The Brief

Calling all park fans: the city of Los Angeles is finalizing a new plan that could affect how your favorite park gets maintained.

The 2025 Park Needs Assessment is a roadmap that’s published about once in a generation. It’s supposed to guide the city’s decision-making on how to improve our local parks, such as where to do major repairs or add new greenspace. MOre than 500 parks are ranked.

The Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners will take up the report in December, but between now and October, you can share your thoughts.

Here’s what you should know about the plan.

Why now?

The last needs assessment happened in 2009. Since then, park funding has lagged.

Between fiscal years 2009 and 2023, the parks department’s operating budget grew at half the rate of the city’s overall budget, according to the report. Staffing has also decreased, while the amount of park facilities and acreage to care for has gone up.

These reports can be a guiding tool for officials to advocate for more.

The findings can also spur action or influence how your tax dollars get spent. For example, L.A. County’s PNA is the basis for how Measure A funds get allocated, which is a parcel tax voters passed to fund more parks.

How could our parks get prioritized?

Roadmaps like this are only a guide — cities don’t typically follow it to the letter — but L.A.’s parks are ranked based on two dozen types of criteria. That includes things such as facility conditions and safety concerns.

It also outlines new population-based service standards, which could lead to more basketball courts, for example.

Jon Christensen, a teacher and researcher at UCLA who worked on the assessment, described the approach as looking to solve problems for the greatest number of people.

“ For a parks system that is in pretty dire straits, and we have to figure out a pragmatic path forward,” Christensen said. “We can’t solve all the problems all at once.”

Most high-priority areas are in South L.A. and the East/Central L.A. region, such as Sixth Street Viaduct Park, but they’re largely mini parks or prospective ones. The report calls for 36 areas to get more greenspace, largely in South L.A. and the San Fernando Valley.

A mix of hard data and community-based survey feedback informed how the parks were ranked.

(

Courtesy the city of L.A.

)

Andrew Dobshinsky, an associate at OLIN, which is the landscape architecture firm that led the report’s development, said some people have noticed parks at the top of the priority list that recently had investments.

“What that means is not necessarily that the parks need to be redone, but that they need continued investment and attention,” he said. For parks at the bottom of the list, like Pan Pacific Park, that doesn’t mean they should get nothing.

“ I think that the prioritization is saying that these are the places that require extra attention above and beyond that improved baseline of service,” Dobshinsky said.

You can see how each park is prioritized here and where new parks could be here.

Where is the funding coming from?

If the entire roadmap were greenlit, annual operating costs would increase by a half billion dollars, according to the suggested plan. That’s in addition to a one-time $14.7 billion cost to complete overdue maintenance and start new service standards — which will likely require some creativity.

Most of the parks budget right now comes from a percentage of the city’s property taxes. Connie Chung, a managing partner at HR&A Advisors, which led the economic analysis, says homeowners only pay dollars into parks.

A playground in Highland Park.

(

Courtesy city of L.A.

)

“ It’s not that that’s a choice that they made, it’s just what is appropriated through the city charter,” Chung said. “We think there’s a potential to increase that.”

You can see how much of your property taxes go to parks in our calculator here.

The report also suggests other ways to bring money in.

The department could start some ideas itself, like adding more paid parking and concession stands. Others could go to voters, such as amending the city charter or issuing bonds.

How you can get involved 

The city gathered input from thousands of Angelenos before releasing this draft report, but you can still get your perspective heard.

You can submit comments directly on the city’s website by clicking the orange button pinned to the bottom of the window, or share them in the online PDF version.

The city will hold a virtual meeting specifically on prioritization from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, on Zoom, which you can RSVP for here.

The public comment window closes Oct. 15.

This story first appeared on The LA Local.

Since 1977, Richard Santillan has been to every Opening Day game at Dodger Stadium. 

“The tradition goes from my father, to me, to my children and grandchildren. Some of my best memories are with my father and children here at Dodger Stadium,” Santillan told The LA Local, smiling under the shade of palm trees near the entrance to the ballpark Wednesday morning. He was there to protest the team less than 24 hours before Opening Day.

