art.

The man in question is Richard Stewart, a local painting contractor and president of the Sunland-Tujunga Rotary Club. He saw a weed- and trash-filled property on Tujunga Canyon Boulevard and, not knowing who owned it, decided to take it upon himself in October to clean it up. Once it was cleared, he noticed all the interesting rocks and starting stacking them up, and "Bandito Park" was born.

At the edge of the park next to Tujunga Canyon Boulevard sit four old fence posts, or as Richard calls them, "The Four Horsemen." He tried to pull them up, but they wouldn't budge, so he piled up some rocks around them and, as a nod to his Texas roots, he put cowboy hats on them.

After he finished his work, he went home to his then-girlfriend Susan and brought her to see it because he did not expect it to stay up for long. The cowboy hats were later stolen, but other than that, there's since been no vandalism at the park whatsoever.

As the seasons changed, Richard decorated the park. At Christmas he hung gold balls from the oak trees and placed others on top of the posts, and for Valentine's Day, he hung red balls and hearts. The decorations continued to change throughout the spring and into summer.

Richard and Susan were even married in the park three months ago under a big oak, christened "The Wedding Tree" by their Pastor Bill Manning, who officiated the ceremony.

Then last week, four "No Trespassing" signs were found nailed to the oak trees. Richard was devastated. He felt like he'd lost a friend. He went home depressed and told Susan, "It's over."

I was sad when I read on thefoothillsforum.com, a local online bulletin board, that Richard would have to stop beautifying the site. Even though I don't drive on Tujunga Canyon Boulevard often, his clever creations always made me smile.

Richard said he sulked for two days and was then blown away by the community outcry and protest. E-mails to the owners of the property and posts to the online forum brought an immediate response from one of the partners of Snowball West Investors, owners of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, of which the park is a part. He sent Richard an e-mail giving him permission to "go on the property to continue your efforts to make 'Bandito Park' more attractive."

His hope now is to make the space so attractive that the cities of Glendale and Los Angeles will see the value of it and team up with Los Angeles County, which has pledged $1.7 million to buy the golf course and make Bandito Park a real park.

To see a video about Richard's work at Bandito Park, visit his website at http://www.richardstewartpainting.com and scroll down to community service.

Source: http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/o ... 6620.story

Check out El Banditos current display:
Bandito is back! Watermelon Festival August 13th,14th,and15th, Sunland Park