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Rec and Parks warns of 192 position cuts, seeks offsets and asks council to exempt department from prioritized hiring
Summary
The Department of Recreation and Parks said the mayor’s proposed FY 2025–26 budget would eliminate 192 full‑time positions and cut roughly $5.8 million in expenses, and proposed a $9.2 million reduction in part‑time spending to restore critical staffing while asking the council to exempt RAP from the PCH hiring restrictions.
Jimmy Kim, general manager of the Department of Recreation and Parks, told the Budget and Finance Committee the mayor’s proposed fiscal plan would eliminate 192 full‑time positions (about $14.7 million in salary authority) and cut about $5.8 million in expense funding (overtime, hiring hall, supplies), totaling a roughly $20 million reduction to RAP’s budget as transmitted.
Kim and senior staff said the deletion affects core services—park maintenance, aquatics, recreation center operations, park rangers and construction— and that 11 of the deleted positions are currently filled and could trigger layoffs if not restored. Kim proposed offsets the department believes can be achieved without drawing on the general fund: a proposed $9.2 million reduction to as‑needed and part‑time salaries that would free funds to partially restore full‑time critical positions and avoid layoffs. The department asked the council to consider exempting RAP from the city’s prioritized critical hiring (PCH) process—similar to the library—because the department’s charter appropriation and self‑generated revenues will fully reimburse costs the mayor’s proposed budget would no longer subsidize.
The committee and RAP also discussed the department’s childcare centers: Kim said the mayor’s transmittal clarifies that city‑run childcare sites will remain open while the department runs an RFP to identify contractors to operate centers moving forward. Staff said they will seek a seamless transition and stronger communications with families and staff; councilmembers asked for reports on proposed contract terms, enrollment and how awarded operators will be held to maintenance and upkeep requirements so federally funded refurbishments endure.
On capital and long‑term revenue, RAP described a citywide park‑needs assessment funded in last year’s budget to inform a successor to Proposition K; that assessment will continue through the end of the calendar year and programmatic outreach is planned. RAP said its ARPA‑funded capital projects (about 75 projects) are in construction and planned for delivery by summer 2026 and that the department will seek next‑generation park funding to avoid a capital maintenance gap when Proposition K sunsets.
Councilmembers requested multiple follow‑ups: a CAO memo analyzing RAP’s offset proposal and its operational impact; a special study on possible charter changes or successor measures to Proposition K and options for a new parks funding measure; a memo listing which full‑time position restorations RAP would prioritize (the department agreed to return that); a budget memo on maintenance turnaround times and a study of monetization opportunities on RAP‑owned property (weddings, corporate events, camping) alongside policy/legal changes that would remove barriers (sign and permit changes) so RAP can generate revenue.
Kim and staff also asked the committee to prioritize reconciliation of FEMA and OES reimbursements to the department’s special funds after emergency responses, and the committee instructed RAP to return with requested memos and a schedule for the childcare RFP process.
