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  • February

    From left to right, Stephanie Hall, senior environmental protection specialist, Transportation and Special Projects Branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District; Donald Lank, Equal Employment Opportunity manager, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District; Shirley Craig, donations and inventory associate, Downtown Women’s Center, Los Angeles; Hollis Champlain, Equal Employment Opportunity specialist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District; Felicia Weaver, administrative assistant, Public Affairs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District; Arnecia Williams, regional value officer, Engineering Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District; Pauline Williams, parking attendant at the women’s center; and Gerry Salas, environmental engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, pose for a picture Jan. 23 in front of a cart full of toiletries donated to the center by the Corps.

    Corps donates toiletries to women’s center in honor of King’s legacy

    LOS ANGELES – Shirley Craig, donations and inventory associate at the Downtown Women’s Center, smiled as she looked through the large cart full of toiletries. “I think this is wonderful,” she said. “The ladies are going to love these. They’re packed nicely, and they’ve got so many things in them.” The gallon-sized plastic bags Craig was referring to were full of necessary items a woman might need if she was going on a trip – socks, lotion, shampoo, feminine hygiene products, combs, toothbrushes, makeup and even packs of playing cards. However, these bags weren’t packed for a leisurely trip or vacation; they were going to the many Los Angeles women calling the center and the streets of Skid Row their temporary home. The truck bed full of toiletries was delivered to the center Jan. 23 by employees with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District.

  • January

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Deputy Commander Col. Daryll Fust speaks to community members and the media about the USACE role in the Navigable Waters Protection Rule Jan. 23. Fust joined EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker and Rep. Paul Gosar. The event was hosted by Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Misael Cabrera.

    Final: Navigable Waters Protection Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army released the Navigable Waters Protection Rule Jan. 23. The rule provides a new and final definition for Waters of the United States.
  • Nina Presley, administrative officer with the Planning Division, received the Kevin Inada Employee of the Quarter Award during the Fourth Quarter Awards Ceremony Jan. 10 at the LA District’s Headquarters building in downtown LA. Presley received the award for her work processing projected recruitment actions for the Planning Division for fiscal year 2020, as well as assisting managers with completing regulatory requirements. Additionally, she ensured last-minute training requirements were met and that her division had equipment and supplies for its FY19 budget.

    LA District employees receive recognition for service during Fourth Quarter Award ceremony

    Twelve U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District employees received recognition for outstanding service, including a team of engineers that helped develop modeling to predict post-fire debris flows in the hopes of saving lives.

  • December

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District and the Orange County Flood Control District completed flood channel repairs before Southern California’s flood season. District Commander Col. Aaron Barta gives remarks during the ribbon cutting ceremony. The agencies hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to highlight the completion of repair work on Ocean View Channel, Dec. 20, in Huntington Beach, Calif.

    Corps, Orange County partner to complete flood channel before storm season

    The reconstruction of the channel qualified for repair under the Corps’ Public Law 84-99 Rehabilitation Program, which gives the Corps the authority to repair flood control structures that are damaged due to flood and other natural events.

  • November

    Leaders with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division, Los Angeles District and the Bureau of Land Management officially reopened Red Spring boardwalk Nov. 8. Roughly a half-mile in length ... the accessible boardwalk is in the Calico Basin of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nev. From left to right, Claudia Garcia, project manager with the LA District's Arizona-Nevada Area Office; Catrina Williams, field manager for the BLM's Red Rock/Sloan Field Office; 1st Lt. Kara Styers, aide-de-camp to the SPD commander; Brig. Gen. Kim Colloton, SPD commander; Brian Christ, vice president S&B Christ Consulting, LLC, of Las Vegas; Col. Aaron Barta, District commander; Viet Tran, project engineer for the district’s Las Vegas Resident Office; and Raymond Tsui, civil engineer with BLM's Southern Nevada District Office.

    Corps completes Red Spring boardwalk

    Leaders with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division, Los Angeles District and the Bureau of Land Management officially reopened Red Spring boardwalk Nov. 8.

  • October

    Tiffany Armenta holds up a bag of trash she collected during Coastal Cleanup Day Sept. 21 at the Santa Ana River Marsh in Newport Beach, California.

    Corps hosts cleanup event at Santa Ana River Marsh for third consecutive year

    For the third consecutive year, more than 20 volunteers traveled to the Santa Ana River Marsh Sept. 21 to participate in California’s Coastal Cleanup Day. The 92-acre marsh lies at the outlet of the Santa Ana River to the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach and is owned and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District.
  • Business representatives share their capabilities with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District program managers and discuss potential opportunities for doing business with the Corps at the annual Business Opportunities Open House Oct. 9 in the District's downtown LA headquarters.

