Councilmember Padilla urged the City Council on Sept. 17 to approve two motions to increase public access to recreation in the Sixth District: one to create a dedicated website for the Sepulveda Basin and another to deliver timelines and cost estimates to restore and build splash pads at Panorama Recreation Center and Allegheny Park. The council voted to approve the related consent items, recorded as 13 ayes.

Padilla said the Sepulveda Basin is “a 2,000 acre green gem” used by residents across Los Angeles and that the motion would “create a dedicated website modeled after Griffith Parks that will serve as a centralized information hub where residents and visitors can access live updates, explore activities, and plan their visits.”

The motion on splash pads asked city departments to provide clear timelines and cost estimates so that the splash pad at Panorama Recreation Center and a planned splash pad at Allegheny Park would be functional by next summer. Padilla said the Panorama splash pad “has been out of service since 02/2019” and that the Allegheny project, while permitted, “has stalled due to preventable delays.”

Padilla framed the requests as public-health and equity measures, saying Valley summers are hotter and “public cooling spaces are not a luxury. They are a necessity.” She asked colleagues for their support to ensure “both existing and future amenities are fully functional and reliable.”

The council clerk recorded the vote on the bundle that included these motions as 13 ayes. The motions direct city departments to prepare the specified reports and timelines; the text of the motions as presented calls for information back to the council so work can proceed.

Background: Padilla tied the Sepulveda Basin website request to anticipated increased use around the Olympics and urged a centralized resource so visitors and residents can find up-to-date information about the site’s many recreational and ecological assets. For the splash pads, Padilla asked departments to coordinate with communities to ensure maintenance and reliability once the facilities are restored or built.

What happens next: The motions require reports and cost estimates from city departments; the council did not set specific implementation deadlines in the floor remarks beyond Padilla’s statement that she expected the facilities to be functioning by next summer. Council action on related capital or operating funding, and any required departmental procurement or permitting steps, would follow according to departmental timelines and subsequent council items.