Despite rain, volunteers clean Hollenbeck Park while questioning city budget priorities

Undeterred by the rain, community members and local organizations gathered at Hollenbeck Park in Boyle Heights Saturday for a citywide day of service known as Shine L.A., an initiative launched by Mayor Karen Bass to beautify the city ahead of major events, including the 2028 Summer Olympics. 

Residents participated at 16 different sites across the city–from Hollywood and South Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley– for the inaugural event. Shine L.A. is set to become a monthly day of service that includes park cleanups, tree planting, painting and food distribution.

Among the volunteers was Boyle Heights resident Stephanie Vendig, 89, who lives in a nearby retirement home and came out to support the cleanup because she believes it’s an opportunity for the community to feel like the park is theirs. 

“[Community members] need to feel ownership of the park,” said Vendig. “When they are a part of it, and the children can participate in the activities, it is doing something good for the community.” 

With proposed cuts to city services like sanitation looming in L.A.’s draft budget, Vendig emphasized the importance of residents stepping in.

“How do we keep things going? It’s tough,” she said. “We want the people to feel that they have to take care of the park, just like we say the city should take care of the park.” 

Angela Sanchez, 67, shared a similar sentiment. Under a tent, surrounded by gardening supplies and potting soil to give away to volunteers, Sanchez spoke of her personal memories of growing up and going to the neighborhood parks.

Now, as an after-school program teacher at Hollenbeck Recreation Center, Sanchez sees how parks directly support communities and is concerned about how these services could be affected by  L.A. city budget cuts.

“I’m trying to get the people out there to realize that there is something, a place, that they could go out and enjoy with the family and have a very nice time and say ‘we had fun’,” she said. 

Despite over 200 sign-ups, the rain reduced the turnout to about half. Still, local organizations, including Centro CSO, East L.A. Women’s Center, Promesa Boyle Heights, and Alma Family Services, set up booths to welcome volunteers. Local leaders, including Assemblymember Mark Gonzàlez and CD 14’s Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado, also attended the event and recognized park staff with certificates. 

After a two-hour delay, volunteers began picking up trash with orange plastic bags across the park’s 20 acres. But as the rain picked up again, they took cover under tents where a DJ kept volunteers in high spirits. Flooding from clogged storm drains on St. Louis Street forced a quick wrap-up and sparked conversation about the city’s sanitation infrastructure, budget priorities, and the Mayor’s absence.

Among those concerned was Amanda Pantoja, 29, from Huntington Park, who attended as part of GreenLatinos, a national nonprofit that aims to confront local and national environmental issues in the Latino community.

“L.A. City Parks are a lot of people’s first introduction to getting connected to the environment. These spaces are free, they’re in our community, so we need to be protecting them,” she said. 

Pantoja expressed concern about the budget’s impact on green space maintenance in underserved areas like Boyle Heights.

“There are a lot of under-maintained spaces, like the park where we’re at right now, which is currently flooding… so this isn’t unique to just East L.A., Boyle Heights,” said Pantoja. “There are a lot of communities across L.A. who deserve spaces that are well maintained, so I want to make sure that the budget does reflect that need and the resources for the community.” 

The next citywide Shine L.A. event will take place on May 31 in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. You can find more details and how to register by visiting the Shine L.A. webpage here.