San Onofre State Beach needs your help! The toll road backers in Orange County are appealing to the federal government to override the Coastal Commission and get special approval to build their toll road through San Onofre State Beach.

Send a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, urging him to deny the toll road appeal.

You’ll remember that on February 6, the California Coastal Commission voted overwhelmingly to deny federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) consistency certification for the Foothill-South Toll Road. The hearing lasted 14 hours and was packed with over 3,500 people. At the end of the day, the Commission voted 8-2 to oppose consistency certification for the road, finding that it violated virtually every provision of the state’s Coastal Act.

But the TCA has appealed that strong decision to the U.S. Department of Commerce and is working to overturn the Commission’s ruling. The Secretary of Commerce will be making a final decision on the appeal and needs to hear from you!

Park supporters need to make their voices heard. Help us tell decision-makers in Washington D.C. that the federal government and the current Administration cannot overturn the Coastal Commission’s clear and thoughtful decision on this matter.

Please send a letter to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, urging him to deny the toll road appeal. Public comments will be accepted until May 28 – tell your friends and family to send a letter supporting San Onofre State Beach, too!

Click on the image to see all sizes of the map and detailed charts analyzing proposed park closures.

The Governor has proposed closing 48 out of 278 priceless State Parks to save money. The proposal would close one out of every six state parks, to save just $9 million.

Four counties with the greatest green access need in the state would lose over 100,000 acres of State Parks, nearly as much as the other 54 counties combined. Those four counties alone would lose 101,370 acres, nearly half of the 216,629 acres to be closed statewide. Green access need is measured in combined terms of the fewest acres of parks per thousand residents, and the highest levels of child obesity, youth, poverty, and people of color.

The ten counties that would lose the most acres of State Parks would lose 196,904 acres, which is 91% of all acres to be closed

Write a letter to the Governor, to Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, and Assembly Speaker Karen Bass to keep state parks open for all!

To learn more, please see The City Project’s Policy Brief Keep State Parks Open for All! and Policy Report Healthy Parks, Schools, and Counties: Mapping Green Access and Equity for California (2007).

NEWS FLASH! The Governor has withdrawn his proposal to close state parks — instead, he wants in effect to raise taxes regressively by hiking fees to use State Parks.

Park fees should not be raised willy-nilly. As discussed in the Brief and Report, there should be a state-wide vision and strategic plan for fair access to parks and green space. Standards and criteria to measure needs and equity should be defined to distribute park benefits, to achieve a fair system of finance and fees, and to hold officials accountable. There should be a park needs assessment to guide planning and investments. There should be an audit of park and resource bonds since 1999 (including Propositions 12, 13, 40, 50, and 84) to document who benefits and who gets left behind from the investment of park resources.

View images of the 28 acre site of Griffith Park on the East Bank of the Los Angeles River in Atwater Village — which could be the Next Great Urban Park in Los Angeles.

Central Service Yard Opportunity Site

Reclaiming Griffith Park’s Lost Acreage for Public Enjoyment

By Jeff Gardener and Bernadette Soter,
Members Griffith Park Master Plan Working Group

Griffith Park Advisor Spring 2008

Picture a bucolic stream, a tree-shaded picnic area, a path for walkers and equestrians, a playground for little ones and new athletic fields where kids can enjoy organized sports. Now picture it all in an easily accessible area of Griffith Park near working class families with a stunning view of its hills and river.

Is it a pipe dream? No. It’s what happens when the community, through its representatives on the Griffith Park Draft Master Plan Working Group, recognizes that by combining North Atwater Park, the North Atwater Park Stream Restoration site an a significant portion of Central Service Yard, the public’s enjoyment of Griffith Park can be expanded and multiplied, without the prohibitively expensive purchase of new parkland.

At the core of this opportunity is the discovery that Central Service Yard (CSY) in North Atwater Village is dedicated public parkland. An analysis of maps and records by the Recreation and Parks Department’s Real Estate Division found, in the Fall of 2006, that this choice riverfront parcel contiguous to North Atwater Park is not only parkland, but is part of Colonel Griffith’s original rancho grant. As a result, in January 2007, the Griffith Park Draft Master Plan Working Group discussed, approved and added to their rewrite of the Griffith Park Master Plan, language proposing that as much as possible of CSY’s 27.55 riverfront acres now inhabited by the Department’s Central Service Yard be returned to public park use.

Today, this parcel is not used for recreation. It is the site of a permanent building housing Recreational and Parks regional offices, several maintenance sheds and workshops serving Rec and Parks and other City departments, several portable buildings that function as offices for recreation divisions, a large employee parking lot, fleet vehicle parking and storage areas, and other non-recreational uses. By eliminating the non-Griffith Park specific functions into a smaller, more economical footprint on the site, a significant portion of this parkland easily can be reclaimed.

