CPPLA Virtual Field Study Program: Aqui' Estamos | South Central Farm Revisted - 2020

V I R T U A LF I E L DS T U D YI n i t i a t i v e Col l e g eofE nv i r onme nt a l De s i g n|L a nds c a peAr c hi t e c t ur e L A2111LDe s i g nI I I : S paa l De s i g nS t udi o F AL L2020

S E PT E MBE R14|16|18

D E T I S I V E R M R A F L A R T N E C H T U O S E H T

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FILM SCREENING + Q & A

DAY

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FILM: South Central Farm: Oasis in a Concrete Desert. (2008) PRESENTER: Sheila A. Laffey/Filmmaker/Director (Q+A)

SESSION ONE: Monday, September 14, 2020 - 10:00AM-11:00AM Dr. Sheila Laffey is a film studies professor and an award-winning producer/director and writer of documentaries and short dramatic films, mostly on the environment. Sheila is currently president of Echo Mountain Productions and an Adjunct Professor of Film Studies at Santa Monica College. Most recently she was the Associate Producer of “Love Thy Nature,” narrated by Liam Neeson that won 25 awards. She has a Ph.D. in Cinema Studies from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and was Program Coordinator for the National Audubon Society in Hawaii. A chapter about her work appears in “Search for Reality: The Art of Documentary Film-making.” You may see her whizzing by on her bike to class. She stays relatively sane through yoga, meditation, chi gong, and hiking.

This short documentary film tells the true story of the high profile controversy involving poor farmers and their supporters, including celebrity tree sitters, the developer and the city over the South Central Farm in Los Angeles which was the largest urban farm in the U.S. at 14 acres and fed 350 families before it was bulldozed.

All students are to watch the film PRIOR to signing in to ZOOM. Sheila will conduct a 45 minute Q & A about the film and the film making process. The film will illustrate a bit of history on the original farm.

YouTube Link to the Film: https://youtu.be/Qs-3f678vys

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VIRTUAL LECTURE/PRESENTATION

DAY

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TOPIC: Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust - Goals + Initiatives PRESENTER: Tori Kjer/Executive Director-LANLT

SESSION TWO: Monday, September 14, 2020 - 11:15AM-12:15PM Tori Kjer is the Executive Director if the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. Tori has professional experience in Nonprofit Organizations, Research, Fundraising and Sustainability. She holds a Master’s Degree in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona and is a registered landscape architect. Tori has a passion for community-based creative placemaking and has directly lead efforts to design, develop and implement innovative community-involved solutions. Tori was also the 2018 Verna C. Garvan Distinguished Visiting Professor in Landscape Architecture at the Fay Jones School.

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust (LANLT) was founded in 2002 to address Los Angeles’s park inequities.

LANLT focuses their efforts exclusively in communities of color that have little to no access to green space. Since 2002, they have added over 13 acres of accessible green space by helping to create 29 urban parks and community gardens, now serving over 400,000 Angelenos living within a 10-minute walk of green spaces. Los Angeles currently ranks 55th out of the 100 largest cities in the country for the number of people living within a 1/2 mile of a park. LANLT’s community development model engages residents from the beginning of the design process, through construction and stewardship, towards equitable green space development through grassroots policy reform.

SUSTAINABILITY

We implement policies, practices, and technology that preserve the natural resources of a community to ensure the vitality of long-term sustainability.

EQUITY

We focus on creating environments where everyone has access to what they need to achieve their goals - whatever those may be. We believe that everyone can benefit from green spaces and that inequity in access for communities of color must be eradicated.

INCLUSIVITY

We value all participation in fulfilling our mission and ensure that policies and programming considers many, if not all, viewpoints through direct and transparent engagement. As key stakeholders, community input is essential to the success and sustainability of every project and campaign.

COLLABORATION

We engage and partner with civic leaders, community members, nonprofit partners, donors, funders, volunteers and supporters. To fulfill our mission it takes everyone working together to achieve and sustain success.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE 4

We drive policies that ensure that all communities are safe and free of adverse environmental factors that negatively impact their lives.

