Westlake and East Hollywood—two of the densest neighborhoods in the City—have high levels of multi-family housing, a significant population of renters, and low park access. These communities also rank among the most diverse within the City, with over two-thirds of residents born in another country.

East and Central Los Angeles are also home to some of the most iconic—and most contested—City parks. Maintenance and service issues experienced at MacArthur Park, Echo Park, and Elysian Park are emblematic of the many roles that the parks in Los Angeles play. Homelessness, street vending, and safety are key challenges within these parks and neighborhoods.

In Council District 1, a particular focus is MacArthur Park, where initiatives include mobile overdose response teams, a peace ambassador program, and community clean teams that employ local community members in maintaining the park. Council District 13 is particularly focused on Echo Park, where a pilot street vending district is currently in development to assist in formalizing a self-governance structure for street vendors within the park.

In Council District 14, densification of neighborhoods like Boyle Heights is causing residents to be concerned about even greater pressure on existing parks and amenities. Council District 14 also contains Downtown LA (DTLA), where there is a lack of RAP recreation center facilities to serve such a dense population. These facilities, like gymnasiums, courts, and multipurpose fields, would offer free to low cost alternatives for residents. DTLA contains some existing Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS). POPS, while important, pose access issues for low income residents, and forces residents to travel outside of their neighborhood to access RAP amenities. Privately owned public spaces (POPS) can be used to complement, not replace, new parks or recreation centers—particularly in dense neighborhoods with significant redevelopment pressures like DTLA.

Downtown LA is home to Skid Row, changing the character of parks such as San Julian Park and Gladys Park, which serve as key meeting points for service providers and community members who are experiencing homelessness. Shade inequity is stark here, making parks even more important lifelines for residents. Additionally, the presence of POPS limits the availability of open and accessible assembly spaces for residents to host events, parades, and other large scale programming outside of private venues in DTLA. With several DTLA parks slated for redevelopment there are opportunities to add more active recreation and public venues for programming which will also increase perceptions of safety.

Displacement and green gentrification are of concern to community members, particularly in communities such as Boyle Heights where strong advocacy groups have tirelessly fought to maintain their communities in place. The LA River, and associated future development, cuts through many neighborhoods in East and Central Los Angeles, providing a key opportunity to increase park access in ways that benefit communities without leading to green gentrification.

Like residents in other parts of the City, community members within East and Central Los Angeles expressed concerns about maintenance, safety, availability of and access to restrooms, inadequate shade, and more diverse recreational opportunities. Community members also voiced the need for programs to serve neurodiverse individuals and seniors—which is of significance particularly in Westlake where many community members are over the age of 65. Other community members indicated that the understaffing at recreational facilities negatively impacts the availability of programming at parks, for example public art workshops at Elysian Valley Recreation Center.

Community members also expressed support for large regional parks in Central/East LA including Ernest E. Debs Regional Park which provides places to walk and hike with pets, family, and friends. Many advocated for these spaces to improve their operations and maintenance including removal of dead trees, caring for native species, removal of debris and trash, maintenance of trails following rain events, improved wayfinding and signage, and improvement of facilities.

In Boyle Heights, community members identified a need for a more equitable way to allocate park funding, since the current funding structure, primarily defined by Quimby requirements, is failing to prioritize investments that address the park needs of these park poor, but densifying neighborhoods.