OC Public Parks and Open Spaces Sacked by Conflicted County Leadership
By Tina Richards
The Orange County regional park system, created by 100 plus years of land grants, donations and tax-payer funded acquisition, is being undermined by the very agency charged to manage it, powerful land developers and a complacent Board of Supervisors. “Harbors, Beaches and Parks has become a bargaining chip for the county’s planning department,” says Manny Kiesser, a member of Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks (FHBP), a non-profit organization that advocates open space, trails, natural lands and conservation. “They are taking away your parks and giving them to developers.” “They” are the county’s Resources and Development Management Department (RDMD), an umbrella organization that took control of the park system in 2004 following a series of organizational changes that gave the county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks (HBP) less and less autonomy. In addition to parks, RDMD is responsible for planning and development. The agency’s priorities are often in direct conflict with the public’s desire for open space, trails and recreation. Friends of HBP is currently investigating a pattern of practice that has starved the park system of funding and focused on the needs of developers.
A Pattern of Practice
That pattern includes handing over parkland to The Irvine Company to accommodate runoff from its proposed Santiago Hills II development and allowing the Rancho Mission Viejo Company to build a golf course on land set aside as open space. RDMD reneged on its responsibility to require Rancho Mission Viejo to build its portion of the Arroyo Trabuco riding/hiking trail or fill gaps in the Trabuco Creek bikeway that cross two of its housing developments. Instead of requiring the Irvine Company to dedicate conservation easements to the county for a regional riding/hiking trail as an adjunct to its Anaheim Hills Mountain Park project, RDMD allowed the developer to dedicate easements to its own Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust. The county will, therefore, be unable to obtain easements to complete the Coal Canyon/Gypsum Canyon riding trail. Spurred on by Third District Supervisor Bill Campbell and Irvine Company CEO Donald Bren, RDMD gave the Boy Scouts of America private and separate access into and across Irvine Park leading to a future scout facility. In Peter’s Canyon Regional Park another Irvine Company drainage facility will require part of a popular hiking/riding trail to be paved over.
Cash Cow for OC Bankruptcy
HBP was set up as a special district funded by property taxes with assets kept separate from the County’s general fund. Following the 1994 Orange County bankruptcy, HBP lost its financial independence and was tapped to repay the debt. HBP contributes approximately $7.6 million per year. Entry fees paid by park visitors do not support the parks, they are diverted to the county general fund. As a result, parks are understaffed and minimally maintained. There is no margin for growth, acquisition of open space, new facilities or additional public outreach. What was once California’s premiere regional park system is now struggling to survive. There are approximately 55 rangers assigned to 39,000 acres of parkland. Historical and cultural landmarks are in disrepair; land donations are turned down because there are no resources to manage them; maintenance of buildings, grounds, roads, parking areas, trails, walls, campgrounds is deferred. In 2004, the Orange County Grand Jury investigated the plundering of the park system and recommended, among other things, that HBP be reestablished as a separate entity with its own dedicated budget and authority. “HBP’s status as a division of RDMD subjects it to an additional layer of bureaucracy and HBP funds are being used to subsidize RDMD overhead,” it stated. “Autonomy for HBP should be explored in light of the needs of the county.”
Supervisors Asked to Support Parks
About the same time, Friends of HBP produced a position paper asking the Board of Supervisors to consider a similar approach. The group asked the Board to “reestablish a culture where the value of parks is recognized and supported in county government, allowing park staff to work as an independent yet collaborative branch.” Following the Grand Jury report and Friends letter, HBP was tasked to produce a new strategic plan outlining its goals and mission. The county hired an outside consultant to manage the process; a series of public meetings were held, park employees were canvassed for ideas, a committee of stakeholders (individuals active in parks, recreation and open space issues) was formed to brainstorm an updated approach to county parks. Each group identified HBP autonomy as the number one issue. A draft strategic plan completed in November 2006, recommended the county (Board of Supervisors) separate HBP from RDMD. HBP Director Kevin Thomas had remained a neutral participant in the separation discussions. It did, however, fall to him to present the draft plan and note the public demand for an independent HBP.
The Wrong Answer
Thomas was fired two weeks later. “We were essentially told to sit down and shut up,” says Alice Sorenson, a member of the Stakeholders Committee and vice president of FHBP. “The whole strategic planning process was ignored because we didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear.” Not only is county management intent on ignoring the findings of the grand jury, the recommendations of park stakeholders, the wishes of park users and the original mission of HBP, it is looking to degrade the park system further by either giving recreational resources to city jurisdictions or hiring a contractor to manage open spaces. The contractor currently lobbying for the job is the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve Trust, a division of the county’s largest land developer, the Irvine Company.
To help protect OC public parkland, you may contact Friends of Harbors, Beaches and Parks by visiting its website at www.fhbp.org and following the links to contact information. Or call 949-399-3669.
Taken from The Foothills Sentry http://www.foothillssentry.com/