AUDIT: COUNTY PARKS ARE LOSING GROUND.Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer An independent management audit of the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County Department of Parks and Recreation released Tuesday found the agency is top-heavy with managers and short on employees to do the work. The staff has shrunk 43 percent since the 1978 Proposition 13 property tax initiative while the ranks of top managers has increased. While more money is available for new parks New Parks is an area in the city of Leicester, England. It is in the west of the city, close by the county border (west of which is Glenfield. South of New Parks is the Western Parks area, and to the east is the Newfound Pool area. from the $1.2 billion park bonds approved in 1992 and 1996, auditors say that unless the county hires more maintenance workers the parks system will deteriorate. It also recommends turning over Castaic Lake Castaic Lake is a lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The 323,700 acre foot lake (399,000,000 m³) is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes from the 154 mi² and its recreational facilities to the state to eliminate a major cost item. ``If the county parks department was a private business they would not survive,'' said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association helped sponsor Proposition 13, the property tax-cutting initiative in California in 1978 which slashed property taxes by fifty-seven percent and initiated a national tax revolt. It was founded by California republican Howard Jarvis. . ``It sounds like it's in desperate need of reform and it's our opinion the Board of Supervisors should take this audit seriously and take immediate action.'' Supervisor Gloria Molina Gloria Molina is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the current chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.[1] Molina grew up as one of ten children in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera, California, U.S. agrees with concerns raised by the audit. ``Too much emphasis is placed on having managers versus having enough line staff to provide recreational services as well as maintenance,'' said Molina spokesman Miguel Santana Miguel Santana (born February 9, 1965) is a former boxer from Puerto Rico. Santana was born in Canovanas. Boxing career Miguel Santana had an award winning amateur boxing career, training alongside a young Jose Antonio Rivera, who is a two division world champion himself. . ``Our parks are not at full capacity and not living up to their full potential and it really reflects in the lack of effective management.'' In conjunction with the management review, the audit included a financial review that offered a number of recommendations for improving lax accounting, particularly for some of the department's special-purpose accounts. Although the audit found no examples of malfeasance The commission of an act that is unequivocally illegal or completely wrongful. Malfeasance is a comprehensive term used in both civil and Criminal Law to describe any act that is wrongful. , it suggested that fiscal management could be tightened up in a number of areas. County Chief Administrative Officer A chief administrative officer (CAO) is responsible for administrative management of private, public or governmental corporations. The CAO is one of the highest ranking members of an organization, managing daily operations and usually reporting directly to the chief executive David Janssen said the department ran a $4 million budget shortfall last year and the county has set aside $6 million in this year's budget to help. ``It was a combination of several years of robbing Peter to pay Paul, using vacant positions to balance the budget and adding additional programs at the same time,'' Janssen said. ``It eventually caught up with them. You can't continue to do more without the resources.'' Parks Director Rodney Cooper said there are lots of good ideas in the audit, the first management audit of the department in 17 years. ``In general, we agree with the findings,'' he said. ``Some of the recommendations followed will require long-term implementation plans and additional resources. Others can be more easily accomplished.'' The report recommends a reorganization of the management structure, noting that major regional facilities could be more efficiently managed if a single manager directed them instead of the way the facilities are currently divided among three regional offices. ``The analysis clearly indicates that current maintenance staffing is at capacity and grounds maintenance services cannot absorb additional facilities for maintenance without reduction in service levels,'' auditors wrote, noting that any increase in service would result in deterioration below park standards in California. ``Budget monitoring inconsistencies throughout the Department of Parks and Recreation create opportunities for mishandling and misappropriation misappropriation n. the intentional, illegal use of the property or funds of another person for one's own use or other unauthorized purpose, particularly by a public official, a trustee of a trust, an executor or administrator of a dead person's estate, or by any of department-generated funds,'' auditors wrote. Parks department spokeswoman Sheila Ortega said that after Proposition 