Summit on the Future of L.A. Parks
Los Angeles Parks Alliance
March 18, 2011

Summit and Community Workshops Reaffirm
Public Parks' Vital Role in Our Communities
By Jack Foley, President, People for Parks

On March 18, more than 120 community activists, agency leaders, labor leaders, elected officials, park professionals, urban planners, medical and safety experts, and sports advocates discussed what the future will hold for Los Angeles parks.

On the road to the summit, the L.A. Parks Alliance (LAPA) held four community workshops, drawing in about 150 young people, parents and seniors from Watts to Boyle Heights. Among them was a 102-year-old woman who began learning to knit, crochet and play bingo at Denker Park in 2007 – when she was only 98.

One message resonated throughout the meetings: Public recreation is a cost-effective, essential component of healthy, safe neighborhoods, not a luxury to splurge on when budgets are fat.

The City's Dept. of Recreation and Parks (RAP) plays an especially vital role promoting mental and physical health and gang prevention in working class communities, where there are few private alternatives to public rec centers.

The economic crisis has not been kind to RAP. During the last three years, about 560 employees have been laid off or forced into early retirement, and nearly 30% of its budget has been cut. Meanwhile, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continues to spend 67% of the General Fund on police and fire services, even though crime has decreased to the lowest level in more than 30 years.

Villaraigosa treats RAP as both a discretionary and proprietary agency – "discretionary," as in not necessary, and "proprietary," like the Dept. of Water and Power or World Airports, which generate significant income. The City Charter prevents the Mayor from cutting the amount budgeted for RAP, so he is shifting the cost of utilities and employee benefits into the cash-strapped department's shoulders. Asking RAP to pay DWP $20 million per year is Robin Hood in reverse.

The City Council is starting to ask questions. The media is beginning to listen to new voices. A groundswell of public support for parks and recreation is building. Together, we will find long-term solutions to the short-term challenges facing us.

Jump to Panel 2
Jump to Panel 3

Panel 1:
L.A. City Budget Forcast

Terry Sauer and Veronica Salumbides (CAO): Difficult and painful to decide what to cut, but can't be helped because revenues are so far down. The Mayor's top priorities are to make L.A. a place with strong, safe neighborhoods and allow everyone access to education.

(Click here to see the CAO report to the Summit)

Reactions

Carlyle Hall, Jr. (PFP): Budget cuts are a tragedy. 2/3 of budget goes to police and fire departments, 1/3 to everyone else (library, parks, animal control, etc). How do we split the money up equally? The underprivileged community always makes the biggest sacrifice; we want to avoid that. Spending money on parks prevents drugs, gangs, violence, etc. Dead parks lead to decreasing property values.

Noreen McClendon (Concerned Citizens of South L.A.): Public safety is everyone's concern. We spend 69% of budget on that. If our priority is safe neighborhoods, we need to pay attention to the parks. Bureaucracy needs to be paired down. Afraid of having another shoot-out at Ross Snyder due to RAP cuts. When the community was taking care of the parks, they could determine their needs. RAP should partner with people to allow year-round programs. Rec departments provide a significant role in low-income areas. There should be a shift in budget- not all the public safety money should be going to police, because they are not the only public safety service.

Bob Schoonover (President, SEIU Local 721): The mayor is enforcing buy-backs, now up to $44 million for RAP. This will lead to no staff, no swimming pools, etc. There are other options, such as using low-cost maintenance. Suggestions: hold back on buying new equipment, reduce water use through new irrigation systems, use solar power, and use water resistant gardens.

Questions

Joyce Dillard: What about overhead? Are you going to release those figures to the public so people can see what the expenses are and where tax money is going?

Danny Carmichael (Tree People): Asking for the opportunity for his organization to volunteer in park maintenance.

Jason Elias (SEIU Local 721): Volunteer programs are essential, but the public sector has a responsibility to serve the public. We can't rely solely on volunteers.

Al Solis (Sapphos Environmental Consulting): His business has had success with parks to make them environmentally sustainable and at a much lower cost.

Elva Yañez: L.A. spends less money on parks than any other US city. Why?

Mark Williams (Concerned Citizens of South L.A.): The interest of parks and RAP are not the same. The Ross Snyder Park community wants local control. Under RAP, they had to deal with no restrooms, no maintenance, gang activity, etc. Park leaders were always absent. They are asking for a partnership with RAP.

Roslyn: In favor of partnerships. Parks need educated directors.

Seth: Parks are a public safety issue. When they don't get attention, they become public safety problems. Refocus budget.

Jerry Hans: Why not charge DWP for using park services?

Answers

Noreen: During budget crises, project labor agreements might be an option. We could keep professionals and have partnerships.

Carlyle: L.A. has the climate and staff for great parks. Volunteers can't replace professionals. The police and fire departments get so much money because they're strong politically.

