Several Los Angeles County parks are waiving their fees for L.A. Unified School District students affected by the ongoing teachers strike, authorities announced Tuesday.
Starting Wednesday, students and their custodians won’t have to pay for admission, parking or other fees from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following facilities:
- Descanso Gardens in La Canada-Flintridge
- L.A. County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia
- South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes Estates
- Virginia Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills
The following community parks will also have special programming, including open gyms and expanded snack programs, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.:
- Jesse Owens Community Regional Park, 9651 S. Western Ave., L.A.
- Ted Watkins Memorial Park, 1335 E. 103 St., L.A.
- Victoria Community Regional Park, 419 E. 192 St., Carson
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Park, 7600 Graham Ave., L.A.
- El Cariso Community Regional Park, 13100 Hubbard St., Sylmar
- Belvedere Community Regional Park, 4914 E. Cesar Chavez Ave., L.A.
County supervisors approved the offerings, according to the county Department of Parks and Recreation. They also authorized the agency to work with the county Public Library to extend children’s snack programs to libraries.
A statement from county officials acknowledged the challenges families face during the strike, which was expected to continue for a third day on Wednesday amid stalled negotiations over funding between the school district and the United Teachers Los Angeles union.
The week prior, before the strike started on Monday, Metro announced that it was going to offer students free rides during the demonstrations.