Lower Los Angeles River Recreation and Park District
City Council Meeting – April 5, 2022
1 • Challenge: Lack of coordination and resources to expand access to park space and programming along the Lower Los Angeles River. • Solution: State legislation enacted to authorize the formation of the Lower Los Angeles River Recreation and Park District.
• Purpose: Coordinate park development projects, programming, and funding across City boundaries.
• Process: The Rivers & Mountains Conservancy is coordinating the effort to form the District through the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) process, within the next few months.
Background
2 3 Members of the public
appointed by the Los Angeles
County Board of Supervisors
14 Member Cities with
jurisdiction along the Lower Los
Angeles River and Rio Hondo
17 Board Members
District Board Representation and Territory
3 • Improved interjurisdictional coordination and programming (e.g., the River Ranger Program)
• Strengthen regional partnerships
• Funding opportunities for operations and maintenance, in addition to acquisition and park development:
o Joint grant applications
o Philanthropy
o Public-private partnerships
o Tax or fee transfer
Potential Advantages of the District
4 • The RMC committed funding and administrative support to form the District through LAFCO and setup the initial Governing Board. • The fiscal model of the District will be determined by the Governing Board, once established, and will likely involve funding and minimal staffing impacts for member entities.
• Cities will ultimately retain local control over their projects along the Lower Los Angeles River and will have final decisionmaking authority. • Long Beach will have one vote on the Board, despite representing nearly one-third of the geographic area of the District, and should advocate to have a weighted vote like other regional Board models.
Next Steps
5 • Approve Resolution supporting the formation of the Lower Los Angeles River Recreation and Park District through the LAFCO process. • Recommend further advocating for more equitable Board representation for Long Beach based on population and geographic territory, especially for fiscal policy decisions made by the Board. • If approved, the Resolution will be filed with the Local Agency Formation Commission.
Staff Recommendation
6 Thank you!
7