13, the number of employees in the department dropped from 2,400 to a low of 830, with more line staffers let go because of seniority rules. She said auditors are recommending that a senior assistant director and assistant supervisors for grounds maintenance be eliminated for a savings of $675,000. The auditors also recommended that the state take over Castaic Lake State and County Recreation Area because the facility devours nearly half of the county's $5.6 million budget for large regional parks. ``I think it's premature to hand it back to the state,'' said Brian Roney, president of Friends of Castaic Lake. ``I'd like to see them do some revenue enhancements, get special events going and expand the campground. It's the largest facility in the park system and it's probably the most neglected as far as attention by the department.'' For example, Roney said the Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheatre at 2301 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California, USA, that is used primarily for music performances. The "bowl" in this context is the natural cavity in the earth into which the amphitheater is built, rather than the shape of the received $65 million in Proposition A funds while Castaic Lake received only $1.2 million. ``There is a bit of disparate treatment in how the department treats it,'' he said. ``It should be the crown jewel Crown jewel A particularly profitable or otherwise particularly valuable corporate unit or asset of a firm. Often used in risk arbitrage. The most desirable entities within a diversified corporation as measured by asset value, earning power, and business prospects; in takeover of the department and it's not. A lot of smaller facilities get more attention. Bonelli (Regional Park in San Dimas) is one that comes to mind.'' While the county's largest park costs $3.5 million a year to run, it only brings in $1 million in revenue. In contrast, the Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park is a synthetic (i.e., man-made) recreation park in San Dimas, California of Los Angeles County. It is near the Orange Freeway (California 57) and the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10). costs $3.4 million a year and brings in $5.1 million in revenue. Ortega said the county has a long-term lease agreement on Castaic until 2015 so the department plans to ask the state for more funding. The audit also points to problems at South Coast Botanic Gardens on the Palos Verdes Palos Verdes is often used to refer to a group of coastal cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the Los Angeles/South Bay area of California. This affluent bedroom community is known for its dramatic views, good schools [1] extensive horse trails [2] Peninsula. It says the gardens are built on a landfill that is settling and that a large portion of the attraction has ``deteriorated significantly.'' COUNTY'S PLAYGROUNDS The Los Angeles County parks department has 130 facilities including eight regional parks, 82 local parks, four arboretums and botanical gardens A botanical garden is a place where plants, especially ferns, conifers and flowering plants, are grown and displayed for the purposes of research, conservation, and education. , 31 swimming pools, 18 natural areas and wildlife sanctuaries, 19 golf courses and more than 334 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. Among them are the following: Castaic Lake Recreation Area, Crescenta Valley Community Regional Park, Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge, El Cariso Community Regional Park and Golf Course in Sylmar, Knollwood Golf Course in Granada Hills and Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park in Agua Dulce. Also, Alpine Butte Butte, city, United States Butte (by  t), city (1990 pop. 33,336), seat of Silver Bow co., SW Mont.; inc. 1879. It is a trade, ranching, and industrial center. Wildlife Sanctuary in the Antelope Valley, Apollo Community Regional Park in Lancaster, Del Valle Park in Castaic, Devil's Punchbowl Punchbowl, hill, 500 ft (152 m) high, in the city of Honolulu, SE Oahu island, Hawaii. In the bowllike extinct volcanic crater at the summit (reached by a scenic drive) is the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, for those killed in World War II. Natural Area Park in Pearblossom, Dexter Park in Kagel Canyon, Eaton Canyon Golf Course and Park/Nature Center in Pasadena and Carl O. Gerhardy Wildlife Sanctuary in the Antelope Valley. Also, William S. Hart Regional Park in Newhall, Hasley Canyon Park in Castaic, Jackrabbit jackrabbit, popular name for several hares of W North America, characterized by very long legs and ears. Jackrabbits are powerful jumpers and fast runners. In normal progress leaps are alternated with running steps; when pursued the hare runs fast and close to the Flats Wildlife Sanctuary in Pearblossom, George Lane Park in Quartz Hill, Everett Martin Park in Littlerock, Northbridge Park in Valencia, Pearblossom Park, Placerita Canyon Natural Area in Newhall, Jackie Robinson Park in Littlerock, Tujunga Ponds Wildlife Sanctuary, Two Strike Park in La Crescenta, Val Verde Community Regional Park in Saugus and Veterans Memorial Community Regional Park in Sylmar. SOURCE: County of Los Angeles CAPTION(S): box Box: COUNTY'S PLAYGROUNDS (See text) |
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