Greater Los Angeles Area Council # 33 (2015 – Present)

Greater Los Angeles Area Council # 33 is the current Council serving a large portion of Los Angeles County and South/Eastern suburbs.

Greater Los Angeles Area Council #33 was formed in 2015 through the merger of Los Angeles Area Council #33 and San Gabriel Valley Council #40. It serves a large portion of Los Angeles County, including communities in Los Angeles, the South Bay, the San Gabriel Valley and the southeastern suburbs.

The council brought together two established Scouting organizations, their volunteers and professional staffs, and a network of camps extending from coastal Southern California to the mountains. Their earlier histories are covered on the separate predecessor council pages.

Formation and Organization

Both predecessor councils voted to consolidate on March 21, 2015. The merger announcement emphasized combining resources, reducing administrative costs and directing more support toward youth programs and camping.¹

A subsequent California State Lands Commission report provides a specific administrative date. In processing the transfer of Camp Cherry Valley’s waterfront lease, commission staff identified July 14, 2015, as the merger date and recommended making the lease assignment effective on that date. The report stated that the change in council organization did not significantly affect the operation of the leased facilities.²

The combined council retained number 33. Its geographic districts provide support for local units, while specialized divisions support Exploring and Scoutreach. The council’s published organization includes El Camino Real, Metropolitan, Pacifica, Pio Pico, Rose Bowl and San Gabriel Valley districts.³

The consolidation also brought together the outdoor leadership traditions of both predecessors. Their High Adventure Teams combined under the new council, continuing training, hiking awards and assistance for leaders planning wilderness activities.⁴

The council’s Order of the Arrow organization is Tuku’ut Lodge #33, formed from Siwinis Lodge #252 and Ta Tanka Lodge #488. Its chapters support unit elections, camp promotion and district activities; the lodge provides service weekends, fellowship and leadership opportunities across the council. The lodge’s formation and development are covered separately on its history page.⁵

Camps, Investment and Changing Facilities

The merger combined camping resources associated with both predecessors. These included Firestone Scout Reservation, Forest Lawn Scout Reservation, Cabrillo Beach Youth Waterfront Sports Park, Log Cabin Wilderness Camp, Camp Cherry Valley, Trask Scout Reservation and Holcomb Valley Scout Ranch. Over time, the availability and operation of individual properties changed.

One of the new council’s largest announced gifts came in July 2017, when the AS&F Foundation provided $10 million to support the mountain reservation near Lake Arrowhead. Forest Lawn Scout Reservation was renamed Hubert Eaton Scout Reservation in recognition of Eaton’s legacy and the foundation’s support. The announcement described the gift as an endowment investment in the reservation’s future.⁶

Other facilities faced closure or reduced use. The council’s High Adventure Team chronology records that Log Cabin Wilderness Camp reopened for programming in 2016, was closed again by the board in 2017, and ultimately lost its Forest Service use permit in 2024 because of insufficient use.⁷

Trask Scout Reservation faced a different threat during the 2020 Bobcat Fire. Firefighters defended the camp as flames approached Monrovia Canyon. A September 16 incident report documented strategic firing operations near Trask, while contemporary reporting described firefighters drawing water from its swimming pool to protect the property.⁸

Recovery continued after the immediate fire danger passed. Pasadena Troop 21 documented helping at Trask following the fire and subsequent mudslides. In May 2024, the San Gabriel Valley District newsletter again requested volunteers to remove accumulated mud around Fort Rotary after rains and flooding.⁹

Camp Cherry Valley’s future became uncertain following the expiration of its lease after its 2023 centennial season. In August 2025, the council announced a partnership with Pacific Treasure Foundation, founded by Palmer Luckey, to restore the Catalina Island camp and return Scout summer programming in 2026. Planned improvements included the dock, kitchen, dining hall, restrooms, campsites and program equipment. Cherry Valley subsequently returned to the council’s summer camp calendar for 2026.¹⁰

At Cabrillo Beach, the council’s longstanding waterfront operation ended following the Port of Los Angeles’ termination of its lease effective December 31, 2025. The Port designated the property for sailing-team training associated with the 2028 Olympics. The loss affected a facility used by Scouts, schools and other community organizations; its longer-term operation became a separate question from the council’s historic role there.¹¹

Programs and Community Support

The council’s work continued through district events, advancement programs, volunteer training and partnerships with community organizations. A March 2024 district newsletter illustrates that range: its calendar included science and space-exploration activities, citizenship and welding merit badges, lifeguard training, a Cub Scout Rocket Academy and a district camporee. Trask and Firestone supplied settings for many of these activities.¹²

Longstanding supporting organizations also continued their work across the combined council. The Circle X Ranch Foundation’s published donations include camperships, program equipment and improvements at Hubert Eaton, Firestone, Trask, Cabrillo and Cherry Valley. Its support illustrates how organizations established under a predecessor council continued contributing after the merger.¹³

By 2025, the council described its annual reach as more than 12,000 youth through leadership, service and outdoor education programs.¹⁴

The Greater Los Angeles Area Council’s history encompasses both the integration of its predecessors and the continuing work of sustaining Scouting in a changing metropolitan region. Its camps, local units, district volunteers and community partnerships carry forward traditions developed over more than a century of Los Angeles-area Scouting.

