Wave Staff and Wire Reports
BOYLE HEIGHTS — A community school park has opened at Malabar Street Elementary School, providing additional recreational space for families as the neighborhood continues to deal with the aftermath of the Lineage Logistics warehouse fire.
Mayor Karen Bass joined Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Andrés E. Chait, City Councilwoman Ysabel Jurado and other community leaders Aug. 31 to celebrate the opening of the park, which is part of the Community School Parks program, which makes school grounds available to residents for recreational use outside of school hours, according to city officials. The Malabar Street Elementary School park is the 12th site in the program and the first community school park in East Los Angeles.
“Every child deserves a safe place to learn and play, and every neighborhood needs quality parks and recreational space for families,” Bass said. “This new park is more important than ever as Boyle Heights and East L.A. families continue to deal with the aftermath of the Lineage warehouse fire.”
The June 17 fire at the Lineage Logistics cold storage warehouse burned for days, and more than 85 million pounds of food stored at the facility began to rot, spreading foul odors through the surrounding community and attracting rats.
The community school park program was created by a joint powers agreement between the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and LAUSD in August 2025 that streamlined the process for Recreation and Parks to pay LAUSD for use of existing community school parks and expedite the opening of additional sites.
Chait said school campuses can serve as community assets beyond the school day.
“Our campuses are at the heart of the communities we serve — places where children can play, families can gather, and everyone can enjoy safe, welcoming outdoor spaces,” Chait said.
LAUSD Board Vice President Rocío Rivas said the program expands access to recreational space for students and families.
“By transforming schoolyards into community parks, we are expanding opportunities for physical activity, increasing access to green space, and creating healthier, stronger neighborhoods where families can thrive,” Rivas said.
Councilwoman Jurado said parks aren’t just places to play.
“Access to parks means public safety, free programs for working families, and spaces where everyone belongs,” she said. “Our favorite parks don’t succeed simply because the city opens them and moves on. They succeed by being well-maintained, thoughtfully programmed, and safe and welcoming for everyone who uses them.
“Our families, school districts and local leaders planning for this park’s success from day one means setting a goal for this park to remain a cherished space families enjoy for decades to come.”
The Los Angeles school board unanimously approved a resolution by board member Nick Melvoin to expand the community school parks across the city. At the same time, the board voted to support Charter Amendment PRK on the Nov. 3 ballot, which would increase funding for the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks.
While supporting greater funding for the city’s parks, Melvoin’s resolution also called for the inclusion of community school parks as a key part of that investment, and for the city to reduce the cost of operating individual sites so that new funding can reach as many communities as possible.
“Los Angeles ranks 93rd among the nation’s 100 largest cities in park space, but we have hundreds of school campuses with playgrounds, fields, and open spaces sitting behind locked gates every weekend,” Melvoin said. “We’ve already proven this partnership works, and LAUSD is ready to dramatically expand it. Sometimes solving a big problem doesn’t mean building something new — it can be as simple as unlocking a gate.”
