Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation facts for kids
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| Department overview | |
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| Formed | July 1, 1903 |
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| Jurisdiction | Los Angeles County |
| Headquarters | 433 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90020 34°03′59″N 118°17′31″W / 34.0663352°N 118.2919874°W |
| Employees | 1,477 (2010) |
| Annual budget | US$149,369,000 (2010) |
| Department executive |
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The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is an agency of the County of Los Angeles which oversees its parks and recreational facilities. It was created in 1944. It operates and maintains over 71,249 acres (28,833 ha) of parks, gardens, lakes, natural gardens, and golfing greens, and 200 miles (320 km) of trails.
It maintains 183 parks and operates the world’s largest municipal golf course system with 20 courses. It also owns the Hollywood Bowl and the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre.
Weddings can be held at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge and South Coast Botanic Garden on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Virginia Robinson Gardens is open for tours.
It operates nature centers at:
- Deane Dana Friendship Park and Nature Center
- Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area
- Eaton Canyon Park & Nature Center
- Placerita Canyon Nature Center
- San Dimas Canyon Nature Center
- Santa Catalina Island Interpretive Center
- Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area
- Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park
- Whittier Narrows Nature Center
It has fishing lakes at:
- Alondra Community Regional Park
- Apollo Community Regional Park
- Belvedere Community Regional Park
- Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park
- Castaic Lake State Recreation Area
- Cerritos Community Regional Park
- Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
- Earvin "Magic" Johnson Park
- La Mirada Community Regional Park
- Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area
- Whittier Narrows Recreation Area
The Department hosts approximately 300 film projects a year, including feature films, television series, television commercials, and still photography shoots for various magazines and publications.
Safety and law enforcement services are provided on a contract basis from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Parks Bureau. Prior to 2010, the Los Angeles County Office of Public Safety (County Police) and its predecessor agencies were responsible for law enforcement in the county parks.
Management and Commission
Since 2020, the director is Norma Edith García-Gonzalez. The department is governed by a five member commission, appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
