O.C. Parks May Bloom With Funds

Orange County and its cities will receive up to $33.1 million for local parks, their share of the $388 million in state funds raised by a ballot measure California voters approved last year.

The funds from Proposition 12--the $2.1-billion state Park Bond Act of 2000--represent the largest infusion of money into local parks in state history.

The ballot measure provided for $388 million to be distributed on a per capita basis to cities and counties throughout California.

Orange County is slated to receive $10.4 million, and the county’s 33 cities are eligible for a total of $22.6 million. Aliso Viejo, which became a city this year, was not included in this round of state park grants.

The grants destined for Orange County range from $2,044,000 for Santa Ana to $35,000 for the Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Parks District.

The money can be used for any park-related program or use, from buying new lights for baseball fields to purchasing land for new parks, said a spokesman for the state Resources Agency.

“This is exciting,” said Shirley McCracken, mayor pro tem of Anaheim, a city that stands to receive $1.9 million. “We’re an older city with increasing density . . . so any funds we can get for parks is a tremendous asset for the city.”

McCracken said Anaheim is building its first skateboard park and has been looking for a way to build a second one.

“It’s always been about money, particularly in older cities,” she said.

Debbie Cook, a councilwoman in Huntington Beach, wants to see her city’s $1.8 million used “as seed money to purchase the Bolsa Chica” mesa, to preserve the bluff that overlooks the largest protected wetlands complex in Southern California.

The Huntington Beach City Council recently voted to seek funding to purchase the 183-acre property from the owner, Signal Landmark. The mesa is part of the 2,600-acre Bolsa Chica coastal area, stretching from Seal Beach to Huntington Beach, and is a critical resting place for migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway.

In addition to the $824.5 million for local projects, Proposition 12 provides $524 million for state parks, $393 million for conservancies, and $266 million for wildlife purposes and land acquisition.

The state still has to complete the application procedure before the money can be released, said Odel King, a state parks manager.