VIRTUAL GUIDED TOUR/FILM

DAY

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TOUR: LA Food Bank: Purpose, Goals + Mission during COVID-19 PRESENTER: Michael Flood/CEO LA Food Bank

SESSION THREE: Monday, September 14, 2020 - 1:00PM-1:30PM Michael Flood has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank since 2000.

Michael serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations including Board Chairman of Emergency Network Los Angeles. ENLA is a coalition of nonprofit organizations, along with government and private-sector partners, with some disaster response function. ENLA serves as the forum where organizations share knowledge and resources throughout the disaster cycle—preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation — to help disaster survivors and their communities and presently during COVID-19 and the resulting detrimental effects to communities of color in Los Angeles.

Since 1973, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has distributed more than 1.2 billion pounds of food. The LA Food Bank collects food from hundreds of resources. With the help of 30,000 volunteers annually and an agency network of more than 600 partner agencies, the LA Food Bank serves more than 300,000 people on a monthly basis. The LA Food Bank also supports legislation that reduces hunger, including supporting policies that offer nutrition assistance to millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families, while providing economic benefits to communities and through the Emergency Food Assistance Program. The LA Food Bank also provides for the Kids Café Program, addressing the needs for both proper nutrition and quality day and after school care in low-income communities.

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VIRTUAL LECTURE/PRESENTATION

DAY

1

TOPIC: Urban Agriculture Initiatives at Cal Poly Pomona PRESENTER: Professor Dr. Eileen Cullen/Huntley College of Agriculture

SESSION FOUR: Monday, September 14, 2020 - 1:45PM-2:45PM Dr. Eileen Cullen joined the Plant Science Department at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) in 2014. Her work focuses on the College of Agriculture’s efforts to grow institutional capacity, teaching, and scholarship relevant to urban food systems in Southern California and nationally. Eileen’s academic background consists of a B.S. Agriculture Education, University of Minnesota; M.S. Plant Protection and Pest Management, UC Davis, and a PhD Entomology UC Davis. Some of Eileen’s courses taught at Cal Poly Pomona’s Plant Science Department are: Introduction to Urban Agriculture, Social and Scientific Aspects of Organic Agriculture, Environmental Toxicology, Crop Ecology.

Urban Agriculture is part of a local food system where food is produced within an urban area and marketed to consumers within that area. Urban farming can also include animal husbandry. Urban and Community Agriculture is reshaping local food systems across the country. Urban farmers and gardeners are creating new opportunities for increasing the economic, social, and environmental effects of growing food in and around cities. There are many benefits to growing food in urban areas, such as fewer food miles, improved food access, and education and training opportunities. Cal Poly Pomona’s Huntley College of Agriculture’s Department of Plant Science offers a minor in Urban and Community Agriculture.

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VIRTUAL FARM SITE TOUR + Q & A

DAY

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TOUR: South Central Farm Site Visit - Film + Interview/Q & A PRESENTER: Alberto Tlatoa + Rosa Romero/South Central Farm

SESSION FIVE: Monday, September 14, 2020 - 3:00PM-4:00PM

Alberto Tlatoa is an entrepreneur with the South Central Farm non-profit organization and Public Relations Marketing Content Curator and Food Justice Advocate. He is a graduate of UCLA and volunteers on the CANNDU Neighborhood Council - an officially recognized Los Angeles Citywide neighborhood council whose objective is to increase influence with City lawmakers and departments to improve the LA community.

