08/30/2026
A project so successful, it was on the agenda for discussion at the Contract Cities Full Educational Summit!
Elected Officials from all over the southland heard the story about it.
This truly is about collaboration.
I want to thank my colleague, Councilmember Truong, for representing us today at the Contract Cities Fall Educational Summit, where he spoke on a panel about how multiple agencies can work together to address challenges in our communities.
The North San Gabriel River Working Group started in 2020 with the cities of Azusa, Irwindale, and Duarte, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in response to multiple fires in the riverbed. I am proud to have been part of this group since 2022.
In 2024, we strengthened the working group by forming an MOU, and in 2025, the group mobilized and became even stronger when the EPA turned the area into a HHW sorting and staging site. This ultimately led to the formation of a JPA this year.
A big supporter of this group has been Senator Susan Rubio, who secured funding for us in 2025 and again this year for public safety efforts inside the riverbed.
Where there were once over 350 unhoused individuals living in the riverbed, we are now down to single digits. Our cities have made necessary efforts to conduct extra patrols and outreach operations in and around the riverbed, connecting individuals to health and housing services through weekly convoys with law enforcement partners, the SGV Care Team, and LA CADA.
We have also partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District on several encampment cleanup projects to remove debris from the riverbanks, including shopping carts, campsite materials, abandoned vehicles, propane tanks, and gasoline cans.
This past month, we have seen an increase in fires in the southern parts of the riverbed. We have requested assistance from all of our partners to conduct cleanups in that area. At our last cleanup, over 4 tons of trash and debris were removed. As you can imagine, that takes a tremendous amount of resources.
This is why partnerships like the North San Gabriel River Working Group are so important. It takes multiple agencies working together to make a difference.
Thank you, Councilmember Truong, for representing us today and continuing this important work.
