Parks and Recreation requests ongoing staffing and $3M for deferred maintenance after Eaton fire damage

Norma E. Garcia Gonzalez, director of Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, told supervisors the department's FY 2025–26 budget requests focus on staff safety, prevention programs for youth, restoring aquatics staffing and addressing a growing structural deficit driven by utility and contract cost increases. The department asked the board for multiple items of ongoing net county cost including $4,500,000 for homeless initiatives and quality of life activities, $1,700,000 to continue subsidized youth sports and prevention programming, $1,660,000 to backfill lifeguard positions and $3,000,000 in funding to address priority deferred maintenance and theft/vandalism repairs.

The Eaton and Hughes wildfires damaged multiple Altadena parks, Garcia Gonzalez said: 21 park structures were fully lost and seven were damaged; the department lost animal ambassadors from Eaton Canyon Nature Center, more than 200 acres of habitat, hundreds of trees and many miles of trails. "Care camps served 2,700 youth, 36,000 meals," Garcia Gonzalez said, describing parks’ emergency care camp work and partnership with Department of Mental Health and county lifeguards to serve youth displaced by the fire.

Why it matters: Parks runs 80 facilities countywide, logged more than 50 million visits last year and serves as cooling and emergency centers. Garcia Gonzalez warned the department faces a projected structural utilities deficit (estimated utility costs rising from a $19M budget to $28M in the next fiscal year), theft and vandalism costs, and deferred maintenance for aging infrastructure dating back to Works Progress Administration era parks.

Key requests and program notes - Staff safety: $2,400,000 ongoing request to continue 138 part‑time recreation staff assigned to evening coverage so two staff can close every park at night. - Prevention and youth programs: $1,700,000 ongoing to subsidize youth sports and expand prevention and "care first" programming; department said sports participation increased from about 5,000 youth (pre‑COVID) to 22,000 this year. - Aquatics: $1,660,000 request to restore 104 lifeguards and 52 pool locker room attendants previously funded by one‑time ARPA dollars. - Urban tree canopy: a request for $7.9M in ongoing NCC for urban canopy enhancement and related climate resilience initiatives (shade structures, transit corridor shade). - Deferred maintenance: $3,000,000 request to address priority deferred maintenance and urgent emergency repairs (including copper theft at Magic Johnson Park that cost an estimated $350,000).

Fire damage and recovery work Garcia Gonzalez described Altadena parks closures and the department’s FEMA damage assessment process, saying consultants are finalizing damage estimates and the department is working with the LA County Parks Foundation and philanthropic partners on rebuilding. The department said some parks will remain closed while assessments and repairs proceed, which will reduce facility rental and program revenue.

Supervisors’ questions focused on lifeguard hiring capacity, long‑term utility cost control (lighting retrofits, pool covers, HVAC replacements and recycled water connections), volunteer and conservation corps partnerships for brush clearance and tree work, and the feasibility of sustaining programs now paid with ARPA or other one‑time funds. Garcia Gonzalez said the department has been developing a five‑year capital and maintenance plan and is preparing a study to quantify parks' deferred maintenance needs and options for funding ongoing operations when new parks come online.

Ending: Garcia Gonzalez said the department will provide the board with finalized damage and reimbursement estimates for Altadena parks by the end of the month and continue working with supervisors’ offices and philanthropic partners to accelerate rebuilding.