Elected officials and community cut ribbon at new 50-acre park in Porter Ranch

Porter Ranch, a quiet suburb in the hills looking out at the San Fernando Valley, has been through a lot in the last decade. Nine years ago a massive geyser of methane burst out of the ground near their homes in what turned out to be the biggest natural gas leak in U.S. history. Their community and others in Simi Valley and in the San Fernando Valley, were blanketed with 100,000 metric tons of methane and other chemicals.

On Sunday, Nov. 24, neighbors, community leaders and officials gathered at Porter Ranch to address a different issue of importance to all — a huge new park stretching across 50 acres and named for Jane and Bert Boeckmann, the widely admired late philanthropists who owned the Galpin Motors dealership.

Visitors were welcomed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, food trucks and speeches from elected officials at the Jane and Bert Boeckmann Park at 11930 Mason Ave.

Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee, who represents the area, attended the ceremony along with the members of the Boeckmann family, representatives from the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks, and the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, whose ancestral land includes Porter Ranch. The park’s new pavilion has been named Sesevenga, or “the place of the sycamore woods,” in honor of the tribe.