Located just a few miles south of Los Angeles in the Gateway Cities region, the City of Maywood is the densest city in the state of California. Maywood is home to 27,000 residents in just 1.18 square miles. Once completely managed by outside consultants, the city now has a small but mighty team of 17 full time staff.

Maywood is among the poorest communities in LA County, with limited resources to improve the situation. The city is bordered by the LA River and 710 freeway on one side, and industrial lands and railroad yards on the other, leaving little room for greening efforts. Because of the proximity to freeways leading to the port of Los Angeles, a great deal of cargo moves by freight and rail through Maywood. Poor air quality, drought, and insect borne diseases have severely reduced the city’s urban forest.

However, with the support of new leadership on the city council, the city is determined to clean up the community. In the past few years, the city has found success in bringing in state funding for tree planting, urban forestry planning, parks improvements, and litter abatement. In 2017, the city received a Cal Fire Urban and Community Forestry Grant to support the planting and maintenance of nearly 700 trees. The trees planted were selected for their higher-than-average ability to sequester carbon, and were planted in partnership with local nonprofits and schools. In 2020, the city received a grant from the Active Transportation Program to develop Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plans, ensuring that safety for people walking and biking will remain a priority for Maywood.

In April 2022, the city celebrated Earth Day with a river cleanup and resource fair at Riverfront Park. Riverfront Park itself is a testament to Maywood’s resilience and vision. The park sits on a previously heavily contaminated site, once used as a chemical mixing facility. Now, it’s a tree lined green space adjacent to the LA River, offering a much-needed recreational space to the community. The April cleanup day, co-sponsored by River in Action and Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, brought together 40 volunteers who collected 30 bags of trash. The cleanup benefits communities from Maywood all the way down the river to the beach, where trash in the LA River eventually ends up. After the river cleanup, a resource fair with 15 local nonprofits offered attendees information on environmental initiatives in Maywood and how to get involved.

Maywood’s path to climate action and resilience does not end with Earth Day. The city is committed to a new beginning for Maywood. So far in 2022, the city has already been awarded a Clean California grant to beautify public spaces and partnered with the BOOST team to win funding for a Climate Action, Adaptation, and Resilience Plan (CAARP). The CAARP will create a road map to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect vulnerable communities from climate change impacts.