President's Message
PFP Faces Our Greatest Challenge in 20 Years
By Jack Foley
President, People for Parks
People for Parks was founded in 1989 to respond to a problem the L.A. Times characterized as “dead parks” that were under-funded, neglected and overrun by gangs. Twenty years later, PFP’s mission is more vital than ever. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression threatens to undo all the gains we have made.
Many of the earlier problems were corrected as local and state initiatives channeled about $3.5 billion into area recreation programs, but L.A. still ranks last among major U.S. cities for access to green space. Only a third of our young people live within walking distance of a park.
And now budget cuts are looming for state, county and city parks. Hundreds of jobs may be lost. Hundreds of thousands of families in Los Angeles’ neediest neighborhoods – many feeling the recession’s bite in their own homes – could lose access to invaluable recreation programs.
On Oct. 23, PFP is sponsoring a Crisis Summit to Save L.A. Parks. Leading stakeholders from community and government, amateur and professional athletics, nonprofits and business will assess the potential damage to local recreation programs. More importantly, participants will rethink how we can continue to provide services.
This gathering will not be a protest. These budget cuts are a reality, and our mission is to mitigate the damage. We have invited 60 leaders from a broad spectrum of public, private and nonprofit activity to begin building new relationships and mapping out effective, cost-efficient policies.
L.A. is among the hardest hit areas of the country. Even if the economy begins to recover later this year, economists predict that funding for public services will not recover until 2011. Park planners kept recreation centers and swimming pools open this summer, delaying the most painful cuts until the fall.
The central question will be how to maintain services, especially in neighborhoods with the greatest needs, in such tough times. This crisis is an opportunity for different public agencies to explore joint-use programs, and for public agencies to work collaboratively with Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, AYSO and a gamut of private stakeholders.
Following are several principles that People for Parks proposes:
1. The best approach to solve problems is a broad coalition of stakeholders from community, environmental, governmental, nonprofit, business and professional sports organizations.
2. We encourage public-public, public-private and public-nonprofit partnerships. Non-profit foundations manage the jewels of the New York and London park systems.
3. Budget cuts can help shape a streamlined, flexible “smart” organization that responds to community needs, reduces unnecessary paperwork, and provides services efficiently.
4. Layoffs, if necessary, should be guided by the principle of keeping facilities open, maintained and staffed. We don’t want “dead parks” to be a social issue of this decade.
5. Our goal is to maintain recreation services, especially in Los Angeles’ neediest communities.
6. Public agencies are likely to face budget problems for years. It’s time to explore new funding sources and revenue streams for recreation and park resources.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts. You can reach me directly at jack.foley1@verizon.net |
