Our mission is to grow healthier, safer and stronger communities by creating small, accessible urban parks and gardens that help remedy the critical lack of green and recreational spaces in greater Los Angeles’ underserved neighborhoods, and to ensure participation and collaboration among low-income residents throughout the process of envisioning, building and managing the parks and gardens we create.

History & Future

The Neighborhood Land Trust is the leading nonprofit working to create urban parks and gardens in the Los Angeles region. The organization was formed in 2002 as a 501c(3) with initial funding from the City of Los Angeles in response to a 2000 report by The Urban Land Trust Task Force, which documented the shortage of green and recreational spaces in the city’s underserved neighborhoods. Since then, the Neighborhood Land Trust has played an important role in the creation, renovation and opening of nine parks and gardens, seven of which are managed and programmed by the Neighborhood Land Trust and local community management committees.

We plan to launch up to four new projects each year so that we may realize our vision for every L.A. area resident to live within walking distance of a park or garden. Using a community-based process and strategic partnerships, we’re steadily and ambitiously working to address the unfair disparity of access to open space and its negative impact on the region’s low-income communities.

Staff

Alina Bokde, Executive Director

Alina’s career and public service demonstrate her commitment to increasing parks and gardens as a strategy to revitalize underserved neighborhoods and improve the quality of life in low-income communities.

Prior to joining the Neighborhood Land Trust, Alina served as deputy executive officer for the River and Mountains Conservancy and managed complex conservation-focused real estate transactions for The Trust for Public Land. She is a former board member of Communities for a Better Environment, a past president of the Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Commission and a member of several community and civic organizations.

Alina holds a master’s degree in community and regional planning from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Macalester College.

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Hillary Larsen, Director of Operations

Hillary is passionate about making a difference in the communities that have shaped her experiences as a native Angeleno. She brings many skills and a diverse employment background to the Neighborhood Land Trust, including experience in administration, management, education and research.

Hillary holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Los Angeles, where research led to her interest in the development of urban centers and their inhabitants. Her work focused on the immigrant experience in American cities and the development of urban ethnic communities, which she applies daily to her understanding of how to best shape greater Los Angeles’ future.

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Laura Hartzell, Project Manager

Laura Hartzell has four years’ experience as a designer and project manager for landscape architecture firms. Most recently she worked at Mia Lehrer + Associates, where she helped create public projects in Los Angeles such as Vista Hermosa Park and Confluence Park. At ML+A she also designed several park projects in connection with schools, including a soccer field for Camino Nuevo Academy, a charter high school in Los Angeles, and a playground for Lowell Elementary, a public school in Santa Ana. In 2009-10 she was Design Chair of Culver City Great Parks, a group dedicated to improving Culver City Parks.

Laura received a Masters in Landscape Architecture from the University of Virginia. She has also worked as an editor and writer, with a Masters in Journalism from the University of New York.

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Tanya Torres Mayahuel, Lead Community Organizer

Tanya has been organizing at the local and global levels for more than 20 years. At the Neighborhood Land Trust, she works to foster leadership and environmental consciousness within community residents, which empowers them to take ownership of projects and expand open space in the city.

Tanya first learned to organize in poor, marginalized communities while working as a teacher in Mexico. In Los Angeles, Tanya has been committed to organizing around health, housing, economic development, education, environmental justice, culture and art through her involvement with Canto Sin Fronteras KPFK-FM, Comite Civico Latino-Americano, the International Coalition for Social Justice, Clinica Monseñor Oscar A. Romero and Madison Neighborhood Partners.

In 2006, Tanya received the Cesar Chavez Award, “The Spirit of the Heart.” She holds a degree from Queretaro University in Mexico.

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Jorge I. Ramirez, Community Organizer

Jorge Ramirez brings to the Land Trust over 15 years of organizing experience in organized labor and community organizing. He has organized for trade unions such as: The Brotherhood of Teamsters, Operating Engineers (IUOE), Local 501, SEIU, and others.

A native of El Salvador, Jorge was exposed to social injustices at a young age. These experiences helped him to develop a strong commitment to community and social change.

Jorge first worked as a full time volunteer Community Organizer for CARECEN (Central American Resource Center) organizing in the Central American community. Since this initial experience, he has worked for numerous local community organizations and national political organizations around a variety of issues.

