She points out the unique and vital job the Park Rangers fulfill as they are tasked with specific duties for which they are specifically trained.
As Los Angeles seeks to come to terms with its budget problems one of the vulnerable groups of current City employees is the Park Rangers, and a series of meeting are planned that may well help determine their fate.
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TOPICS on Thursday, October 8:
Urgent: CD4 Park Ranger Meeting Tomorrow at 6 pm
Griffith Park Users and Neighbors:
In response to negative public reaction, Councilmember LaBonge has called a meeting to discuss a Rec & Parks memo dated October 5, 2009 announcing substantive changes in Park Ranger duties effective October 25. The changes range from personnel reassignments including Chief Park Ranger, to changes in working hours, to changes/reductions in patrol and peace officer functions.
Over the past year, the Rec & Parks Department and City officials have been asked in writing by several organizations and groups to please dialogue with the community about any potential changes to the Park Rangers Division. Instead, community members who attended the October 6th Arts, Parks, Health & Aging Council Committee hearing to be speak on the coyote issue and to learn if the City was contemplating any changes in the Rangers' status were blindsided by the proposals and objected vigorously on the spot to their content and unilateral nature.
Please attend this "last minute"-- although it should not be -- meeting to talk about the community's desires in connection with the Park Ranger Division.
Thursday, October 8 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at: Citibank Second Floor 1965 N. Hillhurst Avenue
The departmental memo and meeting flyer are both attached:
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Park Ranger Memo
10-08-09 Dept.Rec & Parks Meeting
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Thanks,
Bernadette Soter
Parks, River and Open Space Committee (PROS)
Greater Griffith Park Neighborhood Council (GGPNC)
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TOPICS on Tuesday, October 6:
There are three important Park Ranger issues on Tuesday morning's Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee agenda, items # 2,3,4. Please send in your public comment to the email addresses listed below before Monday evening.
The pertinent portions of the agenda are included below, and the full agenda is attached.
Agenda items:
 ITEM (2) = Status of Ranger program (read this as: the Future of Ranger program! ) (CF# 09-2253)
ITEM (3) = Status of a Park Ranger Reserve program (CF# 09-0399)
ITEM (4) = Status of a Ranger Explorer program (CF# 09-0395) |
Park Rangers perform invaluable services in our parks.
Vital park-specific services provided by Park Rangers:
1. Security and public safety
2. Firefighting
3. Search and rescue
4. Community Policing
5. Resource and wildlife protection
6. Education and interpretive services |
Park Rangers in the field enforce:
• Alcohol laws
• Trespass laws
• Fire code violations (such as smoking in the brush or attempted arson)
• Handicapped parking violations
• Narcotics violations
• Animal welfare/abuse laws
• Vandalism or graffiti
• Vehicle code violations
.... and other important quality of life laws and ordinances that other agencies do not enforce! |
PLEASE SEND IN YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT
Suggested speaking points:
ITEM (2) (CF# 09-2253)
Item 2 is very obviously the pivotal item. In your public comment, you may want to include the following:
1. Tell them what you want and need in the parks from Park Rangers. Be specific to your park, your community and community group. ex: We want Peace Officer Park Rangers on patrol in Hansen Dam Recreational Area (for instance), working directly in the park, performing their full range of duties including:
1. Security and public safety
2. Firefighting
3. Search and rescue
4. Community Policing
5. Resource and wildlife protection
6. Education and interpretive services. |
2. Between 2004-08, Neighborhood Councils representing more than 800,000 Los Angelenos passed resolutions supporting Peace Officer Park Rangers in greater numbers in our parks ON PATROL! Many more community groups representing untold numbers also passed these resolutions, motions, or statements.
3. Other agencies do not enforce the important quality of life issues that impact parks. Therefore it is important we have Park Rangers doing this job.
4. Interpretive services constitute about 1/6th (or 17%) of the full set of Park Ranger duties. 17% of their time is probably the maximum time they should be spending on these services.
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ITEM (3) (CF# 09-0399)
Please support a strong Reserve Park Ranger program with reserves performing the full range of Park Ranger duties, similar to the LAPD program.
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ITEM (4) (CF# 09-0395)
Please support a strong Park Ranger Explorer program that introduces youth to the full range of Park Ranger duties, similar to the LAPD and LAFD explorer programs
.
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PLEASE SEND IN YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT before Monday evening. Committee Clerk Erika Pulst needs to receive the email directly.
Thank you!
Hope to see you at the meeting,
-Kristin Sabo
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Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee, Special Meeting
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
ARTS, PARKS, HEALTH AND AGING COMMITTEE, SPECIAL MEETING TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2009 ROOM 1010, CITY HALL - 8:30 AM 200 NORTH SPRING STREET, LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
MEMBERS:
COUNCILMEMBER TOM LABONGE, CHAIR
COUNCILMEMBER HERB J. WESSON, JR.
COUNCILMEMBER ED P. REYES
FILE NO. SUBJECT
(1)
09-2327 Motion (LaBonge - Smith) relative to requesting the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Department of Animal Services to report on the protocols related to coyotes, their habitat, and public education to allow for co-existence with wildlife including implementation of a no tolerance on feeding wildlife in the park. Community Impact Statement: None submitted DISPOSITION ___________
(2)
09-2253 Motion (LaBonge - Hahn) relative to requesting the Department of Recreation and Parks to report on the current challenges facing the Los Angeles Park Ranger program. Community Impact Statement: None submitted DISPOSITION ___________
(3)
09-0399 Continued from March 4, 2009 Motion (LaBonge - Garcetti) relative to requesting the Department of Recreation and Parks to develop a Ranger Reserve Program, similar to the Los Angeles Police Department Officer Reserve Program, to allow residents of Los Angeles to volunteer for ranger-related duties at the City's parks. Community Impact Statement: None submitted DISPOSITION ___________
(4)
09-0395 Continued from March 4, 2009 Motion (LaBonge - Garcetti) relative to requesting the Department of Recreation and Parks to develop a Park Ranger Explorer Program, similar to the Los Angeles Police Department Explorers Program, to allow young adults to participate in ranger-related training activities. Community Impact Statement: None submitted DISPOSITION ___________
____________________________
Kristin C. Sabo
ksabo@wildwildwest.org |
