$600,00 Pocket Park Completed, Then Bulldozed to Build School

Jessica Garrison reports on how the City of Los Angeles spent $600k designing and building a park that no one ever got to use when it was claimed as a site for a public school.

1 minute read

December 12, 2011, 12:00 PM PST

By Tim Halbur

The Vernon Branch Library Pocket Park in South Los Angeles was completed, but fences went up before it could be used and the land went unused for two years before the whole thing was torn up. Construction then began on a new LAUSD campus.

"The razing of the park is an extreme illustration of the disconnect that at times exists between the school district and the city over land use," writes Garrison.

"It also serves as a cautionary tale for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who recently launched a campaign to build 50 pocket parks across the city."

FULL STORY: A park, a school — and a lot of wasted money

Monday, December 12, 2011 in The Los Angeles Times

Land Use California Los Angeles Waste Public Schools Pocket Parks View More

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