Several cities across a portion of Los Angeles County have received funding to pay for various parks, beach access and open space projects — thanks to Measure A funding allocations for Supervisorial District 4.
LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn’s Fourth District covers a large swath of the county, including Long Beach, a majority of the South Bay and various parts of Southeast LA, including Huntington Park, Bellflower, Artesia, Santa Fe Springs and Downey, among others.
Hahn’s office announced that more than $36 million have been awarded to various cities within her district through Measure A, a voter-approved property tax approved in 2016 that funds parks, open space, public health and environmental initiatives, on Tuesday, March 17.
Some of the largest allocations will go to the cities of Bellflower and Norwalk, which have each been allocated $4 million for their intended projects.
In Bellflower, the $4 million will be used to fund the Simms Park Regional Stormwater Capture Project, which will include constructing a 4 million-gallon underground water storage facility alongside various improvements to the park, such as soccer fields, native landscaping and other amenities to expand recreational opportunities at the facility.
The city also received a separate $482,699 for its Sports Park Project, which will be used to advance project management, community engagement, design and construction documents for the new facility — which would sit adjacent to Riverview Park and the San Gabriel River Bike Trail. The new facility will include pickleball courts, and multipurpose courts and fields, according to the county.
Norwalk’s $4 million, meanwhile, will be used for its Hermosillo Park Rehabilitation Project. That project will also see the construction of a stormwater capture system, alongside numerous other improvements to the park, such as two new soccer fields, an 8,000 square-foot community center, an outdoor amphitheater, basketball and handball courts, and more.
LA County’s Department of Parks and Recreation also received a massive award, including $4 million for the county’s Lower LA River Gateway Greenway Park Phase 1, and another $2 million for the Lower LA River Gateway Park 72nd Street Access project.
The funding for the first project will help the county complete final design, permitting, demolition, grading, trail and bikeway improvements on two segments of the Lower LA River corridor, from Alondra Boulevard to 72nd Street; and from Atlantic Boulevard to the Artesia Freeway.
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran receives horsemanship lessons from Joan Blank as part of the Horses 4 Heroes program at the Dream Catcher of L.A. Therapeutic Riding Center in Long Beach, Calif. March 28, 2017. Blank and her husband Jay Silverstein operate the non-profit equestrian center next to the Los Angeles River in Long Beach, Calif. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb, SGV Tribune/ SCNG)
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran receives horsemanship lessons from Joan Blank as part of the Horses 4 Heroes program at the Dream Catcher of L.A. Therapeutic Riding Center in Long Beach, Calif. March 28, 2017. Blank and her husband Jay Silverstein operate the non-profit equestrian center next to the Los Angeles River in Long Beach, Calif. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb, SGV Tribune/ SCNG)
Show Caption
1 of 2
A U.S. Marine Corps veteran receives horsemanship lessons from Joan Blank as part of the Horses 4 Heroes program at the Dream Catcher of L.A. Therapeutic Riding Center in Long Beach, Calif. March 28, 2017. Blank and her husband Jay Silverstein operate the non-profit equestrian center next to the Los Angeles River in Long Beach, Calif. (Photo by Leo Jarzomb, SGV Tribune/ SCNG)
The $2 million for the second part of the project will help completely transform that 72nd Street entry to the LA River Trail into a more accessible and community-friendly space, according to the county. The trails will be upgraded, a new river pavilion will be constructed, and various public amenities will be installed.
The project will also help strengthen access from the 72nd Street Equestrian Park, in Long Beach, to the river corridor, according to the county, and will establish the park as “a proper access gateway that welcomes the community to the river.”
Long Beach itself also received several allocations from the county, including $4 million for its Willow Springs Trailhead Project, $1.5 million for the 10th Street Greenbelt Walkway, and another $286,460 for the Washington Neighborhood and Community Center.
Last year, the Long Beach City Council officially designated Willow Springs Park as an open park space. The park began as a native restoration project in 2017, and has since grown from 11 acres to a 48-acre site for the public to enjoy.
The Office of Climate Action and Sustainability will be hosting its annual Family Days in Nature spring event series at Willow Springs Park, starting on Saturday, March 15, 2025, for Monarch Day of Action. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
Volunteers joined Leadership Long Beach and the City’s Office of Climate Action and Sustainability in restoring Willow Springs Park for MLK Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Willow Springs Park is located at 2745 Orange Ave. in Long Beach. (Photo by Christina Merino, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Willow Springs Park is home to a diversity of native species in Long Beach. City Council discussed the dedication of Willow Springs as park space during its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. This dedication has been long sought after by community members and hope that the city conserves the park’s unique topography. (Photo courtesy of Suzanne Shifflett)
Willow Springs Park is home to a diversity of native species in Long Beach. City Council discussed the dedication of Willow Springs as park space during its meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. This dedication has been long sought after by community members and hope that the city conserves the park’s unique topography. (Photo courtesy of Suzanne Shifflett)
The Long Beach City Council will be discussing the dedication of Willow Springs as park space. This dedication has been long sought after by community members and the city, in Long Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (Photo by Brittany M. Solo Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Show Caption
1 of 6
The Office of Climate Action and Sustainability will be hosting its annual Family Days in Nature spring event series at Willow Springs Park, starting on Saturday, March 15, 2025, for Monarch Day of Action. (Photo courtesy of the City of Long Beach)
With the new funding, Long Beach will construct a regional trailhead and outdoor education area at Willow Springs Park, which will include a shaded gathering area, according to the county. The project will also see trail and pathway improvements, native and drought-tolerant landscaping, and interpretive signing to expand environmental learning.
