ELECTIONS BALLOT MEASURES : Prop. B Would Pay for Park Projects in South Bay Cities

It’s a ballot title long enough to take a voter’s breath away: The Safer Neighborhood Parks, Tree-Planting, Gang Prevention, Senior Recreation, Beaches and Wildlife Bond Act.

Proposition B on Tuesday’s election ballot has such a long name because it offers something for everyone, supporters say. In the South Bay alone, the $817-million county bond measure would preserve open space in Rancho Palos Verdes, help rebuild the Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach piers, renovate the waterfront in Avalon and develop a Harbor Walkway in San Pedro.

The measure would also distribute $140 million to the county’s 86 cities and unincorporated areas, based on their population, for park and recreation projects. Torrance, for example, would receive $2.3 million, Inglewood $1.7 million, Carson $1.4 million, Redondo Beach more than $1 million, Gardena $824,000 and Hermosa Beach $320,000.

The city of Los Angeles, with a population of 3.4 million, would get more than $55 million.

Detractors, including city officials in Palos Verdes Estates, say the measure is too expensive and unnecessarily raises property taxes. They derisively call it “park barrel” politics.

If Proposition B is approved by two-thirds of the voters, the county would finance the improvements by selling bonds, to be repaid over 20 years by property owners. The repayment would add about $20 a year--or $404 over 20 years--to the tax bill of a home assessed at $250,000, county officials said.

Opponents have also criticized the genesis of the measure, saying it was written primarily to benefit the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The state agency would receive $76.5 million from the measure to preserve natural mountain lands.

The “No on B” ballot argument calls the proposition’s supporters “a group of self-serving individuals whose primary interest is to get the public to buy private land in the Santa Monica Mountains. They enticed others to support this bond measure by promising financing for their pet projects.”

Esther Feldman, who conceived Proposition B, said the measure was designed from its inception to include a wide range of projects around the county. “It was always my concept and idea to provide for all (of the county’s) open-space needs and parks,” Feldman said.

Feldman, campaign director for Proposition B, conceded that she first proposed the county bond measure while working for an agency--the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority--that represents the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and two Ventura County park districts. But she said her affiliations should not be an issue in the Proposition B campaign.

She suggested that voters simply decide whether the proposed projects, including preservation of Santa Monica Mountains wild lands, are worth the extra tax cost.

Proposition B would raise $50 million for county beaches, including improving lifeguard towers and restrooms. It would pay $121 million to rehabilitate the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Observatory, the County Museum of Natural History, the County Museum of Art and the California Museum of Science and Industry.

It would raise another $60 million for countywide programs to build trails, plant trees, clean up graffiti, improve natural rivers and rehabilitate historic sites.

Officials in tiny Palos Verdes Estates have been among the most vocal opponents of the measure, claiming that only nine of the county’s 86 cities would receive more in benefits than they would pay in taxes.

City Manager Jim Hendrickson estimated that if Proposition B passes, Palos Verdes Estates residents would pay $3.5 million in higher taxes but receive only $243,000 to spend on parks and recreation.

City officials had suggested other projects that could be added to the bond measure, such as establishment of a Bluff Cove Park or refurbishment of Roessler Pool, but Feldman said the projects would not serve a wide enough area and so were rejected, Hendrickson said.

Meanwhile, the measure calls for the neighboring city of Rancho Palos Verdes to receive $15 million to develop Point Vicente Regional Park and to acquire natural lands and wildlife habitats. Additionally, the city would receive $744,000 for general park programs.

Hendrickson said Proposition B might have been more palatable to Palos Verdes Estates officials if the city had been slated for more money. But he said the main reason for the city’s opposition is that the measure is poorly planned, tacking a grab bag of improvements onto what is essentially an appropriation for the distant Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

Proposition B supporters dispute that contention, saying the vast bulk of the money goes to regional projects that will serve residents from all over the county.

Feldman argued, for example, that Palos Verdes Estates residents will benefit from improvements at county beaches and museums and would have to drive just a short distance to enjoy open space that will be preserved in Rancho Palos Verdes.

“All these projects,” Feldman said, “have significance for a much broader area.”

COUNTY SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS ACT Here is a list of projects in the South Bay that would be funded by Proposition B, an $817-million county bond proposal on Tuesday’s ballot.

AVALON: waterfront. Renovate and repair waterfront to complete public use plan.

CARSON: Victoria Community Regional Park. Restore and rehabilitate county park.

GARDENA: Willows Wetlands Wildlife Preserve. Develop and restore 10 acres of natural wetlands.

HAWTHORNE: Bodger Park. Restore and rehabilitate county park.

Del Aire Park. Restore and rehabilitate county park.

Sherman Youth Camp Lodge. Renovate regional youth camp lodge in San Gabriel Mountains.

HERMOSA BEACH: pier and waterfront. Restore pier and Strand walkway.

Valley Greenbelt. Acquire 1.9-mile linear park with trail through city.

LAWNDALE: Alondra Community Regional Park and Golf Course. Restore and rehabilitate county park.

LENNOX: Lennox Park. Restore and rehabilitate county park.

PALOS VERDES: South Coast Botanic Gardens. Improve and restore county facility.

RANCHO PALOS VERDES: Palos Verdes Peninsula NaturaL Lands and Wildlife Habitat. Acquire critical wildlife habitat.

Point Vicente Regional Park. Develop 99-acre park site at tip of Palos Verdes Peninsula.

REDONDO BEACH: Moonstone Park. Build 1.63-acre park and multiple-use building in King Harbor.

Redondo Beach Pier. Reconstruct damaged pier and improve fishing facilities and pedestrian access.

ROLLING HILLS ESTATES: Preserve natural lands and wildlife habitat.

SAN PEDRO: Friendship Community Regional Park. Improve park and rehabilitate lake and picnic areas.

Harbor Walkway. Develop five miles of walkway and view points from White Point to Wilmington.

SANTA CATALINA ISLAND. Improve and rehabilitate county park facilities on the island.

TORRANCE: Charles H. Wilson Park. Develop regional park facilities.

Madrona Marsh. Develop interpretive center and improve the Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve.