Los Angeles is at a turning point for our Parks — and we need your help. The LA City Council is considering a proposed Charter amendment that would add hundreds of millions of dollars a year to the Recreation and Parks (RAP) budget without raising taxes. This change to a 90-year-old funding formula would help meet the needs identified in the City of LA’s recent Parks Needs Assessment, and would help Griffith Park along with neighborhood Parks and recreation centers throughout the city. If the City Council acts, the voters will get their say in November.
How did we get here? (a quick history)
Our Parks have been underfunded for decades. RAP manages 500 sites across 16,000 acres, serving over 4 million people, yet Los Angeles spends just $92 per person on Parks while peer cities average three times as much. As a result, LA has dropped from 49th to 90th in national Park rankings in just 10 years. And more than 1.5 million Angelenos don’t have a Park within a 10-minute walk of home. We have a rare chance to change that — but the window to act is closing fast.
The Charter Reform Commission recently voted to recommend doubling the City’s required Parks funding allocation — the first update to RAP’s funding formula since 1937. This change would raise RAP’s revenue base from $298M to approximately $596M, nearly meeting the full annual operating need identified in the City’s own 2025 Parks Needs Assessment. This is not a new tax — it is a structural fix to a broken, decades-old formula. The recommendation now sits with the City Council, which must vote to place this measure on the November 2026 ballot. The City Council is expected to vote in early June.
Eight in ten LA voters support increased Parks funding.
Now we need our elected officials to act. Our communities — especially those that have waited the longest for safe, accessible green space — cannot wait any longer.
If you live in the City of Los Angeles, please call AND email your City Council member today ask them to vote YES to support the Recreation & Parks funding measure and ask them to give LA’s voters our say in November.
You can find your City Council member here.
There are other actions you can take:
- Attend the City Council Rules Committee hearing in support of parks:
- Thursday, June 4, 1pm at LA City Hall
- Write and submit public comment in the official City Council File for Charter Reform (File 26-0489-S2) saying you support doubling RAP’s Charter Minimum Allocation AND share why this important to you
- Spread the word to friends, neighbors and colleagues
Still have questions? Reach out to: info@friendsofgriffithpark.org
Great content! Keep up the good work!
Study after study has demonstrated the importance of getting back to nature for our physical and mental health. LA’s city parks are a critical component. The number of City parks has more than doubled and the population of LA has increased exponentially since RAP’s rate of funding was established in 1937. RAP is struggling to maintain our parks which are heavily used. The community strongly supports the increased % of revenue that the Charter Reform Commission recommended.