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Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) / Charter Reforms

Council File 26-0489-S2

Introduced
2026-04-28
Last changed
2026-05-21
Status
open
Expires
2028-05-21
Committee
Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee
Mover
YSABEL JURADO
Second
HEATHER HUTT
Initiated by
Department of Recreation and Parks

Brief

Councilmember Ysabel Jurado moved to advance charter reform proposals submitted by the Department of Recreation and Parks on April 28, 2026. The motion, seconded by Hutt, Padilla, Raman, Rodriguez, and Soto-Martínez, seeks to modify the City Charter as it relates to RAP. The file is pending in the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee, which has continued it twice since mid-May without setting a firm hearing date.

Full summary

This file stems from a Charter Reform Commission recommendation, issued April 2, 2026, to double the minimum General Fund allocation to the Department of Recreation and Parks from 0.0325% to 0.065% of the assessed value of all city property. At current assessed values, that change would raise RAP's guaranteed annual minimum from roughly $292 million to approximately $584 million. RAP General Manager Jimmy Kim submitted a report supporting the proposal in concept and urging the Council to consider a multi-year phased implementation, similar to the four-year phase-in voters approved for the Library Department under Measure L in 2011. RAP's report documents a decade and a half of effective budget erosion. After the 2009 recession, the city shifted indirect costs — employee benefits, city support services, and utility expenses — onto the RAP Fund rather than covering them through the General Fund as it does for most departments. Those charges have grown from $38 million in 2010 to $148.5 million in the current proposed budget, now consuming 40% of RAP's total budget. Over the same period, the citywide operating budget grew 68% while RAP's effective operating budget grew only about 35%. The Trust for Public Land's annual ParkScore ranking reflects the result: Los Angeles dropped from 49th to 90th among the 100 largest U.S. cities over the past five years, with per-capita park investment of just $92 — well below peer cities. RAP identifies ten priority areas where additional funding would go: restoring hours and programs at 123 recreation centers and senior centers; reopening or expanding hours at 25 year-round and 27 summer pools; addressing deferred maintenance across the park system; restoring groundskeeping and restroom staffing at 500 parks; rebuilding the Park Ranger Division; staffing cooling centers and emergency shelters; restoring homelessness response teams; expanding grants administration and project delivery capacity; acquiring new parks to close equity gaps; and restoring management of park trees, lakes, and ecologically sensitive areas. The department's recently completed Park Needs Assessment estimated a $2.68 billion backlog in existing facility repairs and said an additional $12.31 billion in capital investment would be needed to bring LA's park amenities to the average level of service found in comparable cities. RAP is clear that a charter funding increase would not be a new tax — it would redirect a larger share of existing General Fund revenue to parks, with corresponding fiscal trade-offs for other city priorities. Councilmember Ysabel Jurado moved to advance the proposals, with five colleagues — Heather Hutt, Imelda Padilla, Nithya Raman, Monica Rodriguez, and Hugo Soto-Martínez — signing on as seconds. The motion was referred to the Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on April 29, 2026. The committee scheduled hearings for May 14 and May 21 but continued both without setting a new date. The file remains pending in committee as of May 21, 2026, with no scheduled hearing and an expiration date of May 21, 2028.

Activity (7)

  • 2026-05-21 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee continued item to date to be determined.
  • 2026-05-20 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 21, 2026.
  • 2026-05-14 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee continued item to date to be determined.
  • 2026-05-13 Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on May 14, 2026.
  • 2026-04-29 Motion referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
  • 2026-04-28 Department of Recreation and Parks document(s) referred to Rules, Elections and Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
  • 2026-04-28 Document submitted by Department of Recreation and Parks, dated April 28, 2026.

Documents (10)

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