Newsletter
Fall 2005
City Controller Audit Reveals L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks Fees Disparities
 Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick recently released the first of three audits of the Department of Recreation and Parks. Program fees for the same recreational services vary among facilities throughout Los Angeles. A Los Angeles Daily News editorial called the system of park fees “discriminatory, capricious and just plain sleazy.” The audit exposed a lack of oversight of the Municipal Recreation Fund, which is supposed to cover direct costs of providing programs but which has accumulated $21 million. According to the audit, “those monies are not always used for their intended purposes.” The Department has also failed to transfer over $2 million from the revenues of its Pershing Square parking operations to programs for youth who live in the downtown area. The Mayor has asked the General Manager of Recreation and Parks to develop a plan to address the issues Controller Chick raised. Two additional audits of Recreation and Parks focusing on facility maintenance and recreational services and programs will be released in January 2006.
The City Project is organizing a diverse and growing coalition of organizations to support our efforts to reform Recreation and Parks on a system-wide basis. We are willing to work with the Mayor if possible and have asked for a meeting to begin the process.
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