CAO: (Responding to question about where the money is going) They are working on transparency of Exhibit G, but can't say anything now. RAP will discuss volunteer programs more. RAP is working on partnerships. (On question about charging DWP) They cannot answer, ask City Attorney. $141 million is going to parks this year, and that number is based on value of property taxes.

Wendy Gruel (City Controller)

Greuel has always considered parks an essential part of her community. When she was on the City Council, she saved land to create a local park, but received hate mail from constituents who assumed it would bring in "bad people." L.A. does not make parks a priority, like Boston and New York do. It is up to the mayor to set priorities with his spending. Public safety is important, but prevention is key. The Summer Night Lights program put safety and prevention together. She is looking for ways to channel financial surpluses back into parks. People need to decide what they can give up, as well as what they need.

return to top of page

Panel 2:
Parks are Pillars of Healthy Communities

Al Cortes (Beyond the Bell): The LAUSD branch provides safe after-school programs Mondays through Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in L.A. and 26 other cities. More than 50,000 students are involved in Beyond the Bell activities, including academic, nutrition and recreation programs. The results: 95% of kids involved in after-school programs will graduate, 93% continue to college. Because of budget cuts, students are now charged for programs. If youth services are eliminated, more than half of current students will lose access to activity.

Capt. Phil Tingirides (LAPD): The Southeast Station's "beat" includes 5 housing developments, 3 with rec centers, and the 109th St. Rec Center. Park programs play a phenomenal role in reducing crime. They allow kids to see life beyond their neighborhood. Ten years ago, parks were areas for gangs and there was much more violence. Today, the community runs those parks, and relations between police and community have improved greatly. Police play sports with community because sharing common interests creates trust. Thanks to that trust, people will now call the police with info when someone causes problems. This reduces police harassment because they can target one person, instead of an entire community.

Mikaela Randolph (L.A. County Dept. of Public Health): She focuses on public health and obesity. She wants to increase public access to safe recreation and healthy food. Lack of access hinders the solution to the obesity epidemic. We need resources from the city and community access. She favors partnerships.

Adela Barajas (Life After Uncivil Ruthless Acts): Barajas founded LAURA after a gang member murdered her sister-in-law, leaving 4 kids without a mother. Her local park, Fred Roberts, is now only open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and there are only volunteers; staff has been cut. If kids don't have a place to go, they end up in gangs. If parks are taken away, gangs take control.

Reactions

Lucelia Hooper (HACLA Commissioner): Hooper lives in Nickerson Gardens, the largest housing project west of the Mississippi, where she oversees 1,066 units with 5,000 residents. 60% of the youth use the rec center. There is a great relationship with the LAPD and the rec center offers great programs.

Karl Stephens (Director, One Watts): One Watts is not an income-generating park. It has pursued partnerships and donations for programs. We had a problem with fistfights between middle-school kids running along gang lines, so staff assigned kids from different neighborhoods to basketball teams. The goal was to form friendships across gang lines and promote character development, and the result was a sharp drop in fights. It is a very successful program that would be impossible without money and partnerships.

Scott Johnson (RAP, Hazard Park Rec Center): To enhance programming, we must have partnerships. Solutions must come from first responders. We can't afford to lose any more staff with years of experience in these parks. These people are irreplaceable.

Questions

Eddie: Budget is going to police, but those funds are often abused. We need more programs like Capt. Tingirides has. The community respects staff; they need to stay, rather than private organizations coming in.

Daniel Ross (Wilderness Society): How can we create partnerships to connect urban communities to open spaces? How can we find open space and get partnerships involved?

Alina Bokde (L.A. Neighborhood Land Trust): Prop 13 created a tremendous challenge when it passed. Pocket parks and community gardens have tremendous value. What are long-term solutions?

Bethany Ulrich (Community Health Councils): How can RAP elevate its image as the pillar of health in a community?

Glen Bailey: The relationship between parks and public safety is important. He doesn't believe the community and Council members receive enough information about this.

Larry Watts (PFP): Saving money by closing parks now will create huge costs in the end in terms of our youth.

Judith Anderson (Sierra Club): Their Inner-City Outings Committee takes kids to beach, mountains, camping, etc. They are available to work in partnerships.

Art Jones: Public recreation agencies need to sell ourselves. We need to let the public know what we do and why they need us.

Answers

Mikaela: (Responding to Bethany) Integrated systems are the way, such as doctors prescribing walking laps at a park. This will get Council's attention.

Al: Safety and welfare of kids should always be #1 on the Mayor's list.

Karl: Marketing and selling ourselves is difficult because of City policy. He tried to start Facebook and YouTube pages, but didn't have authority to proceed with an otherwise creative plan.

Scott: We must sell solutions. Libraries were able to get more finding this way. PA boards will get the word out in the community.

return to top of page

Panel 3:
What Will LA Parks Look Like in 2012 and Beyond?

