Mgm't/Mayor FY16 Budget Doesn't Propose Funding For "Park Patrol" (At Bixby Park/Chittick Field), It Was City Hall's FY15 Cheaper Alternative (Wearing Colored T-Shirts, Carrying Cell Phones) To Park Rangers
City Staff Says It's Evaluating Park Patrol; Without Knowing If Evaluation Results Are Satisfactory Or Not, Lowenthal Asks If Evaluation Will Include How Much Continuing "Park Patrol" Would Cost
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(Aug. 13, 2015, 2:20 p.m.) -- A midnight hour City Council discussion (Aug 11 meeting into Aug. 12) disclosed that the city management proposed/Mayor Garcia recommended FY16 budget doesn't include funding for a "Park Patrol" program at Bixby Park, which was city management's FY15 cheaper alternative to "Park Rangers" that taxpayers previously received in a number of city parks, including Bixby Park.
The cheaper management-offered "Park Patrol" (a Parks/Rec employee wearing a different colored T-shirt and carrying a cell phone) was supported at the time by Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal who declined to support a request from the presidents of 14 LB neighborhood associations to fund two additional Park Rangers citywide, citing issues at a number of parks, including Bixby Park in Lowenthal's Council district.
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Responding to news of the FY16 proposed budget developments, a LB parks advocate comments to LBREPORT.com: "14 neighborhood associations signed a letter asking for public safety at their local parks. City Council ignored it. No one at Parks and Rec supported it. Problems with public drug use and drug dealing still continue at our city parks."
The FY16 budget proposed by city management and recommended by Mayor Garcia would eliminate the T-shirt-wearing/cellphone carrying Park Patrol at Bixby Park and Chittick Field; a Council majority can vote to fund the "Park Patrol" employees or restore some Park Rangers or approve a combination of Rangers/Park Patrol employees.
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During Aug. 11-12, 2015 Council colloquy, Vice Mayor Lowenthal didn't voice support for restoring Park Rangers but inquired again about funding Park Patrol. Parks & Rec's interim director, Stephen Scott, acknowledged no continuing funding had been proposed for "Park Patrol" since what the Council (including Lowenthal) voted for last year was a one year pilot program. Lowenthal replied that "it wasn't intended just to have a pilot program and then it goes away" to which Mr. Scott said his staff is in the process of completing the evaluation of the pilot program. Without knowing if the evaluation would show if Park Patrol had been satisfactory or not, Vice Mayor Lowenthal asked if the evaluation would include "how much it would cost per park to continue a program like that [Park Patrol] or to continue it at whatever recommended level" staff might suggest; Mr Scott said "yes" and Vice Mayor Lowenthal said she'd appreciate it.
Amnesia File
On Sept. 5, 2014, the Council's Public Safety Committee (Price [chair], Austin; Mungo) heard detailed testimony from park public safety advocate Claudia Schou who cited multiple examples of crime, gang activity, drug sales and use and other repulsive conditions in a number of LB parks citywide [undenied by LBPD or Parks & Rec staff]. After roughly 50 minutes of discussion (in which chair Price allowed Ms. Schou beyond the minimum three podium minutes to speak and respond to staff and Committee statements), the Committee voted 3-0 to "receive and file" -- take no action on -- Ms. Schou's request that the Council budget two additional Park Rangers to address "hot spots" in parks citywide.
To hear on-demand exactly what was said [summarized in text below], click here.
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Three days earlier on September 2, 2014, the Council took up the FY15 budget. During Council discussion, Vice Mayor Lowenthal declined to support budgeting additional park rangers and instead voiced support for a recently launched management-created "Park Patrol" program that she described as a "security" program and management likened to DLBA's "downtown guides." Under management's "Park Patrol" program, roughly a dozen Parks and Rec staffers [in their early 20s, trained by LBPD and wearing special red shirts] patrol Bixby Park and Chittick Field for several weekend hours to observe conditions, ask individuals creating problems to stop their behavior. Park Patrol staffers then call police if the troublesome conduct persists.
On Aug. 19, the Council's Budget Oversight Committee (Lowenthal, O'Donnell, Mungo) voted 3-0 to "receive and file" (take no action on) a city management report which indicated that restoring Park Rangers (beyond the current 3.5 now budgeted) would cost between $75,000 to $96,000 per Ranger annually.
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On or before Sept. 15, the Council is required to enact a FY16 budget or the City Manager's proposed budget goes into effect. Council approved budget items are subject to a Mayoral veto that six Councilmembers can override.
