by Los Angeles North Coast Lion’s Roar Zone
What is your zone motto? No. 1 and the most FUN!
Tell us briefly about your zone’s history. Our zone was formed in 2007 and was called L.A. North Coast Zone. In 2010, our team proposed and Ikeda Sensei affirmed the name L.A. North Coast Lion’s Roar Zone.[1]
Our zone encompasses the city of Calabasas, the former site of the Soka University Los Angeles[2] campus, where many of the local members supported Sensei’s visits behind the scenes. Sensei visited the campus on several occasions and met with distinguished individuals there, including Rosa Parks.
Do you have a Buddhist Center(s) in your zone? Yes, we have two centers that serve the members: the Oxnard Buddhist Center in Oxnard, California; and the San Fernando Valley Buddhist Center (SFVBC) in Los Angeles.
Does your zone have a particular point of pride? We have a long-standing community partnership with Lankershim Elementary School, which is located across the street from the SFVBC. The center recently hosted their graduation ceremony in June. We also work with the school’s administration to create a safe neighborhood. Due to our strong partnership with the school, they allow us to use their parking lot for large events; we, in turn, let them use our parking lot during the day.
What is essential for you as a zone? When the Eaton, Palisades and Hughes fires raged earlier this year, we studied Sensei’s encouragement to the members of Tohoku, who were impacted by the devastating March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
We quickly united to contact every member who lived in the fire area. We were determined to report to Sensei in our hearts that not one single member was left behind. We extended the hours of our center so the members who lost their homes could come and chant and be supported. We called members who hadn’t been out in years, and almost every one of them responded with appreciation. Many began attending activities again and have since become active in their districts. We drove to wherever members were relocated, no matter how far, and encouraged them with Sensei’s “never give up” spirit.
Because we sought to align our hearts with Sensei and his guidance, this tragic situation brought out the best in everyone. Even members who were displaced chanted with and supported other victims of the fire. We are happy and proud to report that every member was found, visited and is safe.
Using Sensei as our example, we emphasized caring for the person in front of us while ensuring all members are supported. This experience deepened our determination to build our culture of care.
Do you have something that is unique to your zone? L.A. North Coast Lion’s Roar Zone spans the central California coast from San Luis Obispo to Oxnard, east to Northeast Los Angeles, Altadena and Pasadena and then north to Palmdale, Lancaster and Bakersfield. Our zone is geographically diverse, encompassing the California coast with its beautiful beaches, plus farmlands, deserts and mountains. The San Fernando Valley houses several major movie studios, and many of our members work in the film and television industry. We also have members who are professional artists, musicians and actors, plus a history of Latino activism.
What’s your vision toward 2030?
Our vision is to:
• have 100% youth leadership at every level of our organization;
• ensure that all members share the same vow as our mentor for kosen-rufu and develop a deep relationship with Sensei;
• continue to inspire every member in each district to fight toward youth shakubuku as a part of, not separate from, their daily practice;
• have our zone split as result of massive growth through member care;
• make JOY and FUN a priority in all kosen-rufu activities; and
• completely revitalize our future division movement and Soka Family Day, inspiring youth participation.
Anything else you’d like to add? Our team is united. Our men’s and women’s division members will do anything to support the youth. As a big family, our priority is expanding our community through shakubuku, especially among the youth.
August 15, 2025 World Tribune, p.10
References
- The SGI-USA today names organizations based on geographical location to denote both a sense of responsibility and pride for advancing kosen-rufu in the local community. ↩︎
- Soka University Los Angeles, a branch campus of Soka University in Japan, opened in Calabasas on Feb. 3, 1987. The University relocated to Aliso Viejo, Calif., with the opening of its undergraduate, four-year college on May 3, 2001. ↩︎
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