Yaroslavsky Is Keeping His Plan Right on Track : Funds for the councilman’s planned running course at Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park could be better spent improving the recreation area. But he isn’t asking for opinions.

Two things are wrong with a plan by Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky to spend a quarter of a million dollars on a luxury running track at Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Park.

First, it’s wasteful--the wrong use of money that’s needed elsewhere in the park. Second, the decision was made unilaterally by the councilman, who is disregarding priorities of need and treating the money like his personal fund.

Yaroslavsky intends to extend the half-mile running track around the park’s perimeter. The extension will be paid for by so-called Quimby Act funds, money collected from developers for community recreation facilities in the vicinity of their projects. By city policy, these funds are spent within the council districts where they are raised.

The initial construction costs were estimated at $270,000, but to avoid conflicts with soccer, Little League and the Babe Ruth League, additional spending will be needed for parking lots, bleachers and fences.

This park, like many in the city, desperately needs repair. It could use more parking and better lighting. The gymnasium and pool are falling apart. There are numerous safety hazards on the grounds. Two weeks ago, a 6-year-old soccer player put his foot through a sprinkler cover. Fortunately he wasn’t hurt, but similar accidents have caused serious injuries.

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Meanwhile, the existing track is partly lighted and is most heavily used at night. The new one won’t be lighted, making it unlikely that very many safety-minded joggers will use it at night. And of course anyone wanting to run the park perimeter can already do so, without a track but on grass.

Representatives of various sports programs, not to mention many track users, have called and written to Yaroslavsky suggesting alternatives. He and his staff have rebuffed these suggestions, not always politely. He does not want a community meeting to hear our concerns. His aide Alisa Katz told me he “already knows enough about what the community wants.”

What turned a new running track into an irresistible force? We have heard rumors: An influential individual was bored with running on the little track and got Yaroslavsky to promise a big one; a developer is being rewarded with a contract to build the track.

Let’s assume it’s all just loose talk.

The point is that any such rumor could be true, because Quimby Act money can be doled out by individual members in their districts with no requirement for public input. Although the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission technically allocates the money, it habitually defers to the council member in the affected district. Each council member gets to review and revise the annual list of projects drawn up by the parks department.

Some council members go into their communities to listen to constituents and observe. But they don’t have to.

In a system devoid of checks and balances, decision-makers must be omniscient and honest as Abe Lincoln to assure that decisions are fair and wise. Unfortunately we have a dearth of super-heroes.

Individual City Council members should not have unchallenged authority to spend this money as they see fit. There should be a mechanism to force them to be more accountable to their constituents. Announcements of proposed projects by the Recreation and Parks Commission followed by public hearings would be a minimum, allowing all points of view to be heard. The present system is broken and needs fixing.