"Los Angeles is woefully park poor. Less than half of L.A. County residents have easy access to a park, and three-quarters of the public spaces we do have are falling apart.

If those stats sound familiar, they should. City and county officials used them repeatedly in their successful effort to pass Measure A on last fall’s ballot, which put county homeowners on the hook — in perpetuity — for roughly $94.5 million a year in parcel taxes to expand and maintain the county’s network of open spaces.

Now imagine the absurdity of an immaculately manicured space in proximity to a dense L.A. neighborhood but out of reach, locked behind a towering fence for two decades — six lush acres, with a big artificial lake, waterfalls and so much greenery it has earned the nickname “Fantasy Island” among those who can see it, but can’t use it. Its official name is the Rowena Reservoir, and you might miss it if you don’t know it’s there."

Matthew Fleischer reports in the Los Angeles Times' opinion section August 7, 2017. [2]