Since CSY is contiguous to the scenic Los Angeles River, the site of the North Atwater Creek Stream Restoration and existing North Atwater Park in Griffith Park, this reclaimed river-frontage can be converted easily into picnic grounds and a wildlife viewing area that will complement the pedestrian/equestrian corridor currently along its bank. Given that the acreage is flat, surrounded by a neighborhood of working families, close to a regularly scheduled bus line and only a short walk from Chevy Chase Recreation Center, it can be an excellent site for new sports fields for youth. All of these uses can be accommodated with sensitive planning that takes into account the needs of all users, including the existing Atwater horsekeeping community and the Recreation and Parks departmental functions that will remain at the site.

PRESS RELEASE

School Quality, State Leaders Get Bad Grades as Budget Showdown Looms

Californians Want Schools Spared From Cuts But Resist Higher Taxes

SAN FRANCISCO, California, April 30, 2008 — Californians rank jobs and the economy as their biggest worry, but they also see the quality of the public school system as a significant problem. A majority of residents believe that the state’s schools need major changes, according to the fourth annual survey on K-12 education released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) with funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

But while Californians identify K-12 education as the area they most want spared from budget cuts, they are divided in their willingness to pay more taxes to maintain current school funding. As a showdown looms over the state budget, Californians’ negative views of the public school system and lack of consensus on how to pay for it coincide with a sharp decline in their confidence that their elected officials can handle the challenges ahead.

“There’s incredible concern about the budget crisis and its impact on schools,” says PPIC president and CEO Mark Baldassare. “People are uneasy with the way we make decisions about education, but they haven’t changed their views on how involved they should be in paying for it. That leaves the key question unanswered: How do we improve the quality of public schools?”

ECONOMY IS CALIFORNIANS’ TOP WORRY, FOLLOWED BY SCHOOLS

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger dubbed 2008 the “Year of Education.” But that was before a national economic slump and a deteriorating state fiscal outlook prompted him to propose across-the-board spending cuts to balance the state budget. The state’s residents feel the shift in the state’s fortunes acutely, with 36 percent calling jobs and the economy the most important issue facing Californians, more than double the proportion (15%) who saw this as the No. 1 issue a year ago.

Education and schools rank as the second most important issue (12%), slightly higher than last year (9%) but far lower than April 2006 (24%). Immigration ranks third (11%) and gasoline prices fourth (10%).

More than half (53%) of the state’s residents say the quality of K-12 public schools is a major problem, and nearly a third (31%) consider it somewhat of a problem. The responses were similar last year, when 52 percent characterized school quality as a big problem and 28 percent said it was somewhat of a problem. Among parents with children in public schools, 43 percent this year regard educational quality as a big problem, a finding identical to last year’s.

Among all Californians, 59 percent say the school system needs major changes. This is a view shared across party lines, by 67 percent of Democrats, 64 percent of Republicans, and 52 percent of independents.

But when it comes to their own local schools rather than the system as a whole, Californians give higher grades. More than half (54%) give their public schools an A (18%) or B (36%). Public school parents are even more positive, with 27 percent giving their schools an A and 40 percent giving them a B.

CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNOR, LEGISLATURE PLUMMETS

At a time when the governor and the legislature need to reach an agreement to resolve the state budget crisis, Californians’ confidence in the state’s leaders has declined, particularly in the area of K-12 education. Four in 10 Californians (41%) approve of Schwarzenegger’s overall job performance, down 3 points since last month (44% approval) and a steep 16 points since December (57% approval). Just 25 percent approve of his handling of K-12 education, down 11 points since last April and the lowest point since we began asking this question in January 2005, when the governor’s approval rating in this area stood at 34%.

The legislature fares worse in Californians’ estimation. Just one in four Californians (26%) approve of the way lawmakers are doing their jobs overall, down 4 points since last month (30% approval) and 15 points since December (41% approval). Only 21 percent of Californians approve of the way the legislature is handling public schools, down 8 points from last April (29%).

RAISE TAXES? IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ASK, WHO HAS TO PAY

A strong majority (60%) of Californians choose K-12 public education as the area they would like to protect from budget cuts, ahead of health and human services (18%), higher education (11%), and prisons and corrections (8%). This view holds true across political party lines, regions of the state, and among all racial and ethnic groups.

