The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks asked for public feedback Tuesday on its draft Park Needs Assessment, a road map for enhancing the city’s parks and recreation programs.
Residents were invited to review the draft and submit comments through Oct. 15. The assessment outlines potential projects and strategies to enhance recreation facilities and programs across the city.
Recreation and Parks staff began the process in January, conducting community engagement events and a park-by-park analysis of conditions, amenities, funding and staffing. The department oversees more than 16,000 acres of public land, nearly 500 parks and 100 recreation centers.
“We appreciate the input of the thousands of Angelenos who have informed this draft PNA,” Department of Recreation and Parks General Manager Jimmy Kim said in a statement.
“We’re excited to share the draft now and invite feedback from residents as we finalize it,” he added.
The draft found that the department’s budget has not kept pace with citywide spending or inflation. Between 2009 and 2023, the operating budget grew by 35%, compared with the city’s 68% overall increase.
The department also faces severe challenges to maintain its facilities, coordinate programs and care for parks and open spaces due to its shrinking workforce. Full- and part-time staff members have decreased since 2008 while park acreage has increased, according to department officials.
Los Angeles ranks 90th among the nation’s 100 largest cities in the Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore index, which measures access, equity, amenities, acreage and investment.
The department receives funding from the City-Charter Property Tax Revenue Allocation, earned revenue and dollars from the General Fund.
“L.A. has fallen in our national ranking because of inadequate funding for parks and the fact that low-income communities of color have fewer parks,” Guillermo Rodriguez, California state director for the Trust for Public Land, said in a statement.
“This new Park Needs Assessment clearly identifies pathways to solve both of those problems so that L.A. can build back a world-class park system over time. Now we all need to work together to create new funding streams for recreation and parks in the city.”
The draft details areas in the city that most need improvement, as well as where new and expanded park space is needed, and offers guidance for operation and maintenance priorities.
Jessica Henson, a landscape architect and planner with OLIN who leads the PNA consultant team, noted that about a century ago the city proposed 71,000 acres of parkland and strategies to link parks across the region. The poposal, known as the Olmsted-Bartholomew Plan, was never carried out because of governance issues and the Great Depression.
“A century later, we are still grappling with a lack of adequate parks and open space in many parts of the city, plus a system that suffers from lack of adequate investment,” Henson said in a statement. “Today, this PNA brings into focus the priorities and strategies that will enable Angelenos to have the park system they deserve in the 21st century.”
The draft will undergo a 45-day review before being considered for adoption by the Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners in December.
The department will host several events in-person and via Zoom to discuss the Parks Needs Assessment. Information can be found at needs.parks.lacity.gov.