ELECTIONS / PROP. A : Bond Act Has $10 Million for Peninsula Parks Projects : The countywide measure would also raise $14.8 million for public piers, wildlife habitats and open space in other South Bay cities.

Cities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula stand to receive about $10 million for improvements to parks and recreation facilities if voters approve Proposition A in the Nov. 3 election.

The Los Angeles County Safe Neighborhood Parks Act would funnel an additional $14.8 million to other South Bay cities to fund other projects, from the restoration of public piers to the acquisition of wildlife habitat and open space.

The countywide measure would raise $540 million by creating a huge benefit assessment district that would pump millions of dollars into the restoration and development of inner-city parks and anti-gang youth programs.

The proposition is sponsored by Citizens For Safe Neighborhood Parks, an offshoot of the nonprofit Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Some of the money would go to acquire more parklands in the Santa Monica Mountains.

“A yes vote on Proposition A is critical, if we want to really make a difference in improving the quality of life in our communities and neighborhoods,” said Esther Feldman, director of Citizens For Safe Neighborhood Parks.

The measure was placed on the ballot by the County Board of Supervisors and has the support of Sheriff Sherman Block, most police chiefs and two-thirds of the 88 city councils in the county. It is backed by conservationists, senior citizen groups and other organizations.

However, it has drawn opposition from conservative groups that oppose any measure that would raise taxes.

“We are against Proposition A primarily because we think it’s a misuse of the assessment district process,” said Joel Fox, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. He contended that the measure “is just another attempt to get around Proposition 13 taxing limits.”

The measure is similar to the 1990 Proposition B, which would have raised a like amount from the sale of bonds. Although 57% of the voters approved Proposition B, the measure lost because it required a two-thirds vote for passage, Feldman said.

Proposition A is also a bond issue, but under a revised state law requires only a simple majority for passage. If approved, it would authorize the creation of a countywide parks and recreation assessment district, which would issue 20-year bonds and repay the debt by assessing each parcel of developed land in the county. Feldman said the assessment would average about $12.52 a year for the typical single-family home.

The yearly assessment is based on the size of the property. On the Palos Verdes Peninsula, where home sites are larger, the annual cost could rise to as high as $32.

The list of projects to be funded by the proposition includes $25 million for restoration of the Hollywood Bowl and another $25 million to expand the Los Angeles Zoo. Dozens of cities and recreation districts will each get millions for specific projects, plus some annual funds to use as they choose.

Rancho Palos Verdes would get $4.3 million to acquire and preserve natural lands and wildlife habitat and $2.5 million for additional developments at the 99-acre Point Vicente Park and Marine Museum and Interpretive Center.

Palos Verdes Estates and Rolling Hills Estates each would receive $1.5 million to preserve wildlife habitat and open space, and to acquire and improve rights of way for coastal access trails. In addition, all three peninsula cities would get more than $800,000 in discretionary funds annually over the next 20 years.

The project money could go directly to the cities, or the city councils could contract with the nonprofit Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy to acquire and preserve open space, officials said.

“The conservancy has been working with the cities to identify areas that need to be preserved,” conservancy spokesman William Ailor said. There are hundreds of acres of undeveloped lands within the Portuguese Bend landslide area that should be preserved in the natural state, he said.

In other South Bay cities, $5.2 million would be used to repair and improve the public piers in Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. An additional $4 million would be used to develop a greenbelt parkway along parts of the old Santa Fe Railroad right of way through those beach cities.

Torrance would get $1.5 million to restore the Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve and develop a natural history center there. Also, $1.9 million would go for a gym, weight room and swim facilities at Charles H. Wilson Park.

In addition to the money earmarked for projects, all of the South Bay cities would be in line each year for a share of $4.6 million in annual discretionary funds to finance maintenance and operation of parks and recreational facilities, officials said.

Cities and recreation districts could apply for money to fund anti-graffiti projects and other gang-prevention programs, Feldman said.

Prop. A’s Greenery Madrona Marsh in Torrance This is how Proposition A funds would be spent in the South Bay if county voters approve the ballot measure on Nov. 3. Under Proposition A, an additional $4.6 million in discretionary funds would be distributed annually to South Bay cities for park and recreation maintenance over the next 20 years. City: Gardena Amount: $850,000 Project: Restoration work and public access at Willow Wetlands Wildlife Preserve. City: Hawthorne Amount: $1.5 million Project: Recreation complex development and youth camp lodge. City: Hermosa Beach Amount: $4 million Project: Pier improvements and acquisition of land for greenbelt. City: Manhattan Beach Amount: $1.9 million Project: Pier improvements and Parkway Park trail construction and tree planting. City: Palos Verdes Estates Amount: $1.5 million Project: Land acquisition and improvements for coastal trails and open space. City: Rancho Palos Verdes Amount: $6.8 million Project: Development of 99-acre park on tip of Palos Verdes Peninsula and acquisition of land for preservation and wildlife habitat. City: Redondo Beach Amount: $3.2 million Project: Pier and harbor improvements. City: Rolling Hills Estates Amount: $1.5 million Project: Land acquisition for wildlife habitat and open space. City: Torrance Amount: $3.4 million Project: Construction of natural history center and restoration work at Madrona Marsh Preserve, and construction of gym, weight room and swim facilities at Charles H. Wilson Park. TOTAL: $24.6 million