Sitting at the corner of Bundy and Santa Monica Boulevards in West Los Angeles is a small piece of open space known locally as the Bundy Triangle Park. Ever since a homeless person was found dead in the park in the 1990's the park has been surrounded by bars, literally caging open space in the park poor city.
While the bars are still there, residents can now access the park for events through a permit from Council Member Bill Rosendahl's office. Currently, the West LA School of Martial Arts has permits for a weekly class. The school, Rosendahl, his chief of staff Mike Bonin and Streetsblog Los Angeles Board Member Joel Epstein celebrated the park opening on Saturday. If you're interested in getting a permit to use the park, contact the Council Member's West Los Angeles office at 310-575-8461.
Epstein crusaded for the park's opening for the last two years, rallying local businesses to the challenge. Rosendahl gave full credit to Epstein's advocacy for the park's partial re-opening.
"I’m thrilled the public will once again be able to enjoy Bundy Triangle Park. Reopening the gated green space along Santa Monica Blvd has been a dream of mine since taking office, and I want to extend my sincere appreciation to blogger Joel Epstein for his advocacy to restore public use at the Triangle," writes Rosendahl. "I look forward to a wide range of positive activities at the park that will benefit the entire community, as well as bring new energy to the area."
Epstein began his campaign to open the park at his Huffington Post column. You can also read Streetblog's coverage of the park controversy from this article in 2011.