Rosa Romero is a professor at the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute (UEPI) at Occidental College. Rosa has been a social justice activist in Los Angeles for many years, working on issues such a hunger & homelessness, indigenous rights, arts & activism, HIV awareness and diversity in college admissions and is currently organizes for healthy & local food access in Los Angeles. Rosa received her B.A. from UCLA in Urban Education and her MEd in Early Childhood Education from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

The South Central Farm aims to promote the establishment and preservation of green and open space in South Los Angeles, a community where green and open space is woefully rare, as well as promote urban farming, public health and effective participation in the planning of developments that intimately affect every one of the residents that reside nearby. The original Farm site was once the largest urban farm located in the United States, spanning 14 acres and feeding 350 families in the midst of an industrial and commercial landscape. The South Central Farm was an oasis, located on 41st and Central, flourishing from 1992 - 2006. Alberto will discuss the goals and mission of the current farm site and explain the context of the new farm initiative on film, with accompanying drone footage of the site. A student Q & A with Alberto will follow.

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VIRTUAL GUIDED TOUR + Q & A TOUR: South LA Farm: Virtual Live Farm Tour + Q & A PRESENTER: Crystal Gonzalez/Program Director (Tour/Q+A)

ROOTS for PEACE

DAY

2

SESSION TWO: Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - 10:00AM-11:00AM Crystal Gonzalez is the Program Director for AFSC’s Roots for Peace Program in Los Angeles, CA. She was born and raised in a farm worker community in the east Coachella Valley, two hours outside of Los Angeles. Previous to joining the AFSC in 2010, Crystal had over 10 years of experience as an organizer and educator. She attended the University of California, Irvine where she received bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and International Studies, and following two years of work with youth, decided to return to acquire a California Teaching Credential and a Masters in Education. Crystal has engaged youth using a series of formats including teaching high school history, facilitating conflict resolution workshops, and leading a musical performance group.

The South LA Farm is a collaboration between All Peoples Community Center and the American Friends Service Committee’s Roots for Peace Program, which works with youth, adults, and partnering organizations to increase food security, build local food systems, and increase community health in Los Angeles neighborhoods. Roots for Peace is part of AFSC’s “Farming for Social Change” collaborative, which believes in the need to farm with and for communities most impacted by historical injustice - in order to increase health, self determination, environmental justice, and economic justice. This collaboration in Baltimore, New Orleans, New Mexico, and Los Angeles seeks to create real systemic change.

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VIRTUAL LECTURE/PRESENTATION

DAY

2

TOPIC: Social Justice Learning Institute - Goals + Initiatives PRESENTER: Sarah Chang/Health Equity Programs Director

SESSION TWO: Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - 11:15AM-12:15PM Sarah Chang is the Health Equity Program Director with the Social Justice Learning Institute. The Social Justice Learning Institute is advancing communities to achieve health and educational equity. Sarah attended Barnard College in New York City, an academic institution devoted to women’s intellectual leadership, with all the resources of Columbia and New York City. Sarah also achieved both a Masters in Public Health and a Masters within the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University School of Medicine. Sarah is also licensed in Collaborative Institutional Training Initiatives Social and Behavior Research and co-taught a class in the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Culinary Program on food justice issues and unjust food systems.

The Social Justice Learning Institute (SJLI) focuses on educational equity, knowing that a quality education is foundational to a prosperous future. Under the banner of Urban Scholars, SJLI specializes in culturally relevant learning, teaching, and curriculum development, which supports positive identity development, increases academic achievement, and expands opportunities for civic participation. The SJLI also focuses on health equity and believes that all communities should have access to fresh whole foods, clean and safe open spaces, and quality medical care. SJLI is committed to addressing health disparities through community development that is not only culturally relevant, but also builds the capacity of individuals to make healthy decisions in their personal lives.

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VIRTUAL LECTURE/PRESENTATION

DAY

2

TOPIC: From Cows to Concrete: The Rise & Fall of Farming in LA PRESENTER: Rachel Surls/Author, Food Systems Advisor + Educator

SESSION THREE: Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - 1:00PM-2:00PM Rachel Surls is the Sustainable Food Systems Advisor for University of California Cooperative Extension in Los Angeles County, part of UC’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. From school gardens to urban agriculture, in her 30 year career, Rachel has been involved in a wide array of programs related to urban food systems. She coordinates training, technical assistance and resources for urban farmers. She directs the UC Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles, which helps residents learn to grow their own food and garden sustainably. Rachel is a member of the leadership board of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council. A former Peace Corps Volunteer, her service in Honduras strongly influenced her decision to pursue a career related to food, farming, and sustainability. Rachel co-authored a book on the largely forgotten agricultural history of Los Angeles, “From Cows to Concrete: The Rise and Fall of Farming in Los Angeles,” published by Angel City Press in 2016.

