As Proposition A’s term end date approached, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (BOS) anticipated the loss of its funding and placed Proposition P – Safe Neighborhood Parks Tax Measure on the November 2014 general election ballot. Proposition P proposed authorizing RPOSD to levy a special parcel tax for 30 years to continue the work of the sun-setting Proposition A. Although a majority of voters supported the measure (62%), Proposition P required a two-thirds (66.6 %) approval to pass and ultimately did not succeed.
The process that led to the placement of Measure P on the ballot had several shortcomings, including a short time frame following the BOS’ approval of the ballot measure for the education of and consideration by the voters, and the absence of a substantial analysis of the needs that the additional revenue would address.
Understanding the critical importance of park and recreation funding in the County, the BOS passed a motion in November 2014 directing the Los Angeles County Chief Executive Office and Department of Parks and Recreation to develop a plan to produce a comprehensive countywide parks and recreation needs assessment. The plan was approved by the BOS in February 2015, with a $3.5 million budget. The Countywide Comprehensive Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment (PNA) was finalized and presented to the BOS on May 9, 2016.
The PNA was an 18-month process that garnered detailed information from all 88 cities and unincorporated areas within Los Angeles County about the quality of local parks, current access to parks and recreation facilities, and overall park needs. The process included public meetings and lists of priority projects developed by members of each community. The collected data and documentation helped determine the scope, scale, and location of neighborhood park needs in Los Angeles County, which served a fundamental role in the subsequent introduction of Measure A two years later. While the PNA was groundbreaking, it did not inventory existing public recreational lands and amenities from a regional perspective. This crucial shortcoming was addressed in a Board Motion four years later.