Park money: Where will it come from?

Oakland Tribune, Apr 26, 2006

OAKLAND loves its parks. And wants them to be clean, safe and abundantly used by the people.

The big question now is, where shall the money come from to maintain them to acceptable standards?

As you read this, ballots are being printed that will be in your mailbox soon. You will be asked to vote on whether you want to increase the Landscape and Lighting Assessment District tax on your property.

Your vote will not be counted until June 21, a couple of weeks after the mayoral/City Council election.

We have this unwelcome assessment (taxes are never welcome) because of a lack ofprudent planning. The city has never had a reserve fund for maintenance and has used the LLAD to maintain parks and lighting. When there has not been enough money, the council has either dipped into the General Fund or the work has become "deferred" maintenance.

As a result, many parks have fallen into a state of serious neglect that attracts drug dealers and troublemakers. They have become places that parents warn their children not to frequent.

Union Park on the estuary, designed as a dream park for the people of Fruitvale, recently was described as "dead" by the head of the Unity Council, the moving force that got it built. The cause of death in infancy? It was never maintained or staffed.

Parks are recreation centers in many neighborhoods, but most do not have enough recreation workers who could make them interesting places for kids.

So why has the city not taken care of these needs with General Fund money?

In the past decade, the city budget has swollen to a remarkable size for a modest population of 400,000. This year it has a surplus of $8.4 million, an embarrassment of riches to most folks, but to the city it appears to be chicken feed to scatter around on favorite projects.

Each year for the past 5 to 6 years, the budget has increased by hundreds of millions. Ten years ago it was about $400 million. For the past two years it has been

$1 billion each year. A billion is a pile of money.

This money flows from huge increases in home values, real estate sales, new construction and increases in fees and fines. Should the city not be able to care for parks at a cost of less than $25 million?

Oakland formed the LLAD in 1989. In 1993, the council tried to raise the amount but had to back down in the face of angry residents. A deeply flawed election process sunk the attempt.

At that time, if a property owner did not return a ballot by mail, it was to be counted as a "yes" vote. Many property owners tossed it out believing it was a piece of junk mail. The night of the vote tally, a huge crowd showed up at the council meeting -- a time-tested strategy -- and the council lost its nerve and dropped the issue.

Now it is back. This time, I am told unreturned ballots will not be counted as "yes." But again, it will be an unusual election.

It will not be conducted by the city or county clerk. City Hall's Public Works Department has hired a professional firm and a public relations expert to manage mail-in balloting. Hoping for no more slip-ups?

If a majority votes "yes," the assessment would float upward every year in the future. The annual hike would be restricted to the CPI (Consumer Price Index), not to exceed 5 percent. A vote of the people would not be required.

Currently the average property owner pays about $100 a year into LLAD.

Schools, churches and hospitals also will be charged the assessment. As far as I know, none has a surplus. But wait a minute.

According to California law, special assessments such as the LLAD are supposed to benefit those who are assessed. How do schools, churches and hospitals benefit? They do not, and to expect them to is beyond absurd.

Pressure is on the council to increase the LLAD because of persistent demands for park maintenance from residents and park advocates such as the Parks and Recreation Commission and Parks Coalition. You cannot blame them.

Then there is Measure DD, the bond that will pay for improvements on the 12th Street roadway, estuary, Lakeshore Avenue and Lakeside Drive. The bond also will pay for a new restaurant in the old boathouse and a parking lot.

The city Web site says the city "could" use LLAD revenue to maintain Measure DD parkland and plant new trees to replace those they destroy.

But they never told us any of this when we were asked to approve the $198 million bond. We foolishly must have assumed the city would use some DD funds for maintenance, the way it should, not ask for more LLAD money.

But we should not be foolish anymore. If you think future councils will resist the temptation to raise the assessment every year, all I can say is you must be new to these parts.

Welcome to beautiful Oakland, but keep a firm grip on your wallet.

This is one of an occasional guest columns from Peggy Stinnett. E- mail her at

stinnettp@aol.com