Talk about flushing money away while larger needs go unmet.
Visitors to Runyon Canyon Park in the Hollywood Hills may have access to a spiffy $1 million shed-sized restroom.
But they face threats of violence on the park’s iconic trails.
The LA City Council should hire enough patrols to keep park patrons safe as they enjoy one of the city’s most famous amenities.
In the past year or two, the park has seen soaring rates of crime, including assaults and arson, with some locals calling it a violent hellhole.
Meanwhile, the council, including radical Councilwoman Nithya Raman –– who’s running for mayor and whose district includes the park –– on Tuesday approved a $25,000 part-time security plan.
But as one resident told The California Post: “A million dollars for a bathroom, and this is what we get for safety? It’s a joke.”
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Indeed. Ensuring public safety –– including in public parks –– is the city’s most fundamental duty and responsibility.
A token nod at safety will not secure a 160-acre park that’s increasingly marred by poor upkeep, unruly crowds, and vagrancy.
Runyon has long been a haven for Angelenos: a place to elude the urban bustle, exercise, recreate, socialize, scale rugged terrain in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains, and take in stunning panoramic views of the city.
Celebrities work out there; parts of movies, including “Rebel Without a Cause” and “The Naked Gun,” were filmed there; and Jerry, George and Kramer hiked there on “Seinfeld.”
City Hall should reverse the decline of this iconic landmark before it gets worse. For now, the park still draws about 2 million visitors per year.
