Public-private partnerships: The only way LA can come back

Government can’t fix LA alone, and it shouldn’t have to.That’s why I’m proposing private-public partnerships in city services as the key to LA’s comeback.On Sept.

15, we broke ground on the Palisades Recreation Center.Construction is officially underway after nearly a year-and-a-half of tireless work from our many partners, bringing us one step closer to restoring one of the neighborhood’s most cherished gathering places. The Rec Center has always been part of my family’s story.

My kids grew up here, and we spent countless summer evenings watching baseball games on these fields.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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Never miss a story.Anyone who lives in the Palisades knows what this place means.

It’s one of the centers of our neighborhood, where families come together, children play and lasting friendships begin.We all knew that bringing it back would help bring the community back together.We made that happen by refusing to wait for the normal process to run its course.

In April 2025, Steadfast LA, LA Strong Sports, the city of Los Angeles and the Department of Recreation