Park rules may toughen and grow teeth

June Casagrande

When the city wrote its rules on park use, no one had ever heard of

paintball or motorized scooters. No one could envision a time when a

youth sports team that held a permit to use a playing field would get

muscled out by a group of grown-ups who got there first.

Those simple days are gone. And city staff members believe it’s

time to rewrite the book on park rules.

The Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission on Tuesday will

consider whether to revise the city’s park use ordinance to bring it

line with modern times and give it some teeth.

“The current ordinance is vague in some areas and didn’t give much

enforcement power,” said Marie Knight, director of the city’s

Recreation and Senior Services Department. “What we’re looking at is

an expanded ordinance.”

Among other things, the proposed ordinance would allow rangers and

police to issue fines starting at $100 for people who refuse to cede

playing fields and other park facilities to people who hold permits

to use them. The current ordinance states that a permit holder has

the right to the field but it doesn’t include any enforcement powers.

Youth sports representatives like Charlie Massingill welcome the

change.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Massingill, vice president of

the Newport Harbor Baseball Assn.

Massingill said that, on several occasions, association teams have

had these kind of run-ins over playing fields.

The changes to the ordinance follow a decision last year by the

City Council to create a Park Patrol program of rangers who travel to

parks throughout the day to make sure they’re used properly.

Massingill, who had supported creating the Park Patrol program,

said he’s very happy with how it has worked so far and that it’s well

worth the increased fees youth sports leagues pay to reserve fields.

“The rangers are terrific,” Massingill said.

Proposed changes to the city park use ordinance also include some

new restrictions. For example, if commissioners adopt the rules,

paintball will not be allowed at parks and motorized scooters will be

prohibited on the grass. The changes would also give city officials

more power to eject illegal businesses in city parks, such as sports

clinics unaffiliated with the city that have been caught setting up

shop at city parks in the past.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.