The need for new parks

By Derek Milosavljevic

The National Recreation and Park Association recommends 10 acres of parkland per thousand residents. Citywide, Los Angeles has 1.1 acres per thousand, but even more troubling is the situation in our minority and low-income neighborhoods. In neighborhoods where a majority of the population is non-white and those with average household incomes under $25,000, the numbers drop to just .3 acres per thousand residents. It's easy to ask the police to make our streets safe from violence by wiping out gang activity. Now we must demand that our representatives ensure parks and greenspace for all of its residents, not just the wealthy or white ones.

When elected, I will:

• Prioritize funding for new park space in low-income neighborhoods. The majority of our parks are located in the mountains that separate the LA Basin and the San Fernando Valley. Unfortunately, these parks are all but inaccessible to much of L.A.'s population. Bringing new parks and recreational opportunities to our struggling neighborhoods will improve the business climate, increase tourism, buoy neighborhood pride, and offer alternatives to at-risk youth.

• Push developers to chip-in. All major housing and commercial developments in the Los Angeles should be considered in terms of overall benefit to the city. This means that favorable tax scenarios should be offered only to those developers that are willing to participate in park development wherever needed - not just in the area of the proposed development.

• Empower Neighborhood Councils in the park development process. Neighborhood stakeholders are best equipped to make decisions concerning the location and type of park space in their communities.

• Strongly support City partnership with an Urban Land Trust. The non-profit organization should receive financial and technical assistance from the city as it works to develop smaller neighborhood parks. Low-cost land such as tax-delinquent properties, nuisance and surplus properties, and properties with county and state liens should be targeted and made available for acquisition by the Trust.