Cash-Poor County Offering Parks to Cities

Available now: Nine large tracts, some with lakes and tennis courts, located in pleasant neighborhoods. Dirt cheap. Call the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.

No, the parks people haven’t stooped to offering the jewels of their system via the classifieds, but for the last seven months, the cash-strapped county has been trying to divest itself of several popular parks by offering them to the cities in which they are located.

So far, there have been no takers. Even for free.

“There’s some interest in some cities, and other cities have said flat out ‘No,’ ” said Henry Roman, senior assistant director for the parks department. “It is a little frustrating because over the years we’ve built up this system of beautiful parks.”

But host communities--including Sylmar and Glendale--point out that the parks are really not free at all.

There is, for instance, the cost of maintenance and running recreation programs, which could add up to $700,000 a year.

“One could argue that it is too great an opportunity to pass up,” said Gary Sloan, the city manager of La Mirada, where one of the parks is located. “But the other side is that we have the park already and we’re not paying a dime for it, so why should we start?”

If the county cannot persuade the cities to take the parks, it could be forced to close them during the next few months.

The sites in question are Apollo Park in Lancaster, La Mirada Park in La Mirada, Cerritos Regional Park in Cerritos, Victoria Park in Carson, Crescenta Valley Park in Glendale, Arcadia Park in Arcadia, El Cariso and Veteran’s Memorial parks in Sylmar and Jesse Owens Park in Los Angeles.

So far, only the cities of La Mirada and Cerritos have expressed more than cursory interest.

The primary concern for the cities is that maintaining the parks--for which the county pays an average of $500,000 a year--would drain money from vital city services.

The threat posed by the recently approved Proposition 218--which might force municipalities to rescind some taxes--has intensified those concerns. Many cities have been turned off by the county’s refusal to give up money-making facilities, such as golf courses, or local property taxes earmarked for park operations.

In Lancaster, for instance, city officials had considered taking ownership of 57-acre Apollo Park until the county refused to give up the local property taxes dedicated to its operation.

“It was basically one of the last items to be discussed in a pretty positive meeting, but after we mentioned it, the meeting got real cold and ended within 15 to 20 minutes,” said Mike Campbell, parks superintendent for Lancaster.

Roman, the county parks official, confirmed that version of events and added: “If I were a city, I’d ask for everything too. The county is in enough dire straits without giving money away.”

The impasse illuminates how the county would gain from the transfers: By ridding itself of the obligation of running the parks while keeping property taxes meant for their upkeep, the county benefits on both ends.

The cities, however, would have additional responsibilities without a new funding source.

In the city of Los Angeles, park officials have declined, citing the city’s own budget problems--as well as concerns over the condition of park irrigation systems and buildings.

But at least two cities regard park ownership as a risk worth taking.

The La Mirada City Council recently passed a resolution signaling its interest in La Mirada Park, and Cerritos is moving toward accepting Cerritos Regional Park, even though the park might cost $800,000 annually to operate and generate only about $100,000 in revenue from fees for the use of tennis courts and picnic areas.

“If they closed the parks and they became eyesores, that wouldn’t do anyone any good,” said Sloan, La Mirada’s city manager. “The county is kind of caught between a rock and a hard place, and unfortunately, so are we.”