GRIFFITH PARK: a beautiful work in progress

Councilmember LaBonge has a few years left to accomplish his goals for the betterment of Griffith Park. To that end, he has identified 18 objectives for Griffith Park before 2015. Read on to see the text of a letter Tom sent to Barry Sanders, the President of the Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners on March 23, 2011 ... not long after his re-election to a third term in office.

"... My number one goal is to assist the Mayor and the City Council through this very challenging economic period. With that stated goal as a starting point, it is clear that changes must be implemented to move park improvements forward in this difficult time. Here are my key objectives for Griffith Park: 1. Complete the process of the Vision Plan and have it adopted by your commision after a full community review; 2. Open the access to the Giffith Observatory parking lot through both the east and west roadways; 3. Name a Chief Park Ranger for Griffith Park who is selected by the City Personnel Department and the Recreation and Parks Department. For the last several years the department has had an 'acting' chief ranger or a supervisor 'on loan' from General Services Office of Public Safety; 4. Work through the Los Angeles Parks Foundation, the Friends of the Observatory, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, the Friends of Griffith Park, and the many other "Friends" groups to enhance the public-private partnerships that are much-needed in this time of limited funding; 5. Work with the Recreation and Parks Department and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to distribute reclaimed water to many more areas of the park, including Vermont, Bronson and Western Canyons, Roosevelt Golf Course and Bette Davis Park; 6. Work with the Recreation and Parks Department and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to extend the reclaimed and re-circulated water to the Historic Bird Sanctuary area and the very historic Fern Dell area of Western Canyon; 7. Work with the Recreation and Parks Department and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to expedite the current and very important construction of the River Supply Conduit through Griffith Park; 8. Continue to work with the Trust for Public Land and Recreation and Parks Department and the LA DWP to expand Griffith Park to the Lake Hollywood Area and Cahuenga Pass; 9. Work with the Recreation and Parks Department and the Bureau of Sanitation on the closing of the Toyon Canyon Landfill, the restoration of the Toyon Stream, the establishment of the natural area and the establishment of an equestrian trail through the area and vista points; 10. Continue to work with the Recreation and Parks Department, the Department of Public Works and the Bureau of Engineering on a variety of projects on the Los Angeles River and park expansion and the Atwater Multi-Modal Bridge; 11. Work with the Recreation and Parks Department and the Live Steamers to enhance the facility; 12. Work with the Recreation and Parks Department and the Travel Town Museum Foundation to enhance the facility; 13. Work with the Trust for Public Land, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Recreation and Parks Department to develop funding mechanisms to raise dollars for land acquisitions for Griffith Park and adjacent communities; 14. Work with the Recreation and Parks Department and the community on a variety of projects, such as restoring the historic Griffith Park Pool and Building; 15. Identify sites for active recreation and playgrounds; 16. Work with the Recreation and Parks Department and the Autry National Center to enhance the facility and its mission; 17. Work with the Recreation and Parks Department and the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens to enhance the facility and its mission; 18. Work with all parties to restore the historic Commonwealth Nursery and develop an education center.

I look forward to working with you, department staff and the community to achieve these worthy goals. In addition, even though I stopped at 18 goals, there may be a few more in the future."