ABOUT GEORGE WOLFBERG PARK AT POTRERO CANYON

George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon, at Potrero Canyon Park

History of the Development of this Park – Why it is important?

George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon is located in Council District Eleven, above Will Rogers State Beach and the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades in the City of Los Angeles, California.

Since severe erosion was first detected in 1933, about a dozen houses have tumbled into Potrero Canyon. By the early 1990s, many more had lost back yards or garages. Plans were laid at least three times since the mid-1950s to fill the void. You can see the protection now provided in the image below. Learn more about the history of this treasured canyon. More details follow...

Park History, continued...
Learn About George Wolfberg
Current Project Status (key staff, dates, and funding)

The Thoughtful and Purposeful Design - Why was this park needed?

The Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee worked to focus a landscape design that reflected the history, current climate needs, the efforts to capture and filter water runoff from the canyon, and California coastal habitat. Signage was created to enrich visitors with details about the habitat and wildlife in the park.

Please review this site, prepared by Friends of George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon, to learn more.

City of Los Angeles Website

Years of Advocacy by the Community

Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee (PCCAC), appointed by the City of Los Angeles City Council and the Mayor, was created in 2005 and issued its final report in 2008. For three years, the committee held monthly public meetings to reach a community consensus about the park’s design and uses.

This dedicated group developed a vision and met in a Brown Act public process with community members, City staff, and elected officials, as well as considered the requirements of the California Coastal Commission, to develop a plan for the park which would meet community needs and provide safety, enhanced habitat sustainability, and a place of beauty for all visitors to enjoy.

The Final Trail Uses and Facilities report provides the PCCAC's adopted plan to guide the design and development of a passive park. It was submitted on January 21, 2008, after three years of public meetings to obtain community input and develop this plan.  

Final Report

Members of the Potrero Canyon Community Advisory Committee

  • John F. Anderson
  • Robert Harter
  • David Card
  • Judith Collas
  • Gil Dembo
  • Dennis Hackbarth
  • Leonard Horn
  • Carl Mellinger
  • Stuart Muller
  • Susan Nash
  • Maria Rosetti
  • Norma Spak
  • Rob Weber
  • Stephanie Wilson Blanc
  • Chris Spitz
  • Charlene Baskin
  • Ellen Travis
  • Roger Woods
  • Carl Mellinger

OPENING DAY EVENT

George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon Resources

Links to Historical Documents and Videos

City to Resume Work on Controversial Potrero Canyon Job in Palisades, LA Times, By Sheryl Stolberg, June 9, 1988
Plan to Fill Potrero Canyon May Cost Extra $2.5 Million, LA Times, By Dean Murphy, Jan. 19, 1989
Ravine Project: Everyone’s in for Long Haul : Environment: Stabilizing Potrero Canyon has turned out to be a bigger and costlier job than expected. The dust won’t settle for several more years. Los Angeles Times, By James Rainey, August 25, 1991

Councilmember Bill Rosendahl groundbreaking video, February 24, 2011 
Potrero Canyon Park Project to Resume, Palisades Post, March 3, 2011
2012 Southern California Chapter of APWA , "The Developing Story of Coastal Potrero Canyon
Pacific Palisades Community Council website page dedicated to the park, December, 2022
Councilmember Mike Bonin's motion to name this park after George Wolfberg 
CD-11, Councilmember Mike Bonin and City Engineer Gary Lee Moore, January 22, 2019, Groundbreaking Video 
LA This Minute - Potrero Canyon (Video), January 23, 2019

California Coastal Commission

Staff Report regarding Amendment 5-91-286-A13, June 30, 2022
5-91-286-A13 (City of Los Angeles), Hearing Date July 14, 2022 - Content includes: 1) Progress Report for the Potrero Canyon Park for the California Coastal Commission, Ma 22, 2022 by Geotechnical Engineering Division, Bureau of Engineering, Department of Public Works, City of Los Angeles, 2) Detailed architectural and landscape plans, 3) Documents regarding construction of an ADA compliant access path from the Friends Street entrance.

Information about the Tongva Indigenous People

LA Times: Mapping the Tongva villages of L.A.’s past, by Sean Greene and Thomas Curwen, May 9, 2019

KCRW: LA’s Tongva descendants: ‘We originated here’, by Jenny Hamel Jul. 17, 2018

Militant Angeleno Blog: Native Month: We Are A Part Of The Tongva Nation, September 5, 2011

Coverage of the Park Opening Event

Santa Monica Mirror: 60 Years in the Making George Wolfberg Park Finally Revealed

Circling the News: Opening Ceremony Held for George Wolfberg Park at Potrero Canyon