Water is Life: A Community-Led Vision for Environmental Justice in Pacoima
“It’s not enough to just get the money to do these projects. You need to bring the community along with the education.”
Pacoima has long been shaped by water. Its name means “the entrance,” a nod to its place at the base of the mountains and once home to a vibrant, free-flowing river. But decades of disinvestment and infrastructure challenges have jeopardized the water the community needs to thrive. Today, Pacoima Beautiful is working to reverse that.
Since the early planning days of Measure W, the Water Foundation and Pacoima Beautiful have worked together on efforts to ensure water infrastructure planning is community driven. In doing so, Pacoima Beautiful has championed inclusive processes and long-term investments like stormwater capture projects that double as green public spaces, such as Bradley Plaza. Currently, Pacoima Beautiful is a grant recipient of the Safe, Clean Water Program.
Education and community advocacy are crucial to the work Pacoima Beautiful does across its programs. People’s Collaborative Academy and Agua University put both front and center to bridge the gap between community members who want smarter development to address neighborhood needs and the complex planning processes that often leave them out of decision making. People’s Collaborative Academy, a free 10-week program, grew out of a desire to ensure San Fernando Valley residents understood development projects from a fundamental perspective instead of a conceptual one. The program is essentially an entry-level urban planning course intended to target the people who are already curious about what’s being built in their neighborhood, but offers them a closer look at the how and why behind it all.
“Being able to empower people by giving them the right terminology and knowledge to talk to others about what’s happening in our community is how we find solutions,” says Rosa Ruiz, project coordinator. “Even before PCA, Pacoima Beautiful has worked for years to gather community and use that engagement to lead people and create trust with the right partners and municipalities to be a part of these conversations.”
Associated Programs: 2026 Agua University, Bradley Alley/Plaza and People's Collaborative Academy