    District opens house for business representatives

    More than 150 business representatives attended the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District's annual Business Opportunities Open House Oct. 9 at the District's downtown LA headquarters.
  • A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Task Force Barrier contractor prepares the bottom of the steel bollard barrier panels for concrete placement near Columbus, N.M., Sept. 23, 2019. USACE is providing direction and oversight of Department of Defense (DoD)-funded construction of barrier system projects along the southwest border. These projects are being executed by USACE, as directed through the U.S. Army by the Secretary of Defense, in response to Department of Homeland Security’s request for assistance to help secure the United States southern border by blocking drug-smuggling corridors through the construction of roads and fences, and the installation of lighting under the Title 10, section 284 of the U.S. Code. DoD and USACE are executing these projects in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

    Los Angeles District highlights end of fiscal year with more than $3.1 billion in contract awards

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District awarded about 730 contracts worth more than $3.1 billion in fiscal year 2019.
  • Volunteers pick up trash and debris during a Sept. 28 clean-up event at the Whittier Narrows Dam Nature Center in South El Monte, California. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, along with Los Angeles County and the Whittier Narrows Nature Center Associates hosted the event as part of National Public Lands Day.

    District rangers partner with local community for National Public Lands Day clean-up event

    In honor of National Public Lands Day, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District’s park rangers partnered with Los Angeles County, the Whittier Narrows Nature Center Associates and local volunteers to clean up the San Gabriel riverbed Sept. 28 at the Whittier Narrows Nature Center.

  • July

    Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers commanding general, left, receives an update about the Corps’ Long Beach Veterans Affairs Healthcare System project from the Corps’ contractor, Walsh Construction, during a July 9 visit to the Long Beach VA Healthcare System Medical Center in Long Beach, California. The Corps is constructing the five-phase, $317-million-project, which includes a mental health in-patient/out-patient facility, community living center, parking structure, combined heat-and-power generation plant and demolition of the existing mental health and community living center buildings.

    Top Corps general tours Golden State projects

    The commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers toured several of the agency’s Los Angeles District projects during a recent three-day visit to the Golden State. Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite visited Southern California July 8 to 10, touring the San Diego border construction project, before heading to the Long Beach Veterans Affairs Healthcare System Medical Center to visit the sites of the future mental health in-patient/out-patient facility and community living center, which are under construction.

  • June

    ERDC Commander Col. Ivan P. Beckman, center, welcomes the six selectees for the 2019 six-month session of ERDC University in March in Vicksburg, Miss. Participating in March kickoff activities were, from left to right, ERDC-U Program Manager Cynthia Brown; Civil Engineer Dominique Williams, New Orleans District; Biologist Damian Walter, Walla Walla District; Biologist Chris Solek, Los Angeles District; Project Coordinator Rebekah Lujan, Fort Worth District; Executive Assistant Kathleen Payne, Little Rock District; Civil Engineer Brian Lucarelli, Pittsburg District; and ORTT Technology, Knowledge and Outreach Division Chief Tisa Webb. Corps’ division and district selectees partner with ERDC subject matter experts to apply and implement technical solutions.

    Biologist working on new solution to test hydrological effects on plant habitat in Southwest

    A Los Angeles District biologist is working to expand the capabilities of modeling software in hopes of creating a better understanding of hydrological effects on plant habitat along rivers in the Southwest. Christopher Solek, Environmental Resources Branch, Planning Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, is conducting the work as a 2019 participant in the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s outreach program, ERDC University.

  • May

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District inducted retired employee Kelli Johnson into its Gallery of Distinguished Civilian Employees in a ceremony May 8 at the District headquarters in Los Angeles. The induction was in conjunction with the District's annual Retiree Recognition Day. Nearly three dozen retirees participated in the day's activities, which included a breakfast social, commander's update and catered lunch.

    District inducts retiree into distinguished employee gallery

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District inducted former employee Kelli Johnson into its Gallery of Distinguished Civilian Employees in a ceremony May 8 at the District headquarters.
  • About a dozen University of California, Los Angeles, students pose for a picture with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District employees April 25, following a tour of Sepulveda Dam Spillway in Los Angeles. The students learned about the dam’s operations, hydrology and design, as well as information about careers with the Corps.