Where Californians are split is in their willingness to pay higher taxes to avoid proposed cuts in public school funding. Among all residents, 49 percent say they are willing to pay more, and 48 percent are not. Democrats (60%) are much more likely than independents (48%) or Republicans (33%) to agree to higher taxes. The divide is regional as well. A majority of San Francisco Bay Area residents (57%) are willing to pay more, but many in the Central Valley (52%) and Inland Empire (51%) are not.

“There is consensus on the problem and the need for resources,” Baldassare says. “But there’s no commitment to action.”

Support for specific tax proposals also varies, depending on who would be most affected. An increase in the top rate of income tax for the wealthiest state residents gets strong support, with 67 percent in favor. But a sales tax increase that would be felt by all residents draws strong opposition, with 63 percent against such a tax.

Californians also expect money to be spent more wisely on schools. While a majority (63%) believe that more money would lead to better schools, only 8 percent feel that money alone will improve education. A large majority (85%) say educational quality would improve if the state simply made better use of the money it spends on schools now.

Considering Californians’ negative views of state decisionmakers and positive views of their own public schools, it is no surprise that residents would prefer that spending decisions be made at the local level: 46 percent say local school districts should decide how state money is spent, and 34 percent say teachers and principals should. Just 15 percent say the state government should have most of the control.

But residents’ willingness to spend more money on their local schools is limited. Most (65%) would support a hypothetical bond measure to pay for a local school construction project if their district put it on the ballot, a type of measure that requires a 55 percent “yes” vote to pass. But asked if they would support a hypothetical proposal to raise property taxes to boost school funding, only 48 percent said yes — far short of the two-thirds majority required to pass a tax increase.

PERCEPTIONS AND GOALS: A RACIAL AND ETHNIC DIVIDE

While there’s overall agreement that the public school system needs major changes, racial and ethnic groups differ strongly in their perceptions of school quality and their beliefs about the goals of K-12 education. Blacks (72%) and whites (60%) are much more likely than Latinos (42%) and Asians (38%) to say that educational quality is a big problem.

Perceptions of the key problems in education vary across racial and ethnic groups, as well. Californians were asked to assess the relative importance of three education issues: the high school dropout rate, teacher quality, and teaching children with limited English language skills. Overall, seven in 10 (69%) say the dropout rate is a big problem, followed by teaching children with limited English skills (46%) and teacher quality (28%). But there are striking differences among groups.

· Latinos (84%) and blacks (80%) are much more likely than whites (61%) and Asians (51%) to view the dropout rate as a serious problem.

· More than half of blacks (53%) and whites (52%) say that teaching English learners is a big problem, while far fewer Latinos (41%) and Asians (32%) agree.

· Blacks (47%) are far more likely than Asians (30%), whites (27%), and Latinos (26%) to see teacher quality as a big problem.

What’s the most important goal of the public school system? It depends who you ask. College preparation is the top choice (35%) among adults overall, followed by preparation for the workforce (17%), and teaching the basics (15%) and teaching life skills (15%). But the results vary widely across demographic groups, with 61 percent of Latinos placing college preparation first, compared to 31 percent of Asians, 30 percent of blacks, and 21 percent of whites. Whites (22%) were as likely to list workforce preparation as the top goal.

SUPPORT FOR HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM BUT CONCERN ABOUT FAILURE RATE

Since 2006, high school students have had to pass the California High School Exit Exam to graduate, and most adults support this requirement. The high level of support for the exit exam this year (72%) has been consistent since the first time PPIC asked the question, in 2002. But that support is coupled with rising concern about the higher failure rates of students in lower-income areas.

The exit exam, which includes math and English language arts, is first given to students in grade 10. Students who fail either or both portions have five more chances to take the exam. In each of the first two years that the test has been required, over 90 percent of high school seniors passed. But differences among racial and ethnic groups persist, and economically disadvantaged students are less likely to pass the exam than their wealthier counterparts.

More than eight in 10 Californians are very concerned (50%) or somewhat concerned (34%) about the differences in failure rates, higher than a year ago (44% and 35%, respectively). Blacks (77%) and Latinos (60%) are especially likely to say they are very concerned.

One proposal to address the problem is to provide students who fail the exam with smaller English and math classes taught by fully credentialed teachers. Two-thirds of adults (66%) say they support the idea even if it costs the state more money. But that support has declined by 6 points (72%) since last year. While Democrats (73%) and independents (63%) favor it, Republicans are evenly split (49% in favor, 48% opposed).

