The Park Made of Oil: Towards a Historical Political Ecology of the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area

Abstract

Within the park-deprived inner-city landscapes of Los Angeles, an unprecedented change is underway. Long considered to be the epitome of anti-nature, Los Angeles is witnessing a boom in park development and ecological restoration. Derelict, blighted and contaminated inner-city brownfield sites are being converted to greenspaces, nature parks and wildlife refuges. Indeed, Los Angeles has been the recent recipient of hitherto unimaginable political and fiscal support to ameliorate the dearth of parks in its neglected urban core. This paper situates the current round of park development within its historical context, by focusing on a very particular local site—the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. Applying the theoretical lens of political ecology, the authors trace some of the political, economic, ecological and institutional factors from the late 1920s onwards, which engendered the creation of a park atop an oilfield. In so doing, the authors deepen the understanding of how local greenspace allocation, poverty, race and political power are oftentimes complexly entangled. Precursor to a much larger project currently in the planning and development stages, the creation of the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area reveals some of the ways that the Southern California oil industry has shaped nature spaces in Los Angeles.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Carolyn Kozo Cole from the Los Angeles Public Library, staff from the Huntington Library, Jay Jones from the City of Los Angeles archives, Kimball Garrett from the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Jim Park from the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, and Esther Feldman from Community Conservancy International for their assistance with background material for this paper. They also wish to thank Jennifer Wolch, Phil Ethington, Travis Longcore, Alec Brownlow, Roger Keil and Jean Hillier for their comments on earlier drafts of this paper. The authors thank Sheila Akinleye for her archival material. Finally, they are indebted to Stephanie Pincetl for her encouragement, guidance and sound advice. Cartography by David Deis, Dreamline Cartography.

Notes

1. The American Land Conservancy purchased and then transferred the land to the State of California's Parks Department and the Baldwin Hills Recreation and Conservation Authority. Another non-profit organization—Community Conservancy International—facilitated the purchase by lobbying for funding. Other agencies also played a role, including the Packard Foundation and Environment Now.

2. James Hahn used his father's reputation with the African American community of Los Angeles to win a mayoral election against Antonio Villaraigosa. Hahn lost the support of this constituency after firing police chief Bernard Parks. Although Parks later ran against Hahn, Hahn lost the mayoral election to Villaraigosa.

3. Untitled Clipping from Los Angeles Sentinel, 1955, Kenneth Hahn manuscripts, Huntington Library archives, Box 59, 5.3.2.6.1, folder 4.

4. Press release dated 30 October 1959, Kenneth Hahn manuscripts, Huntington Library, Box 59, 5.3.2.6.1, folder 4.

5. Press release dated 23 October 1959, Kenneth Hahn manuscripts, Huntington Library, Box 59, 5.3.2.6.1, folder 4.

6. Press release for Lennox Park dated 5 October 1959, Kenneth Hahn manuscripts, Huntington Library archives, Box 59, 5.3.2.6.1, folder 4.

7. Press release dated 1 August 1958, Kenneth Hahn manuscripts, Huntington Library archives, Box 59, 5.3.2.6.1, folder 4.

8. Letter from Mrs King to Kenneth Hahn manuscripts, Huntington Library archives, Box 59, 5.3.2.6.1, folder 4.

9. Letter from homeowners to County Supervisors dated 30 June 1983, Kenneth Hahn manuscripts, Huntington Library archives, Box 59, 5.3.2.6.1, folder 4.