If you’re looking to have some fun at Los Angeles County parks this summer, budget cuts might limit your options.
Beginning on June 30, six regional parks will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays:
- Castaic
- Frank G. Bonelli
- Kenneth Hahn
- Peter F. Schabarum
- Santa Fe Dam
- Whittier Narrows
Lakes at these parks will be closed to fishing, swimming and boating on Mondays and Tuesdays as well.
Additionally, swimming pools will only be open for 11 weeks — not 23 weeks — this summer. They’ll now close on Aug. 16.
These and other changes are required because of budget cuts, said Norma E. García-González, director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation.
“As federal, state, city, and local governments face budget cuts, so will Los Angeles County Departments, including LA County Parks,” García-González wrote in a letter to the parks community. “Specifically, LA County Parks is facing a substantial $22.2 million budget reduction. To address this significant budget reduction, we have made some difficult but necessary decisions to continue our stewardship of parklands and provide core and safety-net programs that our youth, families, seniors, and communities depend on.”
LAist attributed those budget cuts to a variety of factors, including reduced federal funding and the impacts of January’s wildfires, as well as a $4 billion settlement for victims of sexual abuse.
The budget cuts will also impact some events, fees and other aspects of parks and programming. For more information, check out the department’s operations plan.