    Corps gives tour of Sepulveda Dam to UCLA engineering students

    Peering out over the edge of the Sepulveda Dam Spillway, on most given days, less than a foot of standing water can be seen in the basin below. Off in the distance, cars pass over a bridge along Burbank Boulevard, a frequently traveled thoroughfare to the 405 Freeway toward San Diego. During a large rain event, the entire area, including Burbank Boulevard, could be under water, explained John DeSimone, dam tender, Operations Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, to a group of about a dozen University of California, Los Angeles engineering students touring the dam April 25.

  • March

    Cover of the adapted 3Rs of Explosives Safety coloring book that was developed in coordination with the Tohono O'odham Nation Environmental Protection Office and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    District partners with Tohono O’odham Nation to promote explosives safety

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District partnered with the Environmental Protection Office of the Tohono O’odham Nation, a federally-recognized tribe, in November 2018 to plan age-appropriate 3Rs (Recognize, Retreat, Report) of Explosives Safety awareness information for schools on the nation located within the Sonoran Desert in south central Arizona.
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Chief of Emergency Management Branch David Kingston conducts an after action review after a continuity of operations exercise conducted in Phoenix, Arizona on March 11.

    Corps conducts earthquake continuity of operations exercise

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District conducted an earthquake continuity of operations exercise where key leaders moved operations from downtown Los Angeles to Phoenix, Arizona on March 11.
  • Lillian Doherty, Operations Division chief, speaks with Luciano Vera, public affairs specialist, at the Los Angeles District Arizona-Nevada Area Office's Business Opportunities Open House March 14 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Doherty emphasized the importance of the BOOH's relationship building to help identify what contractors have the capabilities to do the work ... that the Corps needs to get done.

    Business opportunities open house

    The annual Business Opportunities Open House highlighted contract opportunities, but, more importantly, built an information data base critical to accomplishing the Corps' mission.

  • February

    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District employee Alfonso Quintero, far left, answers a question posed by high school students, while Corps’ employees Raina Fulton, center, and Chadi Wahby, right, listen during John Muir High School’s Engineering and Environmental Science Academy Career Exploration Showcase Day Feb. 13 in Pasadena, California.

    Corps’ employees feel ‘sense of pride’ when talking to students during National Engineers Week

    Three U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District employees traveled to John Muir High School Feb. 13 to share their career experiences with students during the school’s Engineering Week.
  • Marvel Comic cosplayers pose for pictures on the Red Carpet prior to the start of “Excelsior! A Celebration of the Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible and Uncanny Life of Stan Lee” Jan. 30 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California. The event was a memorial tribute to Stan Lee, Marvel comic book writer, editor, publisher and co-creator, who died in November 2018. Lee was an Army veteran and former writer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II.

    Military members pay tribute to Marvel comic book legend, Army veteran during Hollywood ceremony

    As a child, Maj. Scotty Autin loved reading Marvel comic books. One of his favorite characters was Gambit, a fictional quick-handed, card-playing thief from New Orleans. “Considering I’m from Louisiana, I was always drawn to Gambit,” said Autin, deputy commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District. “I read all the comics that featured him and watched the X-Men animated series just to see him. I remember as a 10-year-old, I would practice throwing playing cards just to be like him.” So when Autin was invited to participate in “Excelsior! A Celebration of the Amazing, Fantastic, Incredible and Uncanny Life of Stan Lee” Jan. 30 at The Creative Life, or TCL, Chinese Theatre, formerly known as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, in Hollywood, it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
  • Adam Bier, senior hydraulic engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District, briefs county flood control directors about 408 permitting during the Seven County Flood Control Directors meeting Jan. 31 at the Corps’ LA District headquarters in downtown LA.

    Corps, counties meet to collaborate on flood-risk management, share best practices

    Directors from flood-risk management agencies representing seven Southern California counties met for the Seven County Flood Control Directors meeting Jan. 31 at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District headquarters in downtown LA. The purpose of the meeting was to provide the Corps’ partners with the latest information about flood-risk management programs and operations, including emergency assistance procedures, regulatory programs and permitting, as well as address matters of concern and interest from each respective county.

  • January

    Maj. Gen. Scott Spellmon, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deputy commanding general for Civil and Emergency Operations, right, and Brig. Gen. Kim Colloton, South Pacific Division commander, second from right, receive a briefing about the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach during a Jan. 10 boat tour around the ports.

    Senior Corps’ official tours civil works projects in the Golden State

    A senior U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official got a firsthand glimpse of flood risk management and other civil works projects in Southern California during a recent trip to the Golden State.