Council OKs Plans to Boost Sports for Girls

The City Council adopted a host of initiatives Wednesday aimed at bolstering female participation in city sports programs, many of which are already underway within the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks.

Included in the new measures are a program requiring the department to increase female participation by 10% the first year and 25% the second year, a sports “czar” to supervise development of youth sports programs citywide, a five-year plan to add new playing fields and a youth sports task force.

The initiatives--approved by a unanimous vote--formalized several changes pushed by Councilman Mike Feuer in the council’s Arts, Health and Humanities Committee, which he chairs.

The changes come amid a federal lawsuit filed in April against the city by the West Valley Girls Softball League--and later expanded to include girls citywide--that alleges inequality between sports programs for boys and girls. The suit has not been settled.

While the improvements were backed by the full council, several members said the city must do more to enhance sports programs and parks for all children, particularly those in the inner city.

“It seems to me that the [San Fernando] Valley is already rich in park space and in facilities for sports, whereas my district and Mr. [Mike] Hernandez’s district rank almost at the bottom,” said Councilwoman Rita Walters, who represents parts of South-Central and other downtown neighborhoods.

“I hope, in the effort to incorporate women into sports activities that are conducted on public spaces, that we do not forget a whole bevy of children . . . who have zero place to go,” Walters said.

Councilwoman Laura Chick suggested requiring a five-year plan for boosting sports fields across the city, rather than just in the San Fernando Valley.

Because the lawsuit originated in the Valley, some of the recreation department’s initial efforts, such as creating an inventory of its fields, began there.

The council adopted Chick’s amendment as part of the full package.