Santillan, like countless other loyal Dodgers fans, is grappling with his fan identity over the team’s decision to accept an invitation to the White House and owner Mark Walter’s ties to ICE detention facilities.

More than 30 people joined Santillan on Wednesday morning for a press conference held near 1000 Vin Scully Drive to convey a message directly to the team. 

“We are demanding the Dodgers stop participating in funding of inhumane treatment of families and do not go to the White House to celebrate with the criminal in chief,” Evelyn Escatiola told the crowd. “Together, we have the power to make a change.”

Escatiola, a former dean of East Los Angeles College and longtime community organizer, urged fans to flex their economic power by “letting the Dodgers know that we do not support repression.”

Jorge “Coqui” Rodriguez, a lifelong Dodgers fan, spoke to the crowd and called on Dodgers ownership to divest from immigration detention centers owned and operated by GEO Group and CoreCivic.

Jorge Coqui H Rodriguez speaks at a press conference outside Dodger Stadium on March 25, 2026, to demand the Dodgers not to visit the White House following their 2025 World Series win.

(

J.W. Hendricks

/

The LA Local

)

In a phone interview a day before the protest, Rodriguez told The LA Local he did not want the Dodgers using his “cheve” or beer money to fund detention centers. 

“They can’t take our parking money, our cacahuate money, our cheve money, our Dodger Dog money and invest those funds into corporations that are imprisoning people. It’s wrong,” Rodriguez said. 

Rodriguez considers the Dodgers one of the most racially diverse teams and said the players need to support fans at a time when heightened immigration enforcement has become more common across L.A.

The team’s 2025’s visit to the White House drew ire from the largely Latino fan base, citing the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on immigrants. 

In June, the team came under further scrutiny when rumors swirled online that federal immigration agents were using the stadium’s parking, which immigration authorities later denied in statements posted on social media accounts.

The team again came under fire after not releasing a statement on the impacts of ICE raids on its mostly Latino fan base at the height of immigration enforcement last summer. The team later agreed to invest $1 million to support families affected by immigration enforcement.

When he learned the Dodgers were pledging only $1 million to families in need, Rodriguez called the amount a  “slap in the face.” 

“These guys just bought the Lakers for billions of dollars and they give a million dollars to fight for legal services? That’s a joke,” Rodriguez said. “They need to have a moral backbone and not be investing in those companies.”

According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, former Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershawsaid last week that he is looking forward to the trip.

“I went when President [Joe] Biden was in office. I’m going to go when President [Donald] Trump is in office,” Kershaw said. “To me, it’s just about getting to go to the White House. You don’t get that opportunity every day, so I’m excited to go.”

The Dodgers have yet to announce when their planned visit will take place. 

Santillan sometimes laments his decision to give up his season tickets in protest of the team. His connection to the stadium and the memories he has made there with family and friends will last a lifetime, he said. On Thursday, he will uphold his tradition and be there for the first pitch of the season, but with a heavy heart.

“It’s a family tradition, but the Dodgers have a lot of work to do,” he said.

A local favorite mom-and-pop bookshop in Eagle Rock is facing displacement due to a steep rent hike. The owners say theirs is just one of several small businesses along Eagle Rock Boulevard struggling to keep up with lease increases.

Over the past 19 years, many in the neighborhood have come to love READ Books for its eclectic collection of used titles and shop dog Florence.

Co-owner Jeremy Kaplan said it’s been a delight to grow with the community over the years.

“Like seeing kids come back in, who were in grade school and now they’re in college,” Kaplan said.

But the building where Kaplan and wife Debbie rent was recently sold, and the rent increased by more than 130% to $2,805 a month, Kaplan said. He told LAist it was an increase his small business simply could not absorb.

Kaplan said he originally was given 30 days notice of the rent increase. After some research, assistance from Councilmember Ysabel Jurado’s office and some pro-bono legal help, Kaplan said he pushed back and got the 90-day notice he’s afforded by state law.

California Senate Bill 1103 requires landlords to give businesses with five or less employees 90 days’ notice for rent increases exceeding 10%, among other protections.

