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Almost every day, I get to listen to water flowing, leaves rustling, and birds singing, punctuated by the occasional horn from the nearby 110 Freeway. I have the privilege of working at the ÌÇÐÄlogo Center at Debs Park, a beautiful place nestled within a beautiful city park, Ernest E. Debs Regional Park. This place reminds me daily that nature isn’t something Angelenos have to leave the city to experience. It is here, threaded through our neighborhoods all across Los Angeles—and our parks make that possible. This November, City of Los Angeles voters have the opportunity to support these green hearts of our communities; we get to vote Yes on !

Parks are essential infrastructure, not optional amenities. From Runyon Canyon to Echo Park Lake and Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area to Peck Park, every single park brings a wealth of benefits to all of us. They help cool our neighborhoods during heat waves, keep our air and water cleaner, provide joyful places for our kids to play, add to our general quality of life, and provide essential habitat for migratory birds like the Least Bell’s Vireo and resident birds like the California Towhees that we enjoy seeing every day.

But all these places of belonging, of climate resilience, of connection to nature are chronically underfunded. Los Angeles parks face a nearly $3 billion deferred maintenance backlog. Underinvestment affects everything from basic maintenance and staffing to the care of natural areas and trees—and ultimately affects the people who rely on these spaces. In fact, Los Angeles parks were ranked 93rd out of America’s 100 largest cities in the Trust for Public Land’s 2026 ParkScore ranking.  

It’s not that Angelenos don’t care. They overwhelmingly do! A recent poll found that 8 in 10 Los Angeles voters believe parks and recreational services need more funding and support this initiative. 

That’s why Measure PRK is such an easy yes. It provides the predictable, dedicated funding our shared parks desperately need, without raising a single dollar in taxes. Instead, it updates the City’s guaranteed funding formula for Recreation and Parks, from the paltry 0.0325% of the budget it has received since 1925 to 0.065%.

At Debs Park, we see how much people depend on these spaces. Residents use the trails every day. Families gather to enjoy movie nights, art classes, and bird sits. Volunteers learn to identify and plant native species. Young people gain hands-on experience caring for the land and begin to see themselves as leaders and land stewards. These experiences are possible because a park is more than a place people pass through; it can be a place where people belong, participate, and build a relationship with their community and natural environment.

Los Angeles has an opportunity to decide what kind of city we want to be. One with vibrant green spaces, clean beaches, and safe and affordable places for kids to play. Or one at the very bottom of the list of major cities in how much they care for their natural and recreational spaces. Let’s stop forcing our parks to do more with less, and give them the change they need to care for these places and the people, wildlife, and communities that depend on them.

Join me in supporting our parks and voting Yes on Measure PRK this November.