OUR PUBLIC LANDS BELONG IN OUR PUBLIC HANDS

Mac Arthur Park

The Sierra Club is a national environmental advocacy group started by famed explorer and naturalist John Muir in 1892. Long associated with efforts to save wild rivers and remote wilderness areas, the Sierra Club also cares about clean water, clean air, parks and livable communities.

The status of a park must not be changed without the input from the community and the impact on the community taken into consideration which addresses noise, crowd, parking, trash which meets the California Environment Quality Act (SEQA) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Involvement of the public with “Adopt-A-Park Program” will be a start regarding the protection, preservation, and revitalization of our urban park system.

HELP PROTECT OUR PARKS...!

California’s Population is expected to grow from 34 million to 59 million by the year 2040 an increase by almost 75%. With impact of population growth, Southern California and especially the parks in the City of Los Angeles will be greatly affected. Urban parks are endangered and with the growth of our population more public parks will be required to meet the public’s needs. The formula for the City of Los Angeles for acquisition of park land is “one acre for every thousand persons” in a park poor city with the need for Recreation and Park Department to acquire additional green space for the city’s park system.

Open Space-Green Space conservation. Urban parks and public spaces add to the urban environment with plant life, animal life, and scenic areas, quiet and a contemplative natural space that offers respite and a sense of peace from urban living. City of Los Angeles recreation centers may offer children’s sports, day care, senior services and welcoming place for community meetings on park management and pressing neighborhood issues.

Urban Park Committee

Introduces

Adopt-A-Park Project

Privatization and commercialization of parkland and facilities are issues to be researched and evaluated by the public. Trends to use parkland to build restaurants, museums, science labs, parking lots that allow private non-profit organizations to acquire public parks without public input also needs continuing research and evaluation.

The Urban Park Committee Angeles Chapter of Southern California is interested in addressing these issues of protection and preservation of “Open Green Space” for our urban parks. We would like to invite those individuals who are interested in getting involved with their Adopt-A-Park Project in their neighborhoods and with regional parks, to ensure that Los Angeles city and county parks are maintained and kept clean, healthy and safe for our children.

 “Open Space * Green Space”

“Our Urban Parks”

MISSION FOR URBAN PARK COMMITTEE

 The public may participate in neighborhood parks by contacting its neighborhood park “Recreation Director” and request the following be mailed to you monthly.

	Request the date of the Park Advisor Board PAB monthly meeting date and time with the address.
	Request in writing the agenda notice for your PAB meetings be mailed to you according to the Brown Act 72 hour rule.
	Request a copy of the PAB monthly minutes be mailed to you.
	Park contact information is available in the telephone book and on-line at www.LACity.org .
	If this information is not available contact your City Council Member or County Supervisor and ask them to have the listings and website up-dated.
	For more information contact Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick's Recreation and Park Department Audits: at http://www.lacity.org/ctr/auditreports.htm

 Recreation and Parks Commission

A separate agency from the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department.

Request that the commission office 213-928-9040 mail you copy of the commission’s bi-monthly meeting date, time, agenda and minutes.

 Recreation and Parks Department’s agendas and minutes are listed for study and evaluation of neighborhood parks for those citizens interested in “oversight and supervision” of their open green spaces and park facilities in their neighborhoods.

CURRENT STATUS

What is the future of our city parks and The Recreation and Parks Department of the City of Los Angeles?

 Enforcement of the City’s park land acquisition policy is one acre per 1000 persons by the Recreation Department.

Help Save Our Parks Get Involved

City of Los Angeles parks are defined as:

	Dedicated Park: historical designation of park land according to the 1889 City Charter and is to remain a city park without status change.
	Passive Park: Designation for park land status is open space, green space, preservation, conservation for contemplative park land.
	Adaptive Park: American Disability Act parks for the physically disabled public.
	Sports Park: For athletic fields and facilities for baseball, basketball, soccer, etc.

Adopt-A-Park

Program

Will Include

Over 600 City Parks

 Elysian Park

It is taken for granted the public will enjoy our open space-green space into the future but only if the public will oversee and assist in the management of the parks system through their park advisor board (PAB).

Local municipal parks can cost the public thousands of dollars per acre from $50-$100 dollars per capita, the public is willing to pay taxes because the public cares and recognizes the necessity to have open space-green space to spend time with families and friends.

By adopting a neighborhood park to see that it is maintained for the public needs and activities in the park meets the public needs. It is essential that urban park lands remain open space-green space for public use free from commercial development.

The concept of urban open space-green space is important to the urban environment and quality of life for urban residents.

Open space-green space should exist for the use by the public freely and with out change to the public.

Barnsdall Park

Special Thanks to Urban Park Committee

Volunteers for their time

and contribution to this page:

Jose Aguilar, Ray Covarrubias Jr.

Juanita Dellomes, and Mary Pacheco

For an application to join the Sierra Club and help preserve nature...!

Call 213-250-7921, or visit  www.sierraclub.org