Systems Real Estate, the property management company, did not immediately respond to LAist’s request for comment.

What can small businesses do? 

Nadia Segura, directing attorney of the Small Business Program at pro bono legal aid non-profit Bet Tzedek said California law does not currently allow for rent control for commercial tenancies.

Outside of the protections under SB 1103, Segura said small businesses like READ Books don’t have much other recourse. And even then, commercial landlords are not required to inform their tenants of their protections under the law.

“There’s still a lot of people that don’t know about SB 1103. And then it’s very sad that they tell them they have these rent increases and within a month they have to leave,” Segura said.

She said her group is seeing steep rent hikes like this for commercial tenants across the city.

“We are seeing this even more with the World Cup coming up, the Olympics coming up. And I will say it was very sad to see that also after the wildfires,” Segura said.

Part of Bet Tzedek’s ongoing work is to advocate for small businesses, working with landlords who are increasing rents to see if they are willing to give business owners longer leases that lock in rents.

What’s next 

After READ Books posted about their situation on social media, commenters chimed in to express their outrage and love for the little shop.

While he looks for a new spot, Kaplan says he’s forming a coalition of local businesses and activist groups to see what can be done to help other small businesses facing similar displacement. He wants to address the displacement issue for businesses like his, which have made Eagle Rock the distinctive neighborhood that it is today.

Owl Talk, a longtime Eagle Rock staple selling clothing and accessories in a unit in the same building as READ Books, is facing a “more than double” rent increase, according to a post on their Instagram account.

Kaplan said he’s been in touch with the office of state Assemblywoman Jessica Caloza and wants to explore the possibility of introducing legislation to set up protections for small businesses like his, including rent-control measures or a vacancy tax for landlords. Kaplan said he also reached out to the office of state Sen. Maria Durazo.

By his count, Kaplan said there are about a dozen businesses within surrounding blocks that are at risk of closing their doors or have shuttered due to rent increases or other struggles.

When READ Books was founded during the Great Recession, Kaplan said he knew it was a longshot to open a bookstore at the same time so many were struggling to stay in business.

“It was kind of interesting to be doing something that neighborhoods needed. That was important to me growing up, that was important to my children, that was important to my wife growing up,” Kaplan said.

“And then somebody comes in and says, ‘We’re gonna over double your rent.”

Topline:

Frozen budget: Most of the city’s Bureau of Street Lighting budget comes from an assessment that people who own property illuminated by lights pay on their county property tax bill. The amount people pay depends on the kind of property they own and how much they benefit from lighting. A typical single-family home currently pays $53 annually, and in total, the assessments bring in about $45 million annually for the city to repair and maintain streetlights. Changing the amount the Bureau of Street Lighting gets from the assessment requires a vote among property owners who benefit from the lights.

Ballots: L.A. City Council’s vote gives city staff the green light to prepare and send out those ballots. Miguel Sangalang, who oversees the bureau, said at a committee meeting earlier this month that he expects to send out ballots by April 17. Notices about the ballots will be sent out prior to the ballots themselves.

Near unanimous vote: L.A. City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez was the only “No” vote Tuesday, saying she wanted to see a more current strategic plan for the bureau. Sangalang said the bureau developed a plan in 2022 that lays out how money will be spent. Councilmember Imelda Padilla was absent for the vote.

Vote count: Votes will be weighted according to the assessment amount. Basically, the more you’re asked to pay yearly to maintain streetlights, the more your vote will count. Ballots received before June 2 will be tabulated by the L.A. City Clerk.

How much more money: According to a report, the amount needed in assessments from property owners to meet the repair and maintenance needs of the city’s streetlighting in the next fiscal year is nearly $112 million.

Use of the money: Sangalang said at a March 11 committee meeting that the extra funds would be used to double the number of staff to handle repairs and procure solar streetlights, which don’t face the threat of copper wire theft. That would all potentially reduce the time it takes to repair simple fixes down to a week. Currently, city residents wait for months to see broken streetlights repaired. The assessment would come with a three-year auditing mechanism.