Recreation Is No Frill

Los Angeles is among the most park- deficient urban areas in America, and local residents know it. Almost any Sunday in the park finds soccer players running into picnikers, children queuing for a turn on playground swings, and long waits for an open tennis court.

Proposition A, a Los Angeles County measure, and Referendum Ordinance K, a Los Angeles city measure, would visibly improve the recreational picture at a modest price. Both deserve voter support.

Proposition A would provide $319 million in bonds to improve existing parks, buy open space and build recreational facilities. The county would finance the bonds through a property tax assessment over 20 years; the yearly cost to the average county homeowner would be $6 or $7, less than the cost of a movie ticket.

Some funds would go toward completing ongoing projects, such as renovation of the Hollywood Boul and the Los Angeles Zoo. Most of the money, however, would go to new projects. Improvements would be made at literally dozens of parks, benefiting every corner of the county.

Some county-administered parks would get new sports fields; at others, broken-down restrooms would be fixed. Improvements would be made at senior citizen and youth facilities, botanical gardens and many other sites. There would also be funding for needed water quality improvements in the Santa Monica Bay and for preservation of public land in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Ordinance K would raise funds for city parks and receational projects. With the exception of capital improvements at the zoo, this measure would fund projects entirely separate from those covered by Proposition A. The recreational needs in this region are that great.

Funds would go to specified projects at large regional sites such as Elysian Park and Griffith Park as well as at smaller neighborhood parks. The money- $25 million per year for 30 years- would improve facilities for children and at-risk youth, athletic fields, pools, park lighting and landscaping. Ordinance K requires a property tax assessment on city residents averaging $18.50 per year for 30 years.

Proposition A and Ordinance K are investments that would improve the quality of life for all of us. Vote yes on both.