O.C. Parks May Bloom With Funds

Orange County and its cities will receive up to $33.1 million for local parks, their share of the $388 million in state funds raised by a ballot measure California voters approved last year.

The funds from Proposition 12--the $2.1-billion state Park Bond Act of 2000--represent the largest infusion of money into local parks in state history.

The ballot measure provided for $388 million to be distributed on a per capita basis to cities and counties throughout California.

Orange County is slated to receive $10.4 million, and the county’s 33 cities are eligible for a total of $22.6 million. Aliso Viejo, which became a city this year, was not included in this round of state park grants.

The grants destined for Orange County range from $2,044,000 for Santa Ana to $35,000 for the Silverado-Modjeska Recreation and Parks District.

The money can be used for any park-related program or use, from buying new lights for baseball fields to purchasing land for new parks, said a spokesman for the state Resources Agency.

“This is exciting,� said Shirley McCracken, mayor pro tem of Anaheim, a city that stands to receive $1.9 million. “We’re an older city with increasing density . . . so any funds we can get for parks is a tremendous asset for the city.�

McCracken said Anaheim is building its first skateboard park and has been looking for a way to build a second one.

“It’s always been about money, particularly in older cities,� she said.

Debbie Cook, a councilwoman in Huntington Beach, wants to see her city’s $1.8 million used “as seed money to purchase the Bolsa Chica� mesa, to preserve the bluff that overlooks the largest protected wetlands complex in Southern California.

The Huntington Beach City Council recently voted to seek funding to purchase the 183-acre property from the owner, Signal Landmark. The mesa is part of the 2,600-acre Bolsa Chica coastal area, stretching from Seal Beach to Huntington Beach, and is a critical resting place for migrating birds on the Pacific Flyway.

In addition to the $824.5 million for local projects, Proposition 12 provides $524 million for state parks, $393 million for conservancies, and $266 million for wildlife purposes and land acquisition.

The state still has to complete the application procedure before the money can be released, said Odel King, a state parks manager.