All or Nothing: Mayor's L.A. River Lobbying was 'a High Stakes Gamble' (Video)

The tireless work of L.A. River advocates was rewarded on Thursday when the Army Corps of Engineers recommended an ambitious $1 billion plan that would pump new life into the long-neglected waterway.

Known as Alternative 20, outlined as part of the ARBOR study, the plan would focus on 11 miles of the 51-mile river, restoring 719 acres of habitat between Griffith Park and downtown. The decision was the culmination of months of lobbying by advocates including Mayor Eric Garcetti, whose numerous visits to the White House to fight for the more comprehensive plan helped to secure the deal. The Army Corp previously had been in favor of the $453-million Alternative 13.

In an exclusive interview immediately following the event, Mayor Garcetti told us why the L.A. River is so important to the city's past and future, and to him personally; his thoughts on the NELA Riverfront Collaborative (of which we are the media partner); as well as an insight into the city's relationship to the federal government when it comes to projects like the L.A. River revitalization that could benefit the country's economy as a whole.