With security bills topping $20,000 a month and millions spent on encampment cleanups, LA’s parks budget is being drained-leaving little for long-promised upgrades or community use.
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles spends tens of millions of dollars each year to maintain its parks-but much of that money isn’t going toward playgrounds, landscaping, or community programs. Instead, city records show a significant portion of park funding is being diverted to private security and post-encampment cleanups, as public spaces increasingly become ground zero in the city’s homelessness crisis.
A recent Westside Current investigation uncovered a troubling pattern across the city : small parks-including Venice Centennial of America, Del Rey Lagoon, Poinsettia, and Laurel Grove-have undergone costly renovations after encampments were removed. Yet none of those expenses were covered by the city’s homelessness programs, despite the damage being directly tied to unhoused residents…