The city’s $1.5 million for the 10th Street Greenbelt Walkway, which is located between Eighth and 10th streets and bounded by Termino and Grand avenues, will be used to add drought-tolerant landscaping, native trees and plants, an irrigation system, pathway lighting, seating and fencing to the existing walkway.
And finally, Long Beach will use the remaining $286,460 to work on the early phases of plans for the Washington Neighborhood Community Center. The money will be used to explore potential locations, conduct community engagement, do environmental review and cost-estimating work for the project.
Artesia and Avalon, meanwhile, also got large allocations from Hahn’s office. Artesia has been awarded $2 million to fund its Botanical Garden and Community Center, while Avalon, on Catalina Island, has been granted nearly $2.5 million for its South Beach Restoration Project.
Avalon’s South Beach has been gradually disappearing since the 1980s because of storm surges, high tides and erosion, the city’s website says. The project will restore the beach’s sea wall, repair public infrastructure and ultimately reopen the area to the public for recreational use.
In Torrance, the city will use $500,000 to fund work on its El Nido Park Revitalization Project. The funds will pay for conceptual and schematic design development, cost estimating and scheduling, and explore the feasibility of putting new Little League fields, parking improvements, upgraded park facilities and new recreational amenities at the park.
A rendering of the planned community area at El Nido Park. (Photo courtesy of the City of Torrance)
A herding dog keeps watch over a tribe of goats at Filiorum and Three Sisters Reserves behind the homes on Ocean Terrace Drive in Rancho Palos Verdes on May 12, 2019. (Photo by David Rosenfeld)
A tribe of goats at Filiorum and Three Sisters Reserves behind the homes on Ocean Terrace Drive in Rancho Palos Verdes on May 12, 2019. (Photo by David Rosenfeld)
Photo courtesy of Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy.
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy leads a Nature Walk through Filiorum Reserve Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.
The idyllic cliffs of the Rancho Palos Verdes are home to the Vicente Bluffs Reserve where local conservationist groups are restoring natural habitats to help struggling local species such as the El Segundo Blue butterfly recover population numbers. (Photo by Kirsten Farmer)
Show Caption
1 of 5
A rendering of the planned community area at El Nido Park. (Photo courtesy of the City of Torrance)
Next door, Lomita also received $500,000 to fund work on its Sports and Community Center Plan. The funds, according to the county, will be used to prepare a shovel-ready plan for a multi-field athletic community and facility in the city at the U.S. Navy baseball fields, 26800 S. Western Ave., which the city is in the process of taking ownership over.
Rancho Palos Verdes also got a $500,000 county allocation, which will be used for the Three Sisters and Filiorum Reserves Trail and Bridge Connector Project. The project aims to create a trail and bridge connection between Three Sisters Reserve and Filiorum Reserve with the PV Nature Preserve — creating a new link in the PV Loop Trail to improve regional trail access and connectivity, according to the county.
Los Angeles also received $1 million to help fund park renovations and upgrades in San Pedro. About $500,000 of that money will fund work on the design and development of Wilders Addition Park, including plans to connect the existing park to the beach. The other $500,000 went to the LA Housing Authority for work on the One San Pedro Park Project.
Other allocations for Hahn’s district include:
Bell: $498,073 for community re-envisioning of Ernest Deps Park.
Bell Gardens: $500,000 for Clara Park and Trail.
Cudahy: $1.7 million for Cudahy Park Renovation Project and $2.2 million for Cudahy LA River Area Improvement Project.
Huntington Park: $1.5 million for Salt Lake Park Regional Greenway Project.
Santa Fe Springs: $500,000 for Clark Estate Development Project; $500,000 for Lake Center Athletic Park Development Project; and $500,000 for development of new park next to San Gabriel Riverbed.
South Gate: $500,00 for Southern Avenue Multimodal Bridge Project.
LA Neighborhood Land Trust: $283,000 for green space planning in Southeast LA.
“Parks shouldn’t be a luxury — but too many people in LA County don’t have a local park in their neighborhood,” Hahn said in the news release. “Thanks to Measure A and the generosity of LA County voters, we are making this massive, historic investment in parks and open space across my district — from Southeast LA, to Long Beach, all the way to Catalina Island.”