Taking a Ride Down the LA River

In August, Governor Brown signed a bill that "fundamentally establishes that in the eyes of the State of California, the Los Angeles River is a river, not just a flood control channel; and must be treated that way by Los Angeles County." That's after years of effort by Friends of the Los Angeles River and others. When George Wolfe determined to kayak all 51 miles of the flood control channel, his wife figured he might get arrested. He didn't. But Thea Mercouffer spent four years documenting negotiations with the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA, which resulted in the documentary, Rock the Boat: Saving America's Wildest River.