The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider a motion introduced by Supervisor Kathryn Barger to transfer of up to $40 million of grant funds to the LA County Parks Foundation for the repair and restoration of fire damaged parks necessary to meet the social needs of the county.
The Department of Parks and Recreation sustained over $250 million in fire damage from the Eaton and Hughes fires. The Eaton Fire began the night of Jan. 7, 2025. It burned 14,021 acres before it was contained 24 days later. The fire killed 19 people and destroyed 9,414 structures.
The Hughes Fire erupted Jan. 22, 2025. It burned 10,425 acres before it was contained nine days later.
“These catastrophic events caused widespread damage and destruction across the County and action is necessary to mitigate the loss and damage to public services as a result of the emergency,” the motion said. “The fires left behind burned landscapes, destabilized slopes, and destroyed or damaged structures and amenities essential to park safety, public health and community well-being.
“Parks are vital public assets that support physical and mental health, provide safe gathering spaces, and serve as critical ecological buffers that protect neighborhoods in the Wildland Urban Interface. Rapid restoration is therefore essential to community stability and resilience.”
On Jan. 28, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Barger and Supervisor Lindsey Horvath to delegate authority to county departments to rapidly address the January 2025 windstorm and critical fire events. Thanks to the passage of that motion, the county parks department funded, restored and reopened parks with minimal damage, including Loma Alta Park and Altadena Triangle Park. However, several parks remain closed due to extensive damage, the motion said. Those include Charles White Park, Charles S. Farnsworth Park, Altadena Golf Course and Eaton Canyon Nature Center and Natural Area.
“The Hughes Fire also caused extensive damage at Castaic Lake State Recreation Area — impacting the main boat launch ramp, road infrastructure, and kiosks — resulting in prolonged closures that have restricted public access to lake recreation and reduced revenue,” the motion said.
According to the resolutions attached to the motion, $5 million is available for the Hughes Fire recovery at Castaic Lake. Another $5.5 million is available for Charles White Park and $16.2 million is available for the Eaton Canyon Natural Area and Nature Center.
The nonprofit LA County Parks Foundation is dedicated to supporting the mission of LA County Parks. The foundation played an instrumental role in the rapid recovery of Loma Alta Park, which reopened in less than three months.
“The reopening of Loma Alta Park restored critical community access to recreational spaces, strengthened local resilience following the disaster, and provided a safe, revitalized environment for families and residents to reconnect and heal,” the motion said. “The Foundation has demonstrated the capacity to accelerate implementation and meet grantor timelines. Loma Alta Park serves as an example of how LA County Parks can partner with the Foundation to expedite the restoration of parks and meet grantor requirements to invest quickly and reopen parks to the community.”
Barger’s proposed motion would authorize the director of Parks and Recreation to execute funding and donation agreements with the foundation to transfer up to $40 million in grant funding to the foundation to support the foundation’s restoration, construction, and repair of parks damaged by the wildfires and accept from the foundation donated services and improvements for the restoration, construction and repair of parks damaged by the wildfires.
According to the motion, the Conservation Corps also played a critical role immediately after the fires to provide site services such brush and debris clearance, tree trimming and removal and trail repairs through existing as-needed service agreements with LA County Parks. LA County Parks has identified an urgent need to support local workforce development and conservation training for fire-impacted youth in the Altadena-Pasadena communities. The agreement will allow LA County Parks to contract with Outward Bound Adventures to hire Altadena low-income, systems-involved youth of color impacted by the Eaton Fires.
“Working with OBA youth on Altadena park recovery projects will create opportunities for youth to gain job skills and training supporting career pathways, the motion said.
“(Outward Bound Adventures) has a long history of partnering with the US Forest Service, National Park Service and State Parks resulting in career pathways for youth of color, systems-involved youth from Altadena/Pasadena community. This is a best practice framework for the rebuilding and recovery of Altadena.”