Local Parks Are $50 Million Richer : Initiatives: Officials are pleased that voter approval of Prop. A will enable them to improve, expand or build a variety of projects.

By AMY PYLE

Nov. 5, 1992 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

The northern part of Los Angeles County stands to gain more than $50 million in park and trail improvement and development money after voters enthusiastically supported Proposition A, a $540-million parks assessment initiative.

And the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys will be able to compete for a share of nearly $150 million more earmarked for countywide projects ranging from graffiti removal to tree planting.

City, county and regional parks administrators were thrilled on Wednesday. The measure’s passage on a 64%-to-36% vote ensures that even in a recession, with ever smaller local government budgets, they will be able to continue to improve and expand their leafy empires.

“We haven’t had a source of new funding since 1988. . . . Pretty soon we wouldn’t have been able to do anything without this,” said Jim Park, head of the planning division for Los Angeles County parks. “We’re so park-deficient that the timing is very good.”

The money will come from property assessments based on size and use--about $12.50 per year on the average single-family home and $108 on the average three-story office building.

On an Election Day when voters were unwilling to strap the state with additional bond debt for rail transportation and grabbed back money they had been taxed for snack foods, their widespread willingness to dig into their pockets for parks stunned some Proposition A supporters.

“We were surprised . . . with the economy the way it was,” said Dick Ginevan, Los Angeles city park supervisor for the San Fernando Valley. “Thousands of people use our facilities every day and I think they just realized how important this was.”

In 1990, a similar bid to raise $817 million failed to gain voter approval because it called for a state bond issue, which requires a two-thirds vote. Assessments require only a simple majority.

Of money specifically set aside by Proposition A for the northern region, some of the larger individual projects include $10 million toward reopening a swimming lake at Hansen Dam near Pacoima, $6 million to purchase and develop trails around the rim of the San Fernando Valley, $4.6 million to build an athletic complex in the Antelope Valley, and $2.48 million for the city of Santa Clarita’s plan to build a trail along the banks of the Santa Clara River.

Park administrators said that even though they will be glad to be able to move forward on such large projects, they are most pleased with some of the smaller allocations that will allow them to spruce up existing parks.

Park, with county parks, said many need new restrooms, repaired drinking fountains and refurbished play equipment.

Among the parks scheduled for such face lifts: Val Verde, Castaic and Hart parks in the Santa Clarita Valley and the northeast San Fernando Valley’s Dexter Park in Kagel Canyon.

“In Dexter Park, for instance, the buildings are old, they have old wood siding and no insulation,” Park said. “It was good enough 30 years ago, but it just won’t do now.”

The measure also increases the power of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a major backer of Proposition A. The conservancy stands to receive about $45 million in direct funding and will play a role in spending virtually all of the $540 million raised over the next 22 years.

Conservancy Executive Director Joseph T. Edmiston said that among the properties the group is considering for acquisition with its share of the funds are Corbin Canyon in Tarzana, Wilson Canyon above Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Sylmar and land in Topanga Canyon where developers have applied for county permits to build a golf course and a luxury housing development known as Canyon Oaks.

Watchdogs for Proposition 13 have opposed the parks initiative as another end-run around that 1978 initiative, which limited property taxes. However, they said Wednesday that they would await the outcome of a lawsuit against a similar assessment--for park maintenance in a small Butte County city--before deciding whether to challenge Proposition A.

That case was argued earlier this week before the California Supreme Court, said Jonathan Coupal, director of legal affairs for the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.

“Our argument is that these are not true assessment districts,” Coupal said. “Assessment districts can only be used legitimately for financing capital improvements which directly benefit specific pieces of property, such as sewer hookups or street lighting.”

Barring a successful legal challenge, money from the proposition could be available as early as next summer, said Esther Feldman, campaign director for Yes on Proposition A. Feldman said the county--which will oversee distribution of most of the money--probably will sell bonds to be repaid over the 22-year assessment, rather than wait for the money to dribble in.

Allocation of Proposition A Funds

Proposition A, the county bond measure approved Tuesday, will provide more than $50 million to improve parks and trails throughout the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

San Fernando Valley

AREA PROJECT AMOUNT Agoura Hills Build recreation facility $1.41 million Burbank Build Stough Canyon nature center $1.47 million Calabasas Build recreation center with tennis court $3 million Build regional youth baseball facility $250,000 Kagel Canyon Rehabilitate Dexter Park, including buildings $400,000 Pacoima Develop swimming lake at Hansen Dam $10 million Rim of the Valley Buy and develop trails $6 million Sepulveda Basin Restore wildlife habitat and more $4.7 million

Santa Clarita Valley

AREA PROJECT AMOUNT General area Buy canyons and open space $2.5 million Buy wildlife habitat and natural areas $4 million Castaic Rehabilitate picnic area, camping and lake $1.5 million Newhall William S. Hart Park rehabilitation $500,000 Placerita Canyon Buy oak groves $1 million Plum Canyon Improve restrooms and picnic areas $400,000 Santa Clarita Buy land and build trail on Santa Clara River $2.48 million Towsley Canyon Buy property for park and wildlife habitat $1 million Val Verde Rehabilitate Val Verde Park, including lighting 750,000

Antelope Valley

AREA PROJECT AMOUNT General area Build athletic complex in Lancaster or Palmdale $4.6 million Rehabilitate parks,including restrooms $2.4 million Buy land in designated Significant Ecological Areas $750,000 Buy and restore trails and rivers $300,000 Lancaster Acquire and develop desert woodland preserve $1.9 million

Source: Citizens for Safe Neighborhood Parks

The Outcome for Prop. A Los Angeles County voters Tuesday approved a $540-million property assessment measure for improvements to beaches, parks, the Hollywood Bowl and the Los Angeles Zoo and cleanup of Santa Monica Bay.

The measure, approved by 64% of the vote, will increase tax bills by $12.52 a year on the average single-family home.

REGIONAL PROJECTS

Here is how the money will be distributed:

Hollywood Bowl: $25.5 million

Griffith Observatory: $18 million

Los Angeles Zoo: $25 million

Santa Monica Bay: $4 million

Senior citizens centers: $8.4 million

Handicapped access improvements: $1.5 million

Tree planting: $5 million

Beach and harbor acquisition and development: $30 million

Parks and recreation acquisition and development: $10 million