Jorge attended Cal State University, where he studied economics. He is an avid artist, and spends his spare time painting, sculpting and taking photographs. He is fluent in English, Spanish and French.

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Benita Duran, Community Organizer

Benita has over 18 years of combined professional and advocacy experience in addressing social justice disparities in Los Angeles County. Through her role as a Parent Associate for the Parent Community Service Branch, she facilitated and led parent leadership workshops at LAUSD.

In 2000, she was recruited to work for California State Senator Hilda L. Solis. Benita then transitioned to the 32nd Congressional District, where she was appointed as the Deputy District Director in 2004 for then Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis.

During her time with the 32nd Congressional Office, Benita not only gained practical knowledge about the processes of federal government but also a deep understanding of the importance of coalition building in accomplishing policy objectives. In 2009, Benita accepted the assignment as Partnership Specialist Congressional and Faith Based Liaison for the Los Angeles Regional Census Center. In this role, Benita provided direct support services to 39 Congressional offices.

Benita holds a certificate from the UCLA School of Public Health Preceptor Field Studies Program, and has received awards from the Congressional Record and the 155th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. Benita also serves as a member of the Santa Monica College Technologies Advisory Board and the California's Green Workforce Coalition.

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Monica Acosta, Gardens’ Manager

Monica Acosta graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy with minors in Botany and Regenerative Studies. During that time she had the privilege of working at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden as a nursery assistant where she learned about the uniqueness of California flora which ultimately led her to pursue a career in horticulture.

For the past seven years, she has worked for the Los Angeles Conservation Corps where she has had the opportunity to share her knowledge of horticulture with young adults from under represented communities. As a Program Coordinator, she managed their native plant nursery and coordinated several restoration projects. More recently she has been assisting in the development and implementation of a vocational training program that will combine on the job training and classroom studies in the field of arboriculture for participants of the L.A. Conservation Corps.

Monica is very grateful that she is able to continue working in a field that enables her to combine her passion of bringing plants and people together.

Monica is currently working on her Master’s in Plant Science at Cal Poly Pomona.

Contact Monica

Joel Jimenez, Marsh Street Skate Park Supervisor

Joel is a lifelong skateboarder who has lived his entire life in the neighborhood where Marsh Street Skate Park is located. When the Neighborhood Land Trust began work to develop a skate park in his community, Joel seized the opportunity to get involved. Shortly after the park was opened, he was hired to oversee daily operations. His role involves mentoring visitors and ensuring the park is a safe, fun environment.

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Christian Cabrales, Marsh Street Skate Park Supervisor

Christian grew up in Elysian Valley and was a daily user of the Marsh Street Skate Park before taking on the role of park supervisor for the Neighborhood Land Trust. As a supervisor, he works to ensure the park remains a safe, fun place for visitors.

Christian attends Pasadena City College and plans to transfer to the University of California, Los Angeles.

Contact Christian

Board of Directors

Clive Hoffman, Clive Hoffman Associates, chairperson
Misty Sanford, Munger, Tolles and Olson, vice chairperson
Robert Reid, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, secretary
Gerard McCallum, Wilson Meany Sullivan, treasurer
Glen Dake, GDML Landscape Architects, past chairperson
Bruce Saito, Los Angeles Conservation Corps
Kelli Bernard, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Jill Black Zalben, Black Equities
Susan Cline, City of Santa Monica
Lauren Gabor Goldstein
Norma Edith Garcia, Los Angeles Country Parks and Recreation
Richard Mayer, Troller Mayer Associates
Stephanie Sherwood
Kevin Napoli, LENA Group

Contributors

The Annenberg Foundation
The California Endowment
The Ernest Lieblich Foundation
Kaiser Permanente
The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation
The Red Blue Green Fund
The Stanley and Joyce Black Family Foundation
The Roth Family Foundation
The Sherwood Family Foundation
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Dodgers Dream Foundation
David Bohnett Foundation
The Weingart Foundation
California Community Foundation
The Walt Disney Company
Southern California Gas Company
JPMorgan Chase
YNOT Foundation
Wells Fargo
The Deutsch Family Foundation
The Anna H. Bing Living Trust
USC Neighborhood Outreach
The L.A. Stars Foundation
Kaboom!
Taproot Foundation

Publications

2008 Annual Report