Council Pages

• Apache Council # 7 (1922 – 1934)
• Arrowhead Area Council # 48 # (1933 – 1972)
• Bakersfield Council # 30 (1919 – 1921)
• Balboa Canal Zone Council
• Boulder Dam Area Council # 328 (1944 – 2005)
• California Inland Empire Council # 45 (1973 – Present)
• Catalina Council # 11 (1922 – Present)
• Centinela Council # 708 (1927)
• Central Coast Counties Council # 25 (1922 – 1924)
• Cochise County Council # 8 (1922 – 1963)
• Copper Council # 9 (1962 – 1977)
• Coronado Council (1916 – 1917)
• Crescent Bay Council # 26 (1922 – 1972)
• Desert Pacific Council # 49 (1993 – 2004)
• Desert Trails Council # 29 (1959 – 1993)
• Glendale Council # 58 (1920 – 1922)
• Globe Council (1916 – 1919)
• Grand Canyon Council # 10 (1993 – Present)
• Grand Canyon Council # 12 (1944 – 1993)
• Grand Canyon Council # 9 (1922 – 1929)
• Grayback Council # 24 (1952 – 1974)
• Great Western Council # 51 (1972 – 1985)
• Greater Los Angeles Area Council # 33 (2015 – Present)
• Hemet-San Jacinto Valley Council # 28 (1923 – 1927)
• Imperial County Council # 29 (1922 – 1929)
• Imperial-Yuma Council # 29 (1929 – 1959)
• Kern County Council # 30 (1922 – 1965)
• Las Vegas Area Council # 328 (2005 – Present)
• Long Beach Council # 32
• Los Angeles Area Council # 33 (1945 – 2015)
• Los Angeles Council # 33 (1915 – 1934)
• Los Angeles Metro Area Council # 33 (1934 – 1945)
• Los Padres Council # 53 (1994 – Present)
• Maricopa County Council # 10 (1923 – 1924)
• Mission Council # 53 (1929 – 1994)
• North Orange Council # 37 (1965 – 1972)
• Northern Arizona Council # 12 (1929 – 1934)
• Northern Orange County Council # 37 (1944 – 1965)
• Old Baldy Council # 43 (1921 – 2006)
• Orange County Council # 39 (1920 – 1944, 1972 – Present)
• Orange Empire Council # 39 (1944 – 1972)
• Pasadena District Council # 40 (1919 – 1929)
• Pasadena-San Gabriel Valley Council # 40 (1929 – 1951)
• Phoenix Council # 10 (1921 – 1923)
• Pomona Council # 43 (1917 – 1921)
• Prescott Council # 12 (1915 – 1921)
• Redlands Area Council # 23 (1945 – 1952)
• Redlands Council # 24 (1919 – 1921)
• Riverside Council # 45 (1919 – 1920)
• Riverside County and Redlands Council # 45 (1944 – 1945)
• Riverside County Council # 45 (1920 – 1944, 1945 – 1972)
• Roosevelt Council # 10 (1924 – 1962)
• San Antonio District Council (1922 – 1934)
• San Bernardino District Council # 48 (1923 – 1933)
• San Bernardino Valley Council # 48 (1922 – 1923)
• San Diego Council # 49 (1916 – 1921)
• San Diego County Council # 49 (1914, 1917 – 1992)
• San Diego-Imperial Council # 49 (2004 – Present)
• San Fernando Valley Council # 50 (1923 – 1972)
• San Gabriel Valley Council # 40 (1951 – 2015)
• San Luis Obispo County Council # 56 (1933 – 1939)
• Santa Barbara Council # 53 (1919 – 1929)
• Santa Lucia Area Council # 56 (1939 – 1994)
• Southern Sierra Council # 30 (1965 – Present)
• Theodore Roosevelt Council # 10 (1962 – 1993)
• Three G Council # 9 (1943 – 1962)
• Tucson Council # 11 (1920 – 1922)
• Ventura County Council # 57 (1921 – Present)
• Verde Council # 715 (1925 – 1927)
• Verdugo Hills Council # 58 (1922 – Present)
• Western Los Angeles County Council # 51
• Yavapai & Mohave Counties Council # 12 (1924 – 1926)
• Yavapai District Council # 12 (1922 – 1924)
• Yavapai-Mohave Council # 12 (1926 – 1929)