Press Release: LA City Controller Releases First-Ever Park Report Cards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Los Angeles, CA — September 13, 2017

Los Angeles City Controller Ron Galperin today released the first-ever comprehensive report cards grading 40 of the city's community parks on facilities, cleanliness, customer service, safety, and restroom conditions. The full results are available at ParkGrade.LA.

About the Report Card Initiative

Controller Galperin retained KH Consulting Group, USC faculty, and the RAND Corporation to conduct independent evaluations of 40 of Los Angeles's 95 designated community parks. The evaluation included multiple site visits, professional assessments, and a community survey of more than 3,700 park users across the city.

"Our parks are so important to our quality of life, providing recreational outlets for all ages, much-needed green space and venues for community-building," said Controller Galperin. "I hope city leaders will use my report card to drive improvements at city parks to better serve all Angelenos."

Key Findings

The evaluation measured parks across eight categories including athletic fields, children's play areas, indoor gyms, park cleanliness, drinking fountains, customer service, safety, and restroom conditions. Overall grades averaged A and B across most categories — but restrooms stood out as a significant area of concern.

• Restrooms received an overall C grade citywide
• Sixteen parks received D or F grades for their bathrooms
• Indoor gyms and customer service scored highest, receiving A grades
• MacArthur Park in Westlake received the lowest overall grade: C-minus
• North Hollywood Park and Delano Park also scored poorly on restroom cleanliness
• Palisades Recreation Center earned the highest overall grade: A-minus
• Westwood, Culver Slauson, and Jim Gilliam parks all received overall A ratings

The Restroom Problem

Evaluators examined 67 restrooms across 39 parks. While indoor restrooms were generally cleaner and better maintained, exterior and field restrooms were frequently found to be "poorly maintained and foul-smelling." The disparity in restroom quality often determined the difference between an A and a C overall park grade.

Controller Galperin's report identified a lack of staffing as a primary obstacle to improving restroom conditions. Over the past nine years, park maintenance funding was cut by $81 million, and staffing was reduced from 2,117 to 1,421 employees. These cuts directly impacted the ability to keep restrooms clean, functional, and safe for park visitors.

The plumbing infrastructure in many park restrooms also needs attention — aging pipes, inadequate drainage systems, and deferred maintenance have left many facilities in a deteriorated state that cleaning alone cannot address.

Geographic Disparities

One of the most significant findings in the report was the geographic disparity in park quality. Parks in the Westside and west San Fernando Valley consistently scored higher than those in East Los Angeles, downtown, and areas south of downtown. The report notes that lower-income communities tend to have parks with lower grades — a reflection of systemic underfunding and unequal distribution of city resources.

Parks in the East Valley and Eastside received lower grades on average, while Westside parks like Westwood, Culver Slauson, and Jim Gilliam all achieved A-level overall grades.

Recommendations

Based on the evaluation findings, Controller Galperin recommended that the Department of Recreation and Parks:

• Revise its regional organizational structure to more effectively coordinate facility maintenance
• Transition from a "do the best you can" approach to a data-driven, professional maintenance system
• Increase the frequency of restroom inspections and cleaning, especially at high-traffic parks
• Explore additional funding sources for maintenance and infrastructure upgrades
• Make the park report card a recurring annual evaluation

View the Full Results

The complete park report cards, survey data, and full evaluation methodology are available through ParkGrade.LA. Explore individual park report cards, review the community survey results, or download the complete 400-page report for the full picture of LA park conditions.

For individual park grades, including Sun Valley Park Recreation Center and Pan Pacific Park, visit the dedicated report card pages on this site.