September 18, 2018 Monthly Airport Marina Group Meeting at Chace Park 7 pm - 8:30 pm

Kathy Knight (incumbent) I grew up in West LA and love the ocean. I volunteered with the Sierra Club in 1992 to save the Ballona Wetlands from the Playa Vista development. Over 95% of our coastal wetlands have been destroyed. I helped Club member, Patricia McPherson, get the word out about oilfield gas at the PV site including west of Lincoln Blvd. When the City banned development west of Lincoln due to gas, Playa Vista became a willing seller to the State of California in 2003.  Public involvement has saved over 600 acres.

   I want to be on the AM Group Ex-Com to continue our work to stop proposed massive bulldozing of Ballona Ecological Reserve to change it into a saltwater bay. My goal is to restore the freshwater wetland it is, and to protect the wonderful wildlife from being killed by bulldozers. 

I was Chair of the Airport Marina Group for 2 years and AM Group Conservation Chair for the past 10 years. I attended many seminars/meetings in the past 25 years about coastal wetlands. 

   I am a social worker by profession.  I quit my job protecting children in 1995 to work on protecting Ballona wildlife.

Miriam Faugno (incumbent) has lived in Playa del Rey for almost 10 years, having 

been drawn to the area by the sight of the Ballona Wetlands and the 

animals who call it home.  

   Prior to that she lived in Jersey City Heights, NJ where with ten others, she helped save an endangered 13-acre unused spring-fed reservoir [https://www.jcreservoir.com/] that is no longer threatened with becoming a parking lot but is now a protected State entity and brings Nature to an Urban environment.

Professionally she has been a NYC HS Waldorf English and Drama 

teacher, and art editor for Parabola Magazine.  

   She has served on the Airport-Marina Sierra Club Executive Committee Board for three years and is so grateful for our fellow members' work.

Eric Dugdale I'm President of the Pacific Palisades Historical Society. As a boy, was living near the wetlands when our home was removed through eminent domain, to build the 405. Remember the construction of Marina del Rey in the early '60s, have had a sailboat there for twenty-two years. I give talks on local history. Eric did a fascinating presentation about Ballona at our April 2018 Airport Marina Group Meeting. https://youtu.be/ioobThFeOXw

Gretchen Nordham, M.A. advocates for nature preservation at Ballona Wetland Ecological Preserve. She has spoken out against Playa del Rey development that would impact the wetlands and about the Tule Wetlands in Marina del Rey. Recently she sponsored a “Don’t Bulldoze Ballona” event at her home for 25 people who wrote letters and postcards to a local elected official to urge protecting Ballona from an ill- conceived “Restoration” project.  

    Gretchen led a youth trip to Borneo’s Orangutan Foundation International Care Center in 2008. She partnered with Dr. Birute’ Galdikas, head of OFI and one of 3 international primatologists mandated by Louis Leakey to study and conserve the great apes. Gretchen interfaced with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to schedule Dr. Galdikas keynote at the IMAX opening of “Born to Be Wild”.  

    She has been registering voters, sponsoring phone banks and canvassing events in Colorado and California.  She created the largest one-night Barak Obama fundraising event in Boulder County Colorado. She attended the Democratic National Convention in 2008.

Gretchen is interested in protecting pollinators, birds, animals and water creatures. She will advocate for the Ballona Wetlands and other Sierra Club causes to ensure biodiversity and conservation for coming generations. 

Marc Saltzberg  I've been working to protect the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve from bulldozing for the last five years, helping local organizations understand restoration proposals, developing educational materials, and organizing canvasses and house parties to involve residents in the fight to save the Wetlands. I've been a featured speaker on the subject, led tours of the Ecological Reserve and briefed federal, state and local elected officials. 

I'm a member of the Sierra Club Airport-Marina Group, the WestLA Democratic Club (WLADC), the Westchester/Playa Democratic Club, and other local Democratic clubs. I've served as President and Vice President of the WLADC and am a member of its executive board. I'm a thirteen-year delegate to the California Democratic Party Central Committee. I served the Venice Neighborhood Council as Vice President and Outreach Officer for over seven years, authoring many resolutions and working with LA city agencies to address neighborhood issues. 

I want to serve on the Airport-Marina Group's Executive Committee to help protect the Wetlands from destructive restoration proposals that would radically alter the habitat, clean up water flowing into Santa Monica Bay and fight oil and gas drilling along our coast. I ask for your vote to help me achieve these goals.

Richard A. Harmel I’m dedicated to fighting for conservation; building and supporting political action; involving the neighborhood and saving the ecology and natural habitat in my backyard. I want to build strategic bridges to a sustainable Ballona environment.

   My Airport Marina Sierra Club involvement began when I brought to your attention Marina del Rey Toyota’s plan to create a car storage facility on the Villa Marina Tule Wetlands at the intersection of Mindanao Way and the 90E in Marina del Rey. Your AM Group wrote the first letter of support that the Villa Napoli Homeowners Association received and has continued to respond to our requests.As head of Villa Napoli HOA Appeals Committee, I’m very grateful.

   We rounded up public support from Mike Bonin, Del Rey Neighborhood Council, Del Rey Residents Association, LA Audubon Society, Ballona Creek Renaissance, and Playa del Rey Guardians.  The DRNC rescinded their previous support of the Toyota project, and their Board voted to support our appeal and oppose Toyota.

   Thanks to our research and the staff at CCC, the CCC drafted a letter which states unequivocally that Toyota’s property is not only in Coastal jurisdiction, but in a Dual Permit Zone with wetlands on site.