On an 11-0 vote, the council moved ahead with the purchase of the 41-acre site, formally known as G2, from railroad company Union Pacific. “For decades, we’ve looked at this piece of land, which has split the community away from the river,” Garcetti said in an interview. State Sen. Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) identified $25 million in funds for the G2 site two years ago. Still, prospects for securing federal funds are unclear, in part because of the election of President Trump, who has threatened to withhold federal funds from cities with lenient policies toward illegal immigration. Friday’s vote was welcomed by several environmental organizations, including the Friends of the Los Angeles River.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 27, 2017 23:15 UTC