Hacienda la Puente Unified board forms joint authority with La Pointe to pursue park grants

Hacienda la Puente Unified School District trustees voted July 27 to approve a Joint Exercise of Powers Agreement (JPA) with the City of La Pointe to explore converting portions of closed school sites into public green space and apply for Land and Water Conservation Fund grants.

The special-session vote approved Resolution No. 25 2025-2026-1 to form the La Pointe Open Space and Conservation Authority. The motion passed on a 3–1 roll call, with two trustees absent. Board President Serrano nominated herself and Trustee Adriana Kones to represent the district on the new JPA.

Supporters said the partnership creates a time-limited legal mechanism to pursue grant funding that could provide up to about $6 million per site. "This application is due August 5th," Omar Hernandez, grant writer for the city of La Pointe, told the board, adding the LWCF grants require a 50% match and that the city is seeking funding strategies so the district would not be required to pay the match.

Trustees and city officials emphasized that forming the JPA is an initial step that does not itself transfer district property. A city representative and district counsel explained that the district would retain ownership unless a future, separate transfer were negotiated and approved. "The JPA in and of itself does not result in the transfer of property," the district counsel said during the discussion.

Dissenting trustees warned the timing and incomplete documentation posed legal and procedural risks. Trustee Loa raised a series of legal questions, asking whether the final JPA text had been posted for public review, whether statutory advisory committees required under Education Code prior to surplus or repurposing (often referenced as the "7‑Eleven" advisory process) had been convened, whether an environmental (CEQA/SEQ) determination was needed, and whether a fiscal-impact analysis had been provided.

"I have legal concerns," Trustee Loa said during the debate, and she voted against the motion. District counsel acknowledged uncertainties and advised that many of the outstanding questions would be addressed in subsequent agreements or review steps should the JPA pursue grant applications.

Board President Serrano framed the vote as consistent with the meeting's land-acknowledgement and community values, saying preservation of green space would benefit children and families and that legal reviews had not identified unlawful actions. "By preserving these properties in perpetuity, we are respecting the native and indigenous peoples of this land," she said.

What the vote does and does not do: the approval authorizes the district to enter the JPA with the city so the joint entity can pursue funding and plan protected green-space components. The vote did not by itself change property titles, enact deed restrictions, or obligate the district to accept grant awards. Any transfer of property or acceptance of grant funds that would impose permanent deed restrictions would require additional approvals and legal processes.

Next steps: city staff and the grant writer said they will continue preparing LWCF applications with a target filing deadline of August 5; district and city staff indicated they will negotiate subsequent agreements and provide additional legal and fiscal information back to the board. Trustee Loa and other trustees asked for clearer written answers on posting of final documents, the advisory committee process, CEQA implications, and explicit fiscal-impact analyses before further binding commitments are made.

Action taken: Resolution No. 25 2025-2026-1 approved forming the La Pointe Open Space and Conservation Authority (JPA) with a roll call result recorded as three yes, one no, and two absences. The board nominated Board President Serrano and Trustee Adriana Kones to serve as the district's representatives on the JPA pending the board's usual appointment procedures.

The board moved on to other business after the vote; public commenters and multiple trustees emphasized a desire for continued community engagement on site-specific proposals and for future legal and fiscal detail to be provided to the full board before site transfers or grant-acceptance steps proceed.