MORE KEY FINDINGS

· Most Californians think schools in low-income areas have fewer resources – Page 18?Nearly eight in 10 Californians (78%) say schools in low-income areas have less money for teachers and classroom materials than those in wealthier areas, a finding that holds true across all regions, demographic groups, and political parties. If new money were available, a majority would spend more of it on low-income schools (72%) and schools with many English language learners or students with disabilities (63%) than on other schools.

· Residents value data on student and school performance – Page 25?Nearly nine in 10 residents (88%) say tracking performance is somewhat or very important, similar to last year’s findings (90%). But support for this goal has slipped among parents (from 65% to 58%). While a solid majority of adults favor spending more money on a better data system, support has fallen in this area as well, from 66 percent to 59 percent in favor.

· Most say art and music are important – Page 24?Strong majorities of Californians across political and demographic groups say the arts are very important (60%) or somewhat important (28%) in the school curriculum, which is in line with last year’s findings. Blacks (68%) are more likely than whites (64%), Latinos (58%), or Asians (50%) to say that art and music are very important.

ABOUT THE SURVEY

This edition of the PPIC Statewide Survey is part of a series supported by funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The intent of this series is to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about a variety of K-12, higher education, environment, and population issues. Findings are based on a telephone survey of 2,502 California adult residents. To account for the growing use of cell phones, this PPIC Statewide Survey for the first time incorporates interviews on cell phones along with those on landline phones. Interviews took place between April 8 and April 22, 2008. They were conducted in English, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Vietnamese, and Korean. The sampling error for the total sample is +/- 2% and for the 1,406 likely voters is +/- 3%. For more information on methodology, see page 29.

Mark Baldassareis president and CEO of PPIC, where he holds the Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Public Policy. He is founder of the PPIC Statewide Survey, which is now in its 10th year and has generated a database of responses from more than 180,000 Californians.

PPIC is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to informing and improving public policy in California through independent, objective, nonpartisan research on major economic, social, and political issues. The institute was established in 1994 with an endowment from William R. Hewlett. PPIC does not take or support positions on any ballot measure or on any local, state, or federal legislation, nor does it endorse, support, or oppose any political parties or candidates for public office.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has documented that obesity among school children in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LASUD) has increased from 20.2% in 1999 to 26.1%in 2006, going from 1 in 5 children being obese to over 1 in 4. The percentage of overweight school children has generally been increasing in the long term at a faster rate at LAUSD than at other school districts in Los Angeles County, and will soon hit 30% – almost 1 in 3 children obese — if LAUSD stands by and does nothing.

LAUSD does not enforce state physical education laws in public schools.

Learn more about the campaign with United Teachers of Los Angeles, The City Project, and others to help students move more, eat well, stay healthy, and do their best in school and in life.

Miguel Contreras wouldn’t like this

The Miguel Contreras Learning Complex is one of LAUSD’s newest, most gleaming schools — even if it did take Craigslist intervention to open the swimming pool to the public last summer. There was also the indignity of getting a six-lane running track instead of the usual eight, due to space limitations. Now comes the disclosure that the running track falls ten meters short of the promised (and traditional) 400. “Surprising wasn’t the word,” Athletic Director Rose Low told the Times’ Eric Sondheimer. “I almost passed out.”

Transit to Trails visited the Wishtoyo Foundation’s Chumash Demonstration Village Project in Malibu on April 26, 2008.

The Village will consist of the creation of an outdoor working Native American village on a four-acre site at Nicholas Canyon County Beach in Malibu, creating the only living Chumash cultural village of its kind in Southern California.

Transit to Trails takes inner city youth and their families and friends on fun mountain, beach, and Los Angeles River trips. The project teaches youth about water, land, wildlife, and cultural history — and the need to move more, eat well, stay healthy, and do their best in school and in life. Transit to Trails is a creative partnership between Anahuak Youth Association, The City Project, and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Although these children live only an hour from the mountains and beaches, many have never been there, because parents often work two or more jobs, and do not have access to cars or to information to plan trips. We are diversifying access to and support for mountains, beaches, and rivers — and having fun doing it!

Transit to Trails lleva a los niños de la ciudad y sus familias y amigos a las montañas, las playas, y al Río Los Angeles, con el fin de enriquecer su educación sobre la naturaleza, historia cultural, actividad física, y la nutrición saludable. Transit to Trails es un esfuerzo creativo entre Anahuak, The City Project, y Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Aunque estos niños viven sólo a una hora de las montañas y playas, muchos nunca han estado allí, porque los padres trabajan a menudo dos o más trabajos, y no tienen acceso a los automóviles o a la información para planear los viajes. Nosotros estamos diversificando el acceso y el apoyo para las montañas, playas, y ríos.

Click on the photograph to see more images of Transit to Trails.