Griffith Park Pony Ride Escapes Last Roundup

The City of Los Angeles will keep the Griffith Park pony ride going--at least for now--by assuming some of the liability coverage for the concession while the operator looks for insurance elsewhere.

The board of commissioners of the city Department of Recreation and Parks voted 4 to 0 Friday to approve a staff-backed plan that will allow the ride’s owner, Hank Bronk, to stay in business running the 40-year-old attraction.

Under terms of the bail-out plan, Bronk will pay $1,000 a month into a fund administered by an outside claims adjuster, department spokeswoman Shirley Darwick said. Any claims settled will be paid out of the fund and if there isn’t enough money in it, the city will pay the rest, she said.

The solution is short-term, she added.

That’s fine with Bronk, who said he would continue to search for an insurance company to handle the whole liability load. The company that had insured him canceled his policy and Bronk had warned that he would have to close up shop next week.

That news met with an outcry, and Friday’s vote earned the commissioners a round of applause from an audience of parents and children.

Bronk said after the vote that he was happy with the board’s action, that he had contacted an insurance broker and hoped to have insurance at a reasonable rate within a month or two. He said it would be good public relations for the insurance company who decides to back him. “I figure . . . whoever picks me up, it’s going to look good for them,” he said.