Los Angeles County was the center of an agricultural empire. Today, it is the nation’s most populous urban metropolis. What happened? Where did the green go? From Cows to Concrete tells the epic tale of how agriculture forged Los Angeles into an urban metropolis, and how ultimately, the Los Angeles farm empire spurred the very growth that paved it over, as sprawling suburbs swallowed up thousands of acres of prime farmland. Also how, on the same land once squandered by corporate greed and “progress”, urban farmers are making inroads to a greener future. Rachel is a Cal Poly Pomona Alumni achieving a M.S. in Agricultural Science, Cal Poly Pomona in1994 and teaches at Cal Poly as well.

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VIRTUAL GUIDED TOUR/FILM + Q & A

DAY

2

FILM: Alma Backyard Farm Guided Film Tour + Q & A PRESENTER: Richard Garcia + Erika Cuellar/James Becerra (Q+A)

SESSION FOUR: Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - 2:15PM-3:15PM Richard Garcia is Executive Director & Co-Founder of ALMA. Richard’s passion to grow food comes from a long-line of Filipino farmers. A Los Angeles native, Richard lives to see that no life or land is wasted in the City of Angels. Richard studied at St.John’s Seminary College and has extensive experience in pastoral ministry inside juvenile halls and prisons. As a pastoral minister, youth advocate, and urban farmer, Richard knows how growing food is a transformative way of bringing people together. Since completing an M.A.in Pastoral Theology at Loyola Marymount University, Richard incorporates principles of restorative justice into urban farming.

Erika Cuellar is Operations Director & Co-Founder of ALMA. She is a Los Angeles native and first generation Mexican-American. Growing up in Watts, Erika witnessed how her community has been fraught with challenges in education and food insecurity. Undeterred by these challenges, Erika pursued a degree in Education at Loyola Marymount University. Erika applied her studies to empower previously incarcerated women and men at Homegirl Cafe, a division of Homeboy Industries. Her years of social enterprise management ensures the integrity of Alma Backyard Farms’ mission and its financial viability.

Alma Backyard Farm (ALMA) exists to re-claim lives of formerly incarcerated people, re-purpose urban land into productive urban farm plots, and re-imagine disenfranchised communities in Los Angeles as a hub for transformation. ALMA reconnects the lives of the formerly incarcerated back to the fabric of society. Our participants have the chance at attaining gainful employment and becoming self-sufficient. Urban Farming helps everyone involved explore the relationships between plants, animals and humans as a way of creating a profound connection to both nature and their community. ALMA Urban Agriculture Job Training Program focuses on restoring the lives of formerly incarcerated women & men through hands-on technical education in urban agriculture, carpentry & landscaping.

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VIRTUAL LECTURE/PRESENTATION

DAY

3

FILM: LA Food Policy Council - Goals + Initiatives in Food Policy PRESENTER: Ronnell Hampton/Senior Project Associate, LAFPC

SESSION ONE: Friday, September 18, 2020 - 10:00AM-11:00AM Ronnell Hampton is a Policy Manager with the Los Angeles Food Policy Council and leads LAFPC’s policy development as the staff liaison to the Food Waste Rescue & Prevention, Good Food Economy, and Regenerative Urban Agriculture Working Groups. He facilitates policy development by cultivating relationships with impacted people, community organizations, and government agencies and leverages policy development and implementation that centers on racial, social, economic, and environmental justice. Ronnell graduated from CSU Dominguez Hills with a B.A. in Negotiation Conflict Resolution and Peace-building, and a Minor in Africana Studies. Ronnell achieved a Masters in Urban Sustainability from Antioch University in 2017. In 2017, Ronnell started Growing Greatness, an organization committed to social and environmental justice providing consultation and customized trainings for small to midsize organizations. Trainings include DEI, Social Justice, Policy and Organization Development.

The Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) works to ensure food is healthy, affordable, fair and sustainable for all. LAFPC believes good food for all is possible and that all communities deserve access to good food, grown in a way that respects people and the planet. LAFPC works to create a local food system free from hunger, rooted in equity and access, supportive of farmers and food workers, and guided by principles of environmental stewardship and regeneration. To accomplish this vision they catalyze, coordinate and connect people across the Los Angeles region, including government, business and community groups working on food. The LAFPC serves as backbone organization for a network of over 400 organizations and agencies working for healthy, sustainable and fair food.

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VIRTUAL LECTURE/PRESENTATION

DAY

3

TOPIC: Eat. Plant. Drawdown: Why designing for climate matters PRESENTER: April Philips/Principal, APDW

SESSION TWO: Friday, September 18, 2020 - 11:15AM-12:15PM April Philips, FASLA, is founder of April Philips Design Works. Her firm focuses on the fusion of nature, art, and technology in urban environments. April is a national leader in both research and practice associated with urban agriculture, sustainable sites and an integrated design approach. She is the author of Designing Urban Agriculture and contributed to ASLA’s Sustainable Landscapes animation series The Edible City. A passionate advocate on climate resiliency, April is a member of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Corps and a certified Climate Reality Leader. She frequently speaks on the link between sustainable development and climate change.

April Philips Design Works (APDW) uses story and place to create meaningful spaces that contribute to the environmental, cultural, and social fabric of the community. Landscape architects must look at the hidden connections between climate adaptation, urban agriculture, food waste, community equity, and public health. By applying systems thinking that integrates climate adaptation and carbon drawdown strategies with foodshed planning, the industry can advance innovative solutions to address these critical issues facing our urban communities. There is a distinct advantage for designers and planners in gaining a deeper understanding of how climate positive solutions build community resiliency, why systems thinking is key to solving the climate crisis, and why addressing the food landscape matters in shaping a more equitable and healthier, more nourished world. The talk will be geared to urban agriculture/ecology – as it relates to climate adaptive solutions. April will also be using The Center for Food and Agriculture & Marin Farmers Market project as a case study.

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VIRTUAL GUIDED TOUR/WORKSHOP + Q & A

DAY

3

TOUR: Farmscape - Agrihoods: Tour of Esencia + Sendaro/Q + A PRESENTER: Matthew Geldin with Josh Marr

SESSION THREE: Friday, September 18, 2020 - 1:00PM-3:15PM Matthew Geldin is Head Farmer at Farmscape and has a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona, focusing on urban and regenerative design, and has completed additional study in horticulture, permaculture, and natural building techniques. Prior to joining Farmscape as the LA Head Farmer, he worked as a gardener at the Los Angeles County Arboretum, designing education gardens and working with Fritz Haeg to build the Wildflowering LA installation. Matthew has contributed to Fine Gardening Magazine and is a visiting lecturer at the LA Arboretum and Cal State Northridge. Matthew and his Colleague Josh Marr will do on camera, what they know and have done best in person - Show us all how to build and maintain a farm!

When Farmscape started in 2008, the firm’s vision was to create gardens where food could travel a matter of feet from the backyard to the dinner plate. Since then, founders Dan Allen and Lara Hermanson, along with a team of experienced farmers, builders and designers, have built hundreds of organic, urban farms across California. During that time, they have grown fresh produce for the best restaurants in California (n/naka, Providence), and tackled rooftop farms in downtown Los Angeles and the Bay Area (Jonathan Club, Levi’s Stadium). Farmscape will discuss and define the making of agrihoods and virtually tour and workshop in both Esencia and Sendaro Farms, located in Rancho Mission Viejo, South Orange County, California. The onsite live tour will be immediatley followed by a student Q & A.

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