To the editor: Thanks a lot for the article about lack of shade on California’s Ok-12 campuses (“Most of California’s public Ok-12 college students go to highschool on campuses with just about no shade,” Oct. 29).
I reside in Santa Monica and our college board is busy slicing down college campus bushes and changing inexperienced grassy areas with synthetic turf. Total, they’re shrinking regenerative inexperienced outside areas in order that they will preserve constructing giant new buildings — the over-development agenda. It’s very troubling.
Regardless that Santa Monica is a rich metropolis general, we nonetheless have many children on free and reduced-cost lunch in any respect of our college websites. As well as, Santa Monica is sort of 80% multifamily residences, which means that our parks and the varsity campus inexperienced areas and playgrounds operate as many, many households’ backyards.
No matter household assets, each child on the planet wants inexperienced outside area and cooling shade from bushes to thrive.
Our native elementary college PTA planted 18 bushes on the campus again in 2008 and practically all of them are slated for elimination now by the varsity district — to get replaced with one other giant constructing and a small synthetic turf area. I used to be a part of that planting crew and for 2 years afterward, every classroom was accountable for watering one of many bushes to assist it thrive and take root.
It’s all very unhappy and nonsensical so, once more, I recognize workers author Tyrone Beason and the Los Angeles Instances shining a light-weight on this situation.
Ann Bowman, Santa Monica
