Public Comment Helper

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About this tool and the person behind it

I'm Jens Jonason — a Garvanza resident in the City of Los Angeles and a board member of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, speaking here only for myself. The tools on this site help you write a short public comment and send it yourself — one for Council File 26-0777 before the LA City Council, and one for the project's Draft Environmental Impact Report, whose public comment period runs through August 1, 2026. I built them independently, and nobody pays me for any of this.

Where I stand

I oppose Council File 26-0777, the resolution that would put the City of Los Angeles on record against the Arroyo Seco Water Reuse Project. The Council is being asked to take that position before its own departments have reported and before the environmental review is complete — and whatever you think of the project, that's the wrong order. Separately, and speaking only for myself, I think the project's benefits outweigh its disadvantages and it should be built. You don't need to agree with me on the second point to use this tool for the first.

My public record

These are my real public comments — wobbly delivery and all. Your comment doesn't need to be better than these; it just needs to exist.

  1. June 4, 2026 — HHPNC regular board meeting. Introduced a Community Impact Statement opposing CF 26-0777 (agenda item 18). The motion did not pass.
  2. June 17, 2026 — HHPNC special meeting. The board adopted a CIS supporting CF 26-0777; I was the only board member voting no. No recording is available.
  3. June 26, 2026 — LA City Council. General public comment opposing the resolution (CF 26-0777 was not on that day's agenda). Recording — my comment at 1:26:45.
  4. July 12, 2026 — LANCSA special meeting (Zoom forum). Presented the case in favor of the project, opposite Tim Brick of Stewards of the Arroyo Seco. Event page · Recording — my presentation starts at 32:40.
  5. July 16, 2026 — Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners. Public comment urging the commissioners to insist on a complete evidentiary record before the City takes a position. The full text — this is what a public comment looks like:

    Good morning, commissioners.

    My name is Jens Jonason. I’m a Garvanza resident and Highland Park Neighborhood Council Board member, speaking for myself.

    My comment is about a project 3 miles up the Arroyo Seco from here: The Arroyo Seco Water Reuse Project.

    The General Manager reported to the Commission about this project on August 1, 2024. His report is linked here from the Commission’s website. Take a photo to save the link.

    The project is Measure W-funded and designed to treat polluted runoff and dry-weather flows to meet regional water-quality obligations. It would use engineered capture, filtration, treatment wetlands, and infiltration. Our City has many similar projects implemented and in development to meet the same obligations.

    The lead agency is the City of Pasadena with South Pasadena, but half an acre of the project overlaps City of Los Angeles-owned land.

    Materially, little has changed about this project since the General Manager’s report.

    Rhetorically, things have heated up dramatically.

    An effort is underway in City Council in Council File 26-0777 to bar City departments from cooperating with the lead agency in the implementation of this project. The resolution, if passed, may set a precedent that could obstruct the City’s own stormwater obligations and open space projects.

    I urge commissioners to proactively insist on a complete record of evidence — including reports from the City Attorney, Chief Legislative Analyst, and LA Sanitation, and the soon-to-be completed Draft Environmental Impact Report from the lead agency.

    Thank you.

In the news

Two newsrooms have covered this dispute in depth. I don't control either story, and both give real space to the project's opponents — which is exactly why they're worth your time.

LAist — "A dry river sparks a fight over water where LA, Pasadena and South Pasadena meet" (Erin Stone, July 6, 2026). The reporter spent a weekend with both sides, walked the site with the project's opponents, and talked to officials from all three cities. If you only have a few minutes, the audio version at the top of the story (3½ minutes) is the best short introduction to this issue that exists.

Los Angeles Times — "Why a plan to filter bacteria from the Arroyo Seco is facing fierce opposition" (July 26, 2026). A good overview of the dispute, with the clearest maps published anywhere of the two project sites and the three-city geography. Note: may require a subscription.

Why this page exists

Anyone offering you a comment-writing tool should tell you where they stand — so this page does. My positions are my own, disclosed and dated, and they are separate from how the tool works: it never sends anything on your behalf, and every word of your comment is yours to change before you send it. Disclosure last updated July 26, 2026.