Calabasas : State Takes Control of Run-Down Tapia Park

A run-down county park near Calabasas that had become a hangout for gangs and graffiti vandals has been taken over by the state, which is giving it a long-overdue face-lift.

The renovation of 98-acre Tapia Park is expected to be completed by May 1, said Jim Holt, a spokesman for the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which took over operation.

Park users will be charged a $5-per-vehicle parking fee beginning May 2, which Holt said will go toward the renovations and staffing for an entrance station.

The facility has remained open, Holt said, but portions have been closed from time to time for renovation.

Tapia Park is located at 1925 Las Virgenes Road, next to the headquarters of the Angeles District of the Department of Parks and Recreation. The facility will become part of the adjacent 10,000-acre Malibu Creek State Park.

Los Angeles County relinquished control of Tapia Park because it could not afford upkeep due to budgetary constraints, Holt said. The county purchased the land for the park in 1938. Over the years the facility has deteriorated to the point where the roads are in disrepair and the restrooms have been trashed by vandals.

Kay Magill, president of the Malibu Creek State Park Docents, said she did not feel comfortable at Tapia Park. “When I was alone, I didn’t want to hike in,” she said. “I felt funny about some of the people.”

In the interest of public safety, a fence will be built around the facility, Holt said, and park rangers will be assigned to patrol the area.

“I think it will be different people now,” Magill said. “It will be a nice place to spend the day.”