Cerritos council narrowly approves policy changes to regain Measure A park funding eligibility

The Cerritos City Council voted 3–2 on Sept. 25 to direct staff to change reservation and fee policies at Cerritos Park East and Liberty Park 2, effective Oct. 15, 2025, to comply with Los Angeles County Measure A nondiscrimination requirements and restore eligibility for Measure A funding.

Community & Cultural Services Director Annie Hilton told the council staff had been advised the citys resident-priority reservation and reduced-fee policies mean Cerritos is currently "not in good standing" with the county, which would disqualify the city from receiving some formula allocations and competitive Measure A grants. Hilton said the city stands to forfeit $1,858,819 currently available to Cerritos and that roughly $58 million in competitive Measure A funding will be available countywide in 2025 for eligible jurisdictions.

Staff outlined the specific policy changes county officials require: concurrent reservation access for residents and nonresidents for meeting rooms and picnic shelters at Cerritos Park East; equal reservation access for nonresidents to athletic fields at Cerritos Park East; and uniform fee structures (residents and nonresidents charged the same rates) for classes and programs at the affected facilities, including some popular programs such as adaptive recreation and preschool classes.

Councilmembers debated the trade-offs. Councilmember Mark Pulido and Mayor Pro Tem Linda Johnson supported the changes, arguing the city would use Measure A funds to expedite repairs—particularly the Heritage Park Play Island renovation included in the citys adopted CIP with a $1,000,000 allocation—and to pursue future competitive grants. Johnson urged the council to prioritize Heritage Park and asked staff to pursue an aggressive construction timeline.

Councilmembers Sophia Se and Jennifer Hong opposed the policy change, saying the current priority reservation and lower-fee structure benefits Cerritos residents who pay local parcel taxes and worried that opening access and raising resident fees could reduce resident access to facilities and programs. They asked staff to research alternative state and federal funding and to consider postponement rather than policy change.

City Attorney Grama Lee advised that city officials are required to follow state and county guidelines for grant-funded facilities and that certain Measure A funding conditions may require covenants that run with the land to ensure nondiscrimination. City Manager Robert Lopez said staff could move quickly to implement the policy changes if the council approved them and that the county extended the compliance deadline to Oct. 15.

The motion to direct staff to change the city's reservation and class policies (recommendation 2B in the staff report) passed on a 3–2 vote. The council approved the consent calendar (except item 7C) later in the evening and voted 5–0 on the remainder of the consent items.