Cleanup of Wash Scheduled Today

For years they have squared off over a series of proposals to develop a golf course in the Big Tujunga Wash, but today groups on both sides of the debate have been invited to put their energies toward a common goal--cleaning up the wash.

Sponsored by Friends of the Los Angeles River, today’s cleanup will target old couches, hubcaps, liquor bottles and fast-food wrappers that mar the environmentally sensitive flood plain and serve as a symbol of frustration for those who live nearby.

Among the groups and agencies participating in the cleanup will be the Shadow Hills Property Owners Assn., Audubon Society, Gray Panthers, L.A. Conservation Corps and the offices of city Councilmen Joel Wachs and Richard Alarcon.

In July, the Los Angeles City Council denied Foothills Golf Development Group’s latest bid to build a 352-acre golf and equestrian center in the wash.

The developers have since filed a $215-million claim against the city.

“I understand that this a highly charged emotional issue, but Saturday is supposed to be a neutral zone for people to come together and do something good for the community,” said Melanie Winter, FoLAR’s managing director.

Despite Winter’s best intentions, however, the cleanup has drawn the ire of at least one group whose leader said the event was politically motivated.

Kathy Anthony, president of the Sunland-Tujunga Chamber of Commerce, said FoLAR and most of the groups planning to attend the cleanup were opposed to the development.

“We very desperately need to clean the wash. We’ve been hollering about that for years,” Anthony said. “But the Chamber of Commerce does not support this endeavor at all. We feel that it’s strictly a political move.”

“I don’t know why they are not getting the message. I have been very clear that this is not a political event,” Winter said. “I thought this would be a good starting point for people to get together and clean the wash up.”

The public is invited to the cleanup, scheduled from 9 a.m. until noon, Winters said.

Those interested in pitching in should meet at 9 a.m. at Foothill Boulevard and Wentworth Street in Sunland.