Community TYES Press Release: First Progress Report
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2nd, 2025
For more information and interviews, contact: Isaac via email at isaac@larosah.org.
With Rio de Los Angeles State Park Soccer Field Upgrades Complete, Taylor Yard Equity Strategy (TYES) Releases Community-Driven Blueprint
The Community TYES Progress Report, unveiled at a celebration for the Río de Los Ángeles State Park Soccer Field improvements, lays out how the new 100 acres of green space at Taylor Yard will benefit longtime Northeast LA residents.
Northeast Los Angeles (NELA) – October 2nd, 2025 – Partners in the Community Taylor Yard Equity Strategy (TYES)—the 100 Acre Partnership (100AP) and the Los Angeles Regional Open Space and Affordable Housing (LA ROSAH) Collaborative—joined community members and policy makers at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly upgraded soccer fields at Río de Los Ángeles State Park on Saturday, September 27. The event celebrated the soccer field improvements, while underscoring TYES’s critical role in ensuring that the area’s transformation becomes a source of shared opportunity for longtime residents.
The Río de Los Ángeles State Park Fields Improvement Project, led by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, with support from California State Parks, features renovated soccer fields, lighting upgrades, and improvements to bathroom facilities and walking paths. The 40-acre Rio de Los Angeles State Park is part of the broader 100-acre Taylor Yard site. The 100 Acre Partnership is a collaboration between the City of Los Angeles, California State Parks, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) to create the largest continuous open space along the Los Angeles River.
The ceremony provided a platform for addressing how these significant park investments will benefit the residents of North East Los Angeles, many of whom are low-income renters who have lived near the contaminated former Taylor Yard railyard for decades.
Linking Park Improvements to Community-Driven Equity
The ribbon-cutting also served to release the Community Taylor Yard Equity Strategy Progress Report. The TYES initiative is a partnership between the 100 Acre Partnership and LA ROSAH, which the City of Los Angeles selected to lead the equity strategy. TYES was born from a crucial question: as public agencies work to restore these hundred acres, how is equity built into the foundation from the start?
“From the start, the Community TYES initiative has been guided by a single goal: to build equity into the very foundation of this hundred-acre restoration,” said Christine Jerian, Community TYES Program Director. “Today we see a powerful result of that model in these park upgrades, which happened because the city and state listened to residents asking for active recreation. Our role with TYES is to apply that same, proven model of listening to the entire Taylor Yard transformation, ensuring it supports long-term residents by advancing urgent priorities like housing stability and workforce development.”
The Taylor Yard Equity Strategy is a direct response to community fears of displacement, and its entire process is guided by one core principle: listen first. Through deep community outreach, the team heard overwhelming support for new parks, coupled with a real fear of being priced out. The community’s long-standing advocacy for more active park space was a key factor leading to the improvements celebrated at Río de Los Ángeles State Park, demonstrating how community input shapes on-the-ground results.
The Community TYES Progress Report (September 2025) is available at: TYES Progress Report
Key Findings from the Community TYES Progress Report
The Community TYES Progress Report documents the initial research and engagement that identified 20 strategic opportunities for action. Central to the findings are two pressing issues voiced repeatedly by residents: the need for housing stability and local workforce development. These priorities stem from a fundamental concern that the very improvements they championed could lead to their displacement.
City of Los Angeles & FUSE Corps Partner to Amplify Community Voices in TYES
The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering, in partnership with FUSE Corps consultant Dr. Edidiong Mendie, conducted a listening tour with key stakeholders of TYES to center community perspectives in decision-making. The engagement uncovered root causes and challenges while shaping pathways for collaboration. A key outcome was the call for shared governance, which led to the creation of the TYES Oversight Committee. This body with representatives from LA ROSAH, the 100 Acre Partnership, local Council districts, and UCLA will guide these efforts with transparency, equity, and community leadership.
About LA ROSAH:
The Los Angeles Regional Open Space and Affordable Housing Collaborative (LA ROSAH) is a coalition dedicated to advancing equitable development that ensures vulnerable communities benefit from public investments in open space and infrastructure.
LA ROSAH Strengthens TYES with Key Hires
To advance this work, LA ROSAH announces two strategic hires. Christine Jerian joins as Program Director, bringing over 25 years of public-sector leadership in policy development and coalition-building from roles within the Los Angeles City Council and the Mayor’s office. Isaac Shamam joins as Communications Coordinator, contributing a decade of experience in marketing and communications for mission-driven organizations focused on housing equity and environmental justice. Their expertise will be crucial in empowering the community’s voices to lead the narrative around the Taylor Yard developments.
About the 100 Acre Partnership:
The 100 Acre Partnership is a joint effort by the City of Los Angeles, California State Parks, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) to transform the former Taylor Yard railyard into the largest continuous open space along the Los Angeles River.
