Residents Reclaim, and Rejuvenate, Park : San Fernando: 250 volunteers give Las Palmas a new coat of paint in one of several events to regain control of the site from gangs.

In the parlance of social science, Las Palmas Park used to be a “dysfunctional” park.

But on Saturday, the park--recently the center of a turf war between two San Fernando gangs--received 200 gallons of tender loving care as about 250 volunteers repainted buildings and walls.

“This used to be a dysfunctional park, but now look at it,” said Jess Margarito, director of parks and recreation for the city of San Fernando, as he waved his arms at fresh coats of pink paint drying on the walls surrounding the park. “This shows that people really care. All these people are working because they love the park.”

The event was one of several recent projects to reclaim Las Palmas from gang members who were banned from the park under a controversial city ordinance now being challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ordinance was passed in September after a mother and her three small children were wounded in gang cross-fire in July.

The volunteers, ranging in age from 7 to 77, started work about 8 a.m. and were nearly finished by about 10:30 a.m. A half-hour later, work gave way to play as volunteers celebrated the park’s new look with mariachi music and a lunch of hot dogs, hamburgers and chili.

“We finished faster than I thought,” Margarito said. “We thought we would only get about 100 volunteers and it would take us all morning. But those kids worked real fast.”

“We jammed,” said George Ruvalcaba, 15, between bites on a chili dog. “After we were done painting, we played football until the food was ready.”

They were not all kids. Robert Pacheco, 77, who has lived in or around San Fernando since 1918 also lent a hand. “I’m not as fast as these youngsters, but I can help some.”

The volunteers painted three buildings and a wall that surrounds the park at Huntington and Hollister streets.

A radio station helped organize the cleanup as part of its Community Pride Campaign, arranging for a paint company to donate paint and a lumber company to provide brushes, scaffolding and other supplies.

The event also saluted Ritchie Valens, the legendary Latino rock ‘n’ roll singer of the late 1950s who grew up in nearby Pacoima.

Gil Rocha, 55, a onetime member of Valens’ original band, The Silhouettes, also showed off Valens’ first guitar to a crowd of young admirers--most of whom were born about 20 years after Valens died in a plane crash in 1959.

Under the San Fernando ordinance, only active gang members are banned from the park. But former gang members, or those described by police as inactive, are allowed to use Las Palmas.

The volunteers even included some newcomers to the area.

“I really don’t know anyone here,” said El Monte resident Louie Avila, 24, who had never been to the park before Saturday.

“I was just driving to work and I heard about it and thought, ‘That seems like a fun thing to do.’ ”