Coalition to Preserve LA

Coalition to Preserve LA
Name	Coalition to Preserve LA
Founded	2007
Headquarters	Los Angeles, California
Leaders	Board of Directors, Executive Director
Focus	Preservation, Advocacy, Urban Policy

Coalition to Preserve LA is a Los Angeles–based advocacy organization formed to influence urban development, historic preservation, and land-use policy in Southern California. The group engages in litigation, public campaigns, and policy advocacy targeting projects and agencies across Los Angeles County, working with neighborhood groups, preservationists, and civic institutions. Its activities intersect with municipal offices, regional authorities, and state-level agencies involved in planning and public works.

History

Founded in 2007 by activists associated with preservation efforts in neighborhoods near Wilshire Boulevard, Hollywood Boulevard, and Echo Park, the organization emerged amid debates over redevelopment projects tied to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the Los Angeles Unified School District, and the Los Angeles Department of City Planning. Early actions opposed high-rise proposals affecting parcels near Olvera Street, Chinatown, Los Angeles, and the Broad Museum site, prompting legal filings under state statutes such as the California Environmental Quality Act and appeals before the California Coastal Commission when projects implicated shoreline properties near Santa Monica Pier. The group gained prominence during conflicts involving the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum renovations and transit-oriented developments around Union Station and the Red Line (Los Angeles Metro) extensions.

Mission and Advocacy Priorities

The coalition frames its mission around preservation of historic fabric and neighborhood character in districts including Westlake, Los Angeles, Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Koreatown. It prioritizes contesting zoning changes related to projects by developers such as Related Companies (real estate), Avenue Partners, and proponents of large-scale mixed-use projects near Staples Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. Policy goals include enforcement of environmental review via the California Environmental Quality Act, protection of designated landmarks under the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Ordinance, and influencing transit policy administered by the Southern California Association of Governments, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (California), and the California High-Speed Rail Authority where alignments intersect urban neighborhoods.

Major Campaigns and Legal Actions

The coalition has initiated and supported litigation challenging entitlements for several high-profile developments, filing writs of mandate and administrative appeals against approvals by the Los Angeles City Council, the Planning and Land Use Management Committee (PLUM), and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Notable campaigns targeted redevelopment plans adjacent to Griffith Park, projects altering vistas from the Griffith Observatory, and infill proposals near MacArthur Park, the Hollywood Sign environs, and the Watts Towers of Simon Rodia. The group has co-litigated with neighborhood councils such as the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council and advocacy organizations like Protect Our Coast and Trust for Public Land affiliates, invoking precedent from cases before the California Supreme Court and citations to rulings citing the Public Records Act (California). It has also intervened in conditional use permit disputes involving entertainment-industry complexes near Sunset Boulevard and studio zones around Burbank and Universal City.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Governance comprises a volunteer board with representatives from historic preservation groups, neighborhood associations, and legal counsel experienced in land-use litigation, some drawn from firms with connections to matters before the Los Angeles County Superior Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Financial support has included private donations from philanthropists with ties to institutions like the Getty Trust, grants from regional foundations such as the Annenberg Foundation and the Weingart Foundation, and crowdfunding campaigns coordinated via civic platforms linked to City of Los Angeles Neighborhood Council System initiatives. The coalition reports in-kind assistance from preservation bodies such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and pro bono legal services from attorneys active in matters before the California State Bar.

Partnerships and Community Engagement

The group partners with neighborhood councils, preservation societies, tenant advocacy groups, and cultural institutions including the Los Angeles Conservancy, the Historic Cultural North Neighborhood Council, and performing arts organizations that hold interests near threatened sites like the Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles), Pantages Theatre (Hollywood), and the Los Angeles Theatre. It organizes public hearings, scoping meetings, and outreach efforts in coordination with municipal entities such as the Los Angeles Housing Department and regional agencies like the Southern California Association of Governments to mobilize residents in areas including Venice, Los Angeles, Harbor Gateway, and Northridge. Educational collaborations have connected the coalition to academic programs at University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, and California State University, Los Angeles for research on urban form, adaptive reuse, and environmental review procedures.

Controversies and Criticism

Critics from development interests, labor organizations like the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO), and housing advocates such as Housing Rights Center have accused the coalition of obstructing necessary housing projects, slowing transit-oriented development promoted by officials at the Los Angeles Mayor's Office and the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Opponents argue that litigation invoking the California Environmental Quality Act can be used as a tactic to delay affordable housing initiatives supported by entities including Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles and municipal affordable housing programs. Defenders point to victories preserving designated landmarks and view the coalition as a counterbalance to large developers such as Forest City Realty Trust and international investors influencing projects near Pacific Design Center and Century City. Debates continue in public forums hosted by the Los Angeles Times editorial pages, broadcasts on KCRW (FM), and panels convened by the Brookings Institution Los Angeles initiatives.

Category:Organizations based in Los Angeles