Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation officials this week assured the Altadena community that work continues on reopening all parks impacted by the Eaton fire. But there’s a challenge: Money. In particular, no aid for park rebuilding from the federal government.
During an Altadena Town Council presentation Tuesday, July 21, county representatives presented a timeline of work completed and work still to come, along with estimated reopening dates for the remaining closed parks.
The Altadena park system suffered more than $200 million in damage from the Eaton fire and so far, according to Los Angeles County Director of Parks and Recreation Norma García-Gonzalez, the county has received zero dollars from the federal government through FEMA.
“I keep thinking I’m going to be numbed by the fact that we’ve received zero FEMA dollars,” Town Council President Nic Arnzen said. “That’s unconscionable, that’s historic and that’s obvious why. I’m just continually sickened by it. Whatever administration was sitting in whatever place, the fact that this town is sitting after a year and a half still waiting for that, I think we all need to remember that.”
The Trump administration earlier this year froze FEMA aid for ongoing disaster relief amid the federal government’s partial shutdown — an action that generated a new layer of uncertainty and sharp pushback in Los Angeles County’s fire-scorched burn zones.
Funding ceased indefinitely under the federal agency’s Public Assistance Program for ongoing and “legacy” disasters, according to an announcement Sunday from the Department of Homeland Security.
Last month, local leaders hoped a visit from EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who toured construction sites in Altadena, would spur federal action to appropriate the billions in requested relief dollars needed for Altadena.
Zeldin touted the recent announcement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency approving California’s request to extend financial assistance under the individuals and households program for survivors until July 9, 2027, for homeowners and until Oct. 9, 2026, for renters.
According to FEMA, more than 35,000 households have received assistance through the program and $177 million awarded to fire survivors.
Federal officials cited ongoing challenges facing survivors, including unresolved insurance claims, underinsurance issues, housing shortages, contractor shortages and rebuilding delays.
But amid a Los Angeles County wildfire recovery not moving at full speed, Mayor Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger sent joint letters last week to congressional leadership, seeking to secure $15.7 billion in federal funding for the region’s long-term rebuild from the catastrophic fires in Altadena and the Palisades.
But local and state elected officials have lamented the lack of federal disaster aid earmarked for the recovery, especially as the the administration seeks billions for the war effort in Iran.
Given that context, Arnzen described what has been done so far to repair and reopen Altadena parks a miracle.
So far, Loma Alta Park and Altadena Triangle Park have been reopened. The county has raised $64 million toward renovation work and reiterated the need for continual support as the wait for federal support goes on. In addition to fundraising, the county has relied on grants and insurance money to fund the ongoing work.
Charles White Park is the next up to reopen with funding secured for a renovation and a groundbreaking of work set for this September. Chester Kano, deputy director of planning and development, said the park will have a new playground, new community building, new wet play area, enhanced fitness equipment and pickleball courts.
The park’s grand opening is slated for fall 2027.
Farnsworth Park repairs and renovations will be done in three phases. The first phase, which includes a Dodger Dreamfields project, has been funded with a groundbreaking scheduled for November and a grand opening in spring 2027.
However, more than $60 million is needed to complete work on the reflection garden and park buildings that include the Davies Building.
The Eaton Canyon Landscape Recovery Center opened in March, but about $35 million is still needed to fund restoration in the natural area and to rebuild the Nature Center.
Fairways, greens, driving range and bunkers have been restored at the Altadena Golf Course, but the county is the midst of a fight over its insurance claim. Once those funds are available, officials said, a plan will be developed about rebuilding the golf course, which remains closed.
Kano said that the Board of Supervisors approved an allocation of $700,000 to go toward restoring the Altadena Trails. The Town Council voted Tuesday night to send a letter to the state legislature asking for funding to address the $8 million need.
García-Gonzalez said her department is stretching every dollar to make the most impact and said any amount of donation will make a difference.
“Whatever we receive we will build to that scale,” García-Gonzalez said of the golf course example. “It’s not realistic for me to say, ‘we’re going to rebuild to what we lost,’ what’s important is we want to rebuild so that we can open the golf course.”
Any questions about the status of the parks can be directed to altadenaparks@parks.lacounty.gov. To donate, visit www.lacpf.org.
Tuesday’s Town Council Meeting was streamed live on the Pasadena Media YouTube channel.