1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

Los Angeles needs serious investment in parks, and I want you to make it a priority. Only 62% of Angelenos live within a 10-minute walk of a park — well below the national benchmark of 76% for major cities. With 661 parks serving one of the largest cities in the country, we are failing our residents. The inequity here is inexcusable. Residents in neighborhoods of color have access to 79% less park space per person than those in white neighborhoods. Low-income residents have 85% less park space per person than high-income residents. These aren't abstract gaps — they represent real families without safe, clean places to go outside. Nationally, parks in communities of color are half the size yet serve five times more people per acre. Los Angeles is not an exception to that pattern; it's a prime example of it. This is an embarrassment for a city of our size and ambition. I want to see a concrete funding commitment to expand park access in underserved neighborhoods, close the equity gap, and bring every Angeleno within a 10-minute walk of a quality park. The tools exist — the Trust for Public Land's ParkServe platform and scenario planning resources can guide exactly this kind of targeted investment. What's missing is the political will to act.