The Los Angeles City Council on Oct. 31 unanimously approved a package of measures to fund and coordinate services for neighborhoods the city identified as having concentrated public‑safety and quality‑of‑life needs.

Councilmember Ridley‑Thomas moved an omnibus amendment that consolidates previous committee recommendations, requires department coordination on sites targeted by the program and adds independent evaluation and governance safeguards. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Hernandez and passed on a unanimous roll call.

The program as presented by Ellen Oppenheim of the Department of Recreation and Parks targets 37 parks identified for concentrated intervention, links Recreation and Parks work to Los Angeles Police Department park coordinators, and calls for expanded programming, site cleanups and steps to draw neighborhood participation back into park usage. "We've targeted 37 of the parks that are most in need," Oppenheim told the council, and she described the proposal as "an integrated program" modeled in part on a recent, localized effort at a Sepulveda‑area recreation center.

Councilmembers pressed for evaluation, measurable goals and interagency accountability. Councilmember Walters said she wanted a professional, statistically based evaluation conducted independently of the implementing departments, not just internal progress reports. "I'm talking about a professional, statistically based evaluation made by a professional evaluator outside anybody's office," Walters said during the debate.

The council's final motion requires the mayor's office to be included in oversight, charges the Office of Research and the City Administrative Office to participate in evaluation planning, and directs the creation of an ad hoc committee composed of the chairs of affected committees to avoid duplicative referral. The motion also directed a report back to the full council within 30 days on unresolved implementation items and timelines.

Several councilmembers urged urgency. Councilmember Padilla described recent shootings near parks in his district and said residents pressed him for immediate action: "The 300 residents who were before me two nights ago ... unified to send the message that the crime has to stop," he said. Councilmember Hernandez cited local incidents and said the program must move forward without delay.

Councilmember Feuer and others sought to reserve internal research capacity for the evaluation and to avoid large, up‑front spending on outside evaluators; several members agreed that city research offices should begin baseline and outcomes work immediately and that an RFP for outside evaluation could be prepared if additional expertise or timeframes required it.

The motion also asks departments to phase hiring and programming as civil‑service lists and testing schedules permit; Recreation and Parks told the council the Class Parks and Youth Plus elements would be phased in and that a subset of sites would begin before year end. The council vote was recorded at the meeting as unanimous.

Council members said they expect to evaluate outcomes over time, and the motion includes direction to align measurable objectives with budget discussions so future funding decisions can reflect demonstrated results.