The 2004 Smith-Weiss Awards Honorees were The Wilmington Coalition for a Safe Environment, US Congresswoman Hilda Solis, Mayor of Els Segundo Mike Gordon, and Los Angeles City Councilmember Ed Reyes.

The Wilmington Coalition for a Safe Environment, chaired by Jesse Marquez, leads the fight on Port of LA and oil refinery air emissions and public safety issues in the San Pedro-Wilmington communities of Los Angeles. The Coalition was formed as a response to the explosions and fires at the old Arco Golden Eagle facility, and has grown to become an invaluable community-organizing tool that engages in activism and litigation. The Coalition also promotes safe residential neighborhoods by championing parks and open space, and even applying for a grant to reestablish a tidal wetland in the community where the former 3,800-acre Wilmington estuary was once the largest and most productive in Southern California. The Wilmington Coalition for a Safe Environment also advocates for greater public access to the waterfront and area beaches, particularly those north of San Pedro along the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

PUBLIC SERVICE HONOREES

During her tenure as a member of the California State Assembly, State Senate and more than two terms in Congress, US Congresswoman Hilda Solis has repeatedly demonstrated her commitment to the health of her constituents and their environment. Concerned about potentially hazardous levels of pollution in the air for the residents of the north-central communities of the San Gabriel Valley that border gravel mining operations, Solis has been leading the charge to have the SCAQMD monitor particulate matter levels. She has challenged the federal government to follow California's lead by introducing the Environmental Justice Act of 2003. Solis' bill to study the feasibility of the San Gabriel River joining the National Parks System was signed into law in 2003. She is the sponsor of the Southern California Wild Heritage Wilderness Bill, to protect and preserve Southern California's wild lands.

First elected to the El Segundo City Council in 1998 and elected Mayor by the council that same year, Mayor of El Segundo Mike Gordon has built a record of achievement protecting and improving the quality of life for his constituents and improving economic development in the city at the same time. He led the city to create a pilot project to reach compliance with local rules that will eventually eliminate the urban runoff that pollutes our beaches after every rainfall. Along with Ruth Galanter from Los Angeles and others, Gordon led the fight to limit the unwarranted expansion of LAX and pursue a regional solution to expanding airport capacity. These are the big fights that illustrate Gordon's commitment to the environment.

Making the Los Angeles River a centerpiece of a new community spirit in LA is a passion for City of Los Angeles Councilmember Ed Reyes. Reyes initiated and chairs the Council's Ad Hoc Committee on the LA River, focusing staff and energy on identifying and unifying existing river improvement efforts, and pulling together a comprehensive river revitalization plan. Closely linked to river efforts, but significant in its own right, is the successful creation of a new state park at Taylor Yard, where Reyes facilitated an historic cooperative agreement between City and State Parks Departments to create a 40-acre regional park. Reyes has also been a champion of clean, affordable transportation options for Los Angeles, chairing the Los Angeles-to-Pasadena Gold Line Authority and fostering transportation-oriented development as well as projects to improve and expand bike paths and pedestrian-friendly corridors in Northeast Los Angeles.