Los Angeles River

The long-awaited Paddle the Los Angeles River pilot program got off to a wobbly start Monday as two dozen civic leaders in hard hats and bulging life vests stepped into kayaks and pushed out through murky ripples in the Sepulveda Basin. The group of flood control officials and City Councilmen Tony Cardenas and Ed Reyes was chaperoned by experienced kayakers and naturalists on hand to make sure no one tipped over into the treated urban runoff or entangled themselves in the heavy brush laden with shredded clothing and plastic bags that lines the 70-foot-wide channel.

CITY HALL — After years of delays, construction finally is set to begin next week on a long awaited pathway along the Glendale portion of the Los Angeles River. Discussed for the past decade, the so-called Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project received concept design approval from the City Council in 2006, but in recent years has met a number of roadblocks. Those roadblocks ranged from a funding freeze during a previous state budget crisis to the sluggish approval process at a variety of public agencies that have jurisdiction along the Los Angeles River channel.

SOUTH GLENDALE — Lomita Avenue resident Margarita Yeroomian was a regular at Maple Park, and so when signs went up announcing an overhaul, the anticipation was palatable. On Thursday, Yeroomian brought her 2-year-old granddaughter Sofia to play at the park when she saw community leaders and city officials gathering to celebrate the groundbreaking of $3.5 million in renovations, featuring an overhaul of the community building. Yeroomian said many of the park's regular visitors had read signs notifying them of the project and were eagerly awaiting the upgrades.

CITY HALL — A revamped walkway along the Glendale stretch of the Los Angeles River that got tied up in right-of-way issues could be a reality next year, with construction of the first phase set to begin this summer, officials said Monday. The Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project, which has been discussed for more than a decade, received concept design approval from the City Council in 2006, but has faced several roadblocks in reaching the construction phase. “It’s a complicated project because there are a lot of stakeholders,” said Sonia Nicholson, project manager with Northeast Trees, the nonprofit that is designing and building the walkway.

CITY HALL ? With construction on the first phase of Glendale?s portion of the long-awaited walkway along the Los Angeles River set for this summer, parks officials Thursday gathered input from residents on future extensions. More than 30 residents filled the Pacific Park Community Room on Thursday evening to learn more about the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project. Many residents said they were surprised to hear that the project, discussed for more than a decade, was moving forward, while others said they knew nothing about it. ?

CITY HALL ? The City Council on Tuesday will consider allocating grant funds to create more plans for the long-awaited walkway along the Los Angeles River, even as ongoing negotiations with DreamWorks hold up the first phase of the project. Project officials hope to break ground on the Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project this summer, but protracted negotiations on a 15-foot strip of land on the DreamWorks Animation campus necessary for the river walkway remain ongoing. The two sides reached an agreement more than six months ago, and city officials have maintained for months that the negotiations would soon end. But the proposed easement has been in a holding pattern as attorneys continue to review the agreement.

Two Girl Scouts will have the best seats in the house when this year’s Tournament of Roses parade heads down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day. Anna Stapelseldt, 17, of La Crescenta, and Kaitlyn Ross, 17, of Burbank, will be carrying the banners for the trophy-winning floats. “This is really exciting to represent my community,” said Anna, who is a senior at Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena. Kaitlyn had always watched the parade on TV, but she’ll get an even closer look, she said.

CITY HALL — Six months after city officials said a deal with DreamWorks Animation on a 15-foot strip of land for a walkway along the Los Angeles River was nearly complete, the project remains in a holding pattern as attorneys continue to review the agreement. The long-awaited Glendale Narrows Riverwalk project first received concept design approval from the City Council in 2006, but has hit a number of roadblocks along the way. The walkway was first put on hold in February when the state froze a $1.1-million grant because of the budget crisis.

MEDIA DISTRICT — A federal judge in Los Angeles refused to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. of polluting the surrounding area with chromium 6. U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson on Monday denied the company’s motion to dismiss the claims of Environmental World Watch and four residents who contend that the contamination violates the Clean Water Act and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Disney officials...