So there's a little tar in Ballona Creek

Writing at L.A. Creek Freak, Jessica Hall pretty much destroys the official notion that an oily sheen on the runoff in Ballona Creek comes from overflows at the La Brea Tar Pits — or is even a problem at all worth spending millions to fix, given the ancient presence of natural tar in our arroyos and creeks. She also provides convincing evidence that the oily sheen is entering the watershed upstream from the tar pits, quite possible in the area around Lafayette Park, where a surface creek used to be on maps. Its name: Arroyo de la brea. Emphasis added. She recommends a better use of the money would be a few trash cans on city streets to keep garbage out of Ballona Creek.

Map: L.A. Creek Freak