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Proposition K (The LA for Kids Program) Fact Sheet
- The passage of Proposition K (hereinafter “Prop K”) created a citywide assessment district which will generate twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) each year in funds for the acquisition, improvement, construction, and maintenance of City parks, recreation facilities, and other projects through an annual real property tax assessment on City residents over a 30-year period. Funding is for capitol improvements and maintenance. Click here for the text of the Prop K referendum.
- The primary purpose of Prop K is to combat the inadequacies and decay of the City’s youth infrastructure, which has resulted in serious unmet needs for park, recreation, childcare and community facilities.
- Under Prop K, two hundred ninety eight million, eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($298,850,000) of the total amount generated over 30 years will be set aside to the City for 183 specified projects.
- Prop K also ordered the allocation of one hundred forty three million, six hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($143,650,000) of the total amount generated over 30 years through an open and competitive process for public agencies, City departments and nonprofit organizations. All recipients of funds under Prop K must demonstrate an ability to provide ongoing programming at the facility in order to receive funds. This is the match required under Prop K.
- Originally, the City of Los Angeles designated the Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families (CCYF) as the agency charged with administering the open and competitive process, under the L.A. FOR KIDS Program. Ordinance No. 175654, which became effective January 3, 2004, designated the City Engineer as the person responsible for administering the open and competitive process to allocate funds under the L.A. FOR KIDS Program. This ordinance relieved the CCYF of that responsibility.
- Through the biennial Request for Proposal (RFP) process, the City Engineer is responsible evaluating and rating submitted proposals, and recommending prospective grant recipients to the L.A. FOR KIDS Steering Committee and City Council for approval.
- During the first Prop K cycle (September 1997 – June 1998), four million dollars ($4,000,000 CDBG and Prop K funds) were used to fund childcare projects. During the second Prop K cycle (July 1999 – June 2000), an additional four million dollars was made available through the Healthy Alternatives to Smoking Trust Fund (HATS) for any of the eight Prop K funding categories. However, the HATS funds had to be used in census tracts that met the criteria based on the 1990 census. During the third Prop K cycle (March 2001 – June 2002), an additional $17.7 million was made available from the State of California’s Proposition 12 Roberti-Z’berg-Harris 2000 Bond in the form of a Block Grant. However, the Prop 12 RZH funds had a 30% matching fund requirement and conditions that the proposed project be located on land the City owned, leased, or had some other long-term interest in, and had to be located in a HATS census tract or a census tract with a 25% or more poverty level rate, based on the 1990 U.S. census. The fourth Prop K cycle commenced in August 2003, and awards were finalized by City Council in July 2004. There was approximately $9-10 million in Prop K funding available to be distributed throughout the City of Los Angeles.
- The City Engineer is also responsible for creating and convening Local Volunteer Neighborhood Oversight Committees (LVNOC) in each Council District. These LVNOCs are responsible for reviewing and monitoring the progress of all non- Recreation and Parks competitive grant projects in their respective districts. Each LVNOC is comprised of no more than a total of seven voting members, including four neighborhood representatives and one youth representative appointed by their Council Member and neighborhood representatives appointed by the City Engineer (BOE Prop K).
- The City Engineer is also responsible for developing and monitoring the service and maintenance agreements for each completed competitive grant project.