Summit to Save L.A. Parks Recommended Actions
Tim Gallagher of Seattle Parks
and Jack Foley of People for Parks spoke of repositioning
parks as a critical issue that deserves a larger share of
public, foundation and private funds in coming years.
1. Action:
PFP will
organize a broad alliance and campaign to place
recreation and parks in the forefront of a livable Los
Angeles.
County Supervisor Gloria Molina
suggested that park advocates approach the California
Endowment to seek funding.
2. Action:
Develop a
relationship with the endowment and seek funding to
preserve safety net programs.
City Parks Commissioner Barry
Sanders spoke of how parks offer a non-traditional mix of
programs at recreation centers, including health services,
academic tutoring and gang prevention.
3. Action:
Seek
funding from non-traditional sources (such as the
California Endowment, law enforcement budgets or Federal
agencies) to preserve these.
Gloria Molina and City
Councilman Tom LaBonge spoke about the importance of public
parks serving poor families. While usage of County parks and
some regional parks is rising, other parks in South L.A. are
not used due to fears about public safety and lack of
programs.
4. Action:
Assess
how well City parks are being used and how residents
perceive their parks.
Dr. LaVonna Lewis of USC showed
evidence that there are fewer parks in South L.A. than other
parts of the city. In addition, there are parks that people
do not use because they are deemed unsafe. Equity must be a
factor in evaluating how park resources are distributed and
qualified.
5. Actions:
Community Health Centers Coalition for an Active South
L.A. will develop and administer a survey instrument so
this alliance and other groups can assess how neighbors
feel about their parks.
Gloria Molina and
Norma Garcia said the County partners with LACC and TANF and
other “workfare” programs so recipients can work in park
programs. Bill Lambert recommended expanding the Summer
Youth employment program to provide jobs for youth and
maintenance for parks.
6. Action:
Explore ways to increase workfare, summer youth
employment and other job-training funds for City parks.
Norma Garcia also
said the County works with utilities and water agencies to
reduce energy costs by investing in recycled water and
recharging storm-water.
7. Action: Explore ways to reduce City park utility costs by
upgrading irrigation, investing in solar energy, and
using recycled and storm-water.
Norma Garcia, Barry Sanders and
Tim Gallagher spoke about how Parks and Recreation agencies
touch people through education, health and fitness, and
social development. Their mission is prevention and
wellness. RAP, for example, is a comprehensive social
service agency with 25 multi-service senior centers, gang
prevention, obesity prevention and childcare centers.
8. Action:
A
campaign to educate elected officials and the public
that promotes public recreation as an essential social
service.
Barry Sanders recommended that
the summit help develop an education and lobbying program to
promote comprehensive recreation services.
9. Action:
A
medium-range goal would be to hire a lobbyist for state
and federal levels.
Norm Emerson spoke of the
importance of interfacing with federal urban policy
initiatives to seek funds from DOT, HUD and EPA for parks
and sustainable cities. Public recreation agencies play an
important role in making cities more livable.
10. Action: Ensure
that a new federal transportation bill links
transportation, sustainability and parks.
The American Youth Soccer
Organization, the YMCA, the Anahuac Soccer League and the
California South Soccer federation called for an approach
that allows them to provide youth soccer at park facilities.
11. Action: Seek
policy to prioritize low income youth programs for
permits for soccer and recreation programming at City
facilities.
Greg Thomas of Nickerson
Recreation Center and Jessica Berlinski of Character Counts!
described “Smart Recreation” programs at Markham Middle
School that achieve academic goals, develop student leaders,
mitigate gang violence, and involve parents.
12. Action:
Seek
funding and develop partnerships with PFP, YMCAs,
Character Counts, Recreation and Parks, LAUSD, and the
Housing Authority of Los Angeles.
Yolanda Aguiano of the YMCA
mentioned that private sector nonprofit budget cuts have
claimed many excellent health, childcare and after-school
programs offered by the Metropolitan YMCA for low-income
youth and their families.
