The outcome of Proposition P and results of the comprehensive Parks Needs Assessment (PNA) led to the draft of the Safe, Clean Neighborhood Park, Open Space, Beaches, River Protection, and Water Conservation Measure of 2016 (Measure A Resolution). The goal of Measure A was to replace the expiring Proposition A to ensure that parks, open spaces, beaches, and waterways were built and protected for future generations. Developing Measure A was a team-driven effort at RPOSD spearheaded by the District Administrator at the time. The resolution explicitly called for lowering the barriers to grant applications by facilitating equitable access to grant funding supporting open spaces. Furthermore, Measure A included provisions to protect rate-payers with the introduction to the Citizens Oversight Advisory Board, selected by the Board of Supervisors, in its capacity as governing body of the District, to provide outside accountability for the use of Measure A funds and ensure that the Measure is fulfilling the will of the voters to improve County residents’ quality of life as it is intended.
Measure A was drafted to meet current and future park needs, and the resolution addresses the inequity reflected in the findings of the PNA. The PNA provided documentation of existing parks and recreation facilities in cities and unincorporated communities to be used as data to determine the scope, scale, and location of neighborhood park needs in Los Angeles County. This collaborative effort led to the formation of study areas determined by High and Very High Park Need, guiding multiple significant aspects in the formulation and design of Measure A towards park equity, including its needs-based hybrid approach to funding through formula-based allocations and competitive grants.