The Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks is gathering community input to update its Park Needs Assessment report, which will inform decisions on future funding, development projects, and park amenities. This effort aims to ensure that the city’s parks better meet the needs of local residents.
How to Participate
Community members can contribute their feedback through online surveys, available until mid-April, where they can share their thoughts on their local parks and the types of amenities they’d like to see prioritized.
In addition to the online surveys, residents will have opportunities to engage in-person at community meetings throughout the summer, as well as during meetings of their local neighborhood councils. The department has requested that all 99 of Los Angeles’ neighborhood councils provide their input by June 2. A virtual community meeting will also be held in July for those who wish to participate remotely.
Why It Matters for Boyle Heights
This marks the first update to the Parks Needs Assessment since 2009. The Department of Recreation and Parks manages 16,000 acres of parks and 92 miles of trails across the city. Similar assessments were conducted by Los Angeles County in 2016 and 2022, both of which highlighted Boyle Heights and other Eastside communities as being in “high need” of additional green spaces and park improvements.
Residents can explore their neighborhood’s park needs score and view assessments of park amenities—rated as good, fair, or poor—on the department’s website.
Impact on Funding Amid Budget Deficit
The Parks Needs Assessment is currently in the evaluation phase, with a final report expected in the fall. Protecting park funding and services emerged as a key concern during recent budget listening sessions in Boyle Heights and El Sereno, hosted by Councilmember Ysabel Jurado of Council District 14. With a projected $1 billion budget deficit for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year, there are concerns that departments like Recreation and Parks may face funding cuts and staffing reductions.
“I hate to say it, but with our budget deficit, city services are going to be lower,” Jurado remarked during the listening session in El Sereno.