13. Action:
Encourage
partnerships with nonprofits at park sites as a
cost-effective way to save these services and
reinvigorate parks that are losing municipal recreation
programs due to budget cuts.
Jack Foley, Ana Lasso of LAUSD
joint-use programs, John Ayers of Friends of Beethoven
Green, and Martha Sanchez of 28th Street School
spoke about how Community-School Parks can serve park-poor
neighborhoods by greening asphalt school playgrounds and
opening them to the community during weekends, breaks and
holidays.
14. Action:
Work with
LAUSD, PFP and L.A. City to streamline permits and
joint-use agreements for 15 CSPs.
Greg Thomas, John Ayers and
Judy Anderson of the Sierra Club spoke about expanding the
role of community volunteers in beautification projects,
flower and vegetable gardens, and CSPs, and in converting
fallow lots into pocket parks.
15. Action:
Provide
information to local groups about technical help and
greening resources like the Sierra Club, Conservation
Corps and PFP.
Stephanie Taylor of the Verde
Coalition spoke about the limited success of community
initiatives to create new parks. Volunteer models work to a
degree. Taylor spoke about the need to secure parks as a
public-sector responsibility, especially in high-need areas
where vandalism occurs.
16. Action:
The Verde
Coalition is interested in working with the Trust for
Public Land’s public finance group to study the
feasibility of a revenue measure for parks in L.A.
County.
Tim Gallagher suggested
studying the feasibility of a tax on unhealthy snacks that
would generate revenue for parks and physical activities.
17. Action:
The
alliance would seek pro-bono legal advice before moving
forward with a revenue measure of this sort.
Dr. LaVonna Lewis
recommended using the web and other new media to share
information, provide resources, coordinate political action,
and increase park-related social networks.
18. Action: PFP, Verde Coalition and the Coalition for an Active
South L.A. are developing capacity in this area. Funding
from foundations may be available to extend community
engagement.
Tim Gallagher and Dr. LaVonna
Lewis recommended that L.A. create a community-first ethic,
involving neighborhood residents when assessing needs and
planning and evaluating programs.
19. Action:
Seek
community members for the alliance steering committee
and assess local perceptions of parks.
Martha Sanchez, President of
the 28th Street School Site Council and ACORN,
spoke about including community residents in planning and
implementing park improvements.
20. Actions:
Present
an alliance action plan to City park advisory boards and
neighborhood councils; distribute the Coalition for an
Active South L.A. survey to park users; develop a
“Friends of 28th Street School” organization.
Joe Edmiston of the Santa
Monica Mountains Conservancy suggested a joint-power
authority to assist municipalities and empower nonprofits to
operate and maintain parks if local or state jurisdictions
no longer can.
21. Action:
Research
role of nonprofits in JPAs.
Jack Foley suggested that
jurisdictions use future budget reductions to flatten,
decentralize and eliminate low-performing units in large
Recreation and Parks systems to save money.
22. Action:
Study the
City budget and consider implementing efficiencies in
the organization.
Luke Gebhard
spoke about how park systems can maintain quality and
efficiency with internal audits and inspections.
23. Action:
Explore ways to fund these units to improve the
quality of older facilities.
Joe Edmiston suggested that
City parks develop a mayor’s report card to count the number
of ribbon-cuttings, beautification projects and other
achievements.
24. Action: Promote a
yearly state-of-the-parks address by the mayor, chair of
the Board of Supervisors, governor, or another
responsible public official. Hold them accountable by
reviewing the new parks they claim to have opened, to
ensure they are maintained, improved and open to the
public.
Private and
public sector unions must be part of the solution. AFSCME
and SEIU are committed to working with management, nonprofit
groups and the public around political action and creative
partnerships.
25. Action: The alliance should reach out to unions that link
economic and environmental justice.
The Apollo Alliance is a
national model for how labor, environmental, community and
business groups can help add green jobs to public
storm-water initiatives.
26. Action:
Recruit
labor and business organizations to the Save L.A. Parks
alliance and this campaign. |