Rec & Parks warns of layoffs and service cuts; seeks to preserve childcare, maintenance and a successor to Prop K

The Department of Recreation and Parks told the City Budget and Finance Committee on May 2 that the mayor's proposed budget would eliminate 192 full-time positions and reduce expense funding by about $5.8 million, a package the department said would sharply curtail core services from park maintenance to aquatics and youth programs.

Why this matters: Recreation and Parks operates more than 400 facilities and programs that provide recreation, childcare, open-space maintenance and community services. Reductions in staffing and expense accounts would affect program availability, maintenance response times and services for low-income communities.

Department summary and alternate proposal: General Manager Jimmy Kim said the deletions equate to about $20 million in reductions; 11 of the eliminated positions are filled and could trigger displacement or layoffs. As an alternative the department proposed reducing part-time and "as-needed" salary budgets by $9.2 million to restore critical full-time positions without increasing the general-fund subsidy. Kim asked the committee to consider exempting the RAP charter appropriation from the city's prioritized critical hiring (PCH) process, similar to the library, because Rec and Parks argued the department's funding model depends on the charter allocation and self-generated revenues.

Childcare centers and procurement of outside operators: The department is running an RFP to move some city-run childcare centers to outside providers while keeping centers open during transition. Councilmembers sought specifics about the financial impact on families, contracting timing and whether centers would maintain subsidized slots. The department said federal ARPA funds were used to refurbish facilities and that lease terms for outside providers would be structured to keep site rent low. Committee members asked for a memo on likely contract terms, fee structure for families and communications plans for affected families.

Park needs assessment and a successor to Prop K: Kim and staff described a citywide parks needs assessment in process that will inform a future parks funding measure to succeed Proposition K. The assessment includes public outreach and will conclude later in the calendar year; staff said the earliest realistic ballot timeline would be November 2026. Committee members asked to accelerate outreach and to ensure the new measure addresses maintenance funding gaps seen under the original Prop K.

Maintenance and disaster reimbursements: Members asked about the department's ability to use FEMA or other disaster trust funds to reimburse responses for emergencies (for example wildfire response costs). Department staff said they will reconcile and seek to deposit disaster-reimbursement funds back to departmental special funds and requested a quarterly reconciliation of disaster trust fund reimbursements tied to Rec and Parks obligations.

Council requests and next steps: The committee requested memos and special studies, including: a budget memo on restoring specific full-time positions the department proposed to bring back using reduced part-time budgets; a special study to explore a charter amendment to adjust the RAP funding formula; a report on childcare RFP timing, projected family fees and subsidy structure; and a parks-needs assessment update intended to inform a 2026 ballot measure. Kim said the department will return with the requested details and emphasized that the proposed cuts risked service reductions that would disproportionately affect low-income neighborhoods.

What to watch: The parks needs assessment and potential successor ballot measure will be central to long-term capital and maintenance funding. The committee also flagged the department's request to be exempt from PCH as part of budget negotiations.