Grace E Simons, Chairman

No. 37 July 22, 197C

GIVE-AWAY OF CITY PAl'?.KS MADE EASY
IN NEI<EST CHARTeR REVIS ION PLAN
DON'T SKIP THIS ITEMl A City Charter may be boring. It may be too "deep"
for easy comprehension. But NOTE: The proposed revision of the City Charter, just
released, is expected to be on the November ballot. It contains many s"eeping --
and dangerous -- changes in the basic la" of the city. If passed, "e may have to
live "ith it for the next half-century. NOTE, TOO; The chapter on parks and open
space could be sub-titled: !!01? TO GIVE AWAY PARKS. Read on:
THE KEY SECTION, 18.03, strips all parks, camps and other recreation areas of
charter protection. It provides that they may be sold or exchanged for non-park
land simply by passage of a city ordinance, Had Section 18.03 been the lav in 1965,
'iii'e -;;;ould have lost Elysian Park: to the trade shaH/convention centerS
'
'
YOUR COUNCILM.AN. Urge REJECTION of section on parks and re- '
creation in proposed charter.. Urge REINSTATEMENT and REINFORCE-
MENT of Section 170 (b) (3) in the present charter ,;hich reads:
lands heretofore or hereafter set apart or dedicated as a
li.c park SHALL FOREVER REl'tAIN to the use of the public INVIOLATE." '
TO BEGIN liiTH, if Section 18.03 becomes lal?, all recreation holdings outside
the ci.t:y and all public parks not no10 established and in use are removed from the
special accorded park They are demoted to the louly status of
surplus CAMP HIGH SIERRA could be sold by ordinance (eight Council votes) at
the request of. the Department's general manager. Out-of-city parks, not o1rr1ed by the
city, presumably could be at the discretion of the general manager, uith-
out Council revieu.,
All Parks Threatened
SALE BY ORDINANCE of park land not no1; in use threatens hundreds, perhaps
thousands, of acres of land held by the Recreation and Parks Department. Examples;
Sepulveda Basin and at least three areas in Elysian Park: The upper plateau of the
40 acres involved in the Dodger deal and Radio Hill, both of ''hich are chained off
from public use; and the old reservoir. All three are excellent park sites. The
city needs them.
BUT PROTECTION IS HITHDRAHN even from parks "i thin the city and currently
in use$ Hhat Section 18.03 gives uith one hand, it takes .:may 1;ith the other. It
says that use of such land ushall not be terminated EXCEPT.-." This- _,exceptu is
like the fine print on an insurance policy. It sanctions the trading of park land
BY ORDINANCE (10 Council votes), 1<ith approval of the Recreation and Parks
for a.'1. equal amount of land in the same of the city.. is not defined ..
My portion of a..rty park, no matter how essential it may be for the integrity of the
park, \;rhere it is situated or h.o-;; much it is used, could be uithdraim from park use
and exchanged for other land -- any other land: uaste land, ra,; land, land that is
totally unsuitable or undesirable for park purposes,
Decisions in Secret
THAT \IRAPS THINGS UP pretty neatly. But there is more. Under the proposed
revision most decisions affecting recreation and parks may be made IN SECRET, behincl.
the backs of the people. State lav (the Bro1rr1 Act) makes it mandatory that public
bodies transact all official business in full view of the public. An individual is
not a upubl ic Body,,, By transforming the Recreation and Parks Comrniss ion from a
policy-making board to an advisory board, and vesting authority in
general the proposed charter EVADES the Bro'"' Act. It effect1vely el1m1n-
ates the public's RIGHT TO KNOll and RIGHT TO BE HEARD.
THESE PARK-MENACING PROVISIONS must be "i thdr<Hm and replaced by the protec-
tion ue \le doubt that any conservationists uill approve a neu charter that
park and open space protection in any "ay -- that is, if they understand
h d 1 \le
they are voting This will not be possible with the proposed time sc e u e.
ask for a year's delay. 11hy the haste1 The city's future is at stake.
:::n:-s.e:r:-vE

1}'.[':: :.,:,
lZT '"EM DIE!
/.>t< :::he Co ...mci.l last January? :\nd rhc
.::;;;;-:::7:r-&;s.s to ond pollution in Los !L"l.geles
... for the c&'"!1Gras. The; t'2St
Ln. Slysian and Griffith ':'I ... ,c
"'r: themselves on being CO!'lServ.::ltion-
.-'J-:::Hl Th8y kneH the fire threat& They Here
.... ,_:: .. :::.-;: ho:;TJes are endangered, and lives. They
!;::hctt 'c;.oth. p-2.rXs .. ::s::. if a fire gains headuay, du<2 to l&ck
of: ':12':'::2j::", P,ut .. :,::2 ,,.;_:.11ng to take the risk-- to the parks
anC.. to the '?.i::""td "'1 ::n. a budget of ove.r f-'j:.LF A BilLION
.',:''.-::.=::':- t'o;: t:he tvo main
j"$ Tf, .. .. .,._.,._ ;--:.,:::;'.'. ,,...,, ,2 9 .... v<Jte a joint proposal int:roduceG by
_R;:;be.::T -;'," :
4
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7
_;n:?C.2r fo:r a total of less tha..J.
:c_;_-: paJ:-ks cu_l:";i_,, " ;;:.-.:-) !3:::-adley, Gibsor:, Lorenzen,
Edelman, Ferraro:J Lindsay, No"i;rel1:-

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