THE SAFE, CLEAN NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS AND BEACHES MEASURE, MEASURE A

About the Program

Category: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

For more than 25 years, Los Angeles County communities have relied on dedicated local grant funding to develop, rehabilitate and maintain neighborhood parks, beaches, open space, regional recreational and related facilities. In the interest of replacing expiring voter-approved grant funding for parks projects and their maintenance, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, in its capacity as the governing body of the Los Angeles County Regional Park and Open Space District (RPOSD), placed the Safe, Clean Neighborhood Parks and Beaches Measure (Measure A) onto the November 8, 2016 ballot. Nearly 75% of County voters approved Measure A, exceeding the 2/3 super-majority requirement. This accomplishment followed extensive efforts to inform and educate the public and government agencies across the County about the continuing need for dedicated local funding for parks, as well as the specifics of how the money would be spent. Measure A provides formula-based annual allocations to fund grant projects for the benefit of each of the 88 cities within the County, as well as the more than 140 unincorporated communities, consistent with the park inventory and analysis of the 2016 Countywide Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment. Measure A will fund grants to improve and rehabilitate existing parks, as well as develop future parks, playground equipment, recreation centers and senior centers, with initial grant availability scheduled for July 2018. Thanks to a 2016 Countywide Comprehensive Parks & Recreation Needs Assessment, it was identified that Los Angeles County has a need for more than $21 billion in prioritized parks and recreation projects, deferred maintenance and specialized facilities. Measure A will ensure that approximately $96 million annually will help to address such needs.