As the city continues to grow and change, it will require sustained investment to maintain, improve, and expand its diverse network of parks, facilities, and programs.
This section provides a framework to guide the City in making equitable, effective, and lasting improvements across the park system.
Cost and Funding
Cost and Funding identifies the types of investments needed and explores available and potential funding sources to support this work.
- The PNA includes a rough order-of-magnitude estimate of the dollar amount needed to maintain, refresh, and build new parks and recreational amenities, facilities, and infrastructure across the city over the next 25 years as well as meet staffing and operational needs.
- Over the past 25 years, RAP’s operations and maintenance budget has not kept up with inflation or growth of the system.
- RAP could restore staffing levels, a higher level of service, and align capacity to peers by increasing its operating budget by 75%.
- RAP would need $14.76 billion in one-time capital spending for new projects and to catch up on deferred maintenance (in 2025 dollars).
- Annually, RAP would need $502 million to cover staffing, operations, and General Fund reimbursements.
- In addition to reaching a more sustainable fulltime staff size, specific staffing needs were identified for native habitat management and ecologists, accessibility managers, park rangers,
and park ambassadors. - There are a variety of strategies that the City of Los Angeles and RAP could use to increase funding for its park system, some of which have not yet been tested.
- While RAP should remain attuned to state and federal funding sources, many of the funding strategies are within the City’s, and even RAP’s, direct control.
Action Plan
The Action Plan translates the plan’s strategies into a clear roadmap for implementation.
- When making decisions or responding to the Los Angeles community or to elected or appointed officials, the PNA serves as the reference point for decision making.
- Actions:
- Focus on the highest priority sites, based on the site prioritization.
- Consider citywide needs based on level of service standards.
- Account for different priorities in different parts of the City using the regional snapshots.
- Consult the classifications to identify typical amenities and applicable guidelines.
- Use the site planning guidelines to evaluate and improve form and function.
- Continue to meaningfully engage with residents, following the ongoing engagement guidelines.
- Secure sustainable funding for Recreation and Parks.