Martha Saucedo (AEG): The sports and entertainment conglomerate wants to address education and access to after-school programs. AEG has set aside $1 million for RAP projects; half for the Hope and Peace project to identify what to do with vacant lots (basketball courts, gazebos, etc.), and half for a local pocket park in partnership with California Hospital. The company wants to focus its funding on poverty and community needs. They also give basketball game tickets to kids in low-income areas.

Gary Liebsack (L.A. County Dept. of Parks and Rec): County programs are not subsidized. Kids paid for all of them. People don't understand why programs aren't free because they pay taxes. Parks are open to any outside groups, such as the Sierra Club and Tree People. The County wants to facilitate community use of parks. Contact him with ideas.

Romel Pascual (Deputy Mayor for the Environment): Parks represent connection to people and community. More than 650 acres have been opened in the last 10 years. With budget cuts, it's inevitable that some things will go by the wayside. We need to create partnerships and find allies. Start with AEG and others.

Vicki Israel (RAP): Biggest concern is how we address budget cuts. Open space, passive and active recreation, and child obesity are most important. Community needs assessments that are successful. The cuts in park staff have meant huge losses in experienced people and ideas. Trend: reduction in budgets makes people collaborate with partners. RAP has been restructured into 3 areas:
• Recreation operations
• Advanced planning/Facility maintenance
• Partnership (collaborating with other groups to bring in extra money)
Partnerships are not to displace staff. They are to bring in money to fund staff.

Reactions

Cheryl Parisi (Executive Director, AFSCME Dist. Council 36): There are more than 2,000 rec assistants. It's the largest local-hire program in L.A. The City is at a crossroads now because of funds. In the 1980s, the RAP response was fee-for-service programs, which led to "dead parks." It took 10 years to get out of it. At the end, there were vibrant programs. In the last few years, the biggest budget cuts are against children: libraries and parks. We will lose these programs if we don't fight for them. 30% is not acceptable. Public rec must be a top priority.

Brent Whittlesey (AYSO): We can influence how much money there will be for parks if we stand up for it. We must follow up, go to hearings and stay committed. Council people want to get re-elected; they will listen to peoples' demands.

Greg Thomas (Senior Rec Director, One Watts): Most important person in his life was his park director. One Watts' 7 staff members manage 3 rec centers in housing projects, and want quality services for kids. The future: Partnerships with non-profits, churches and other community organizations; innovative approaches; an open-door policy for anyone who wants to help. Don't focus on challenges; focus on solutions. Focus on what we can control, based on what we have to work with.

Questions

Scott Johnson: There's redundancy about programs integrating. People are worried about new groups coming in to replace programs that already exist.

Mikaela: Wants to partner with RAP as a volunteer organization.

Jim: The L.A. native wants kids to have a way to bike inside the park.

Carrie Sutkin (L.A. resident and member of LAPA): Speakers have not given her an idea of what the future will be, or what the City is proposing for 2012.

Jim Hesnar: Parks must be safe and promote health. He doesn't have confidence in RAP since he's spent 16 years fighting to get walking/biking paths in the parks. Other cities have them. Progress with RAP is slow and difficult.

Answers

Martha: We'll see what we can do.

Gary: (Responding to bike question) Kids need skate parks more than bike paths. We need all the things people want. Let's not fight over the 30%.

Vicki: The City works with the County. One Watts is a model for RAP. Karl Stephens has permission to create a Facebook page.

Romel: (Responding to Carrie) We can't bring in more parks. This analysis runs very deep. We have to re-organize the entire system. Groups like LAPA can have an impact "around the edges" and get the City to give a few million more next year. He welcomed debate over whether to include RAP among departments that offer public safety services, but said that it's a lengthy debate that probably won't be solved in time for this year's budget.

Cheryl: We need to challenge the corporate side. Why should kids be denied rec programs if they can't pay? We must make the mayor see that RAP is essential.

Brent: Wants to know – directly from the Mayor – where the money is going.

Greg: What does collaboration mean? We need a universal definition. One Watts believes collaboration is:
1. Safety
2. Community involvement
3. Partnerships (you need 1 and 2 for partnerships)

return to top of page

Report from Re-imagining Empty Space Tour

Gwen Flynn (Community Health Councils): CHC Did a tour of South L.A. land use and found many vacant lots and alleyways. They came up with these ideas:
1. Parks are viewed as places for leisure and are therefore dispensable. But if parks exist, there's less obesity because people have room to move. Economic situations always ebb and flow; we have to think creatively to approach the problem.
2. There's limited space in L.A. to work with.
3. L.A. needs to learn from other cities. Detroit had to reinvent itself, and they managed to create green spaces.

Next Steps

Jo Powe (PFP) and Stephanie Taylor (Green L.A.): LAPA wants more groups to join so the alliance can provide needy communities a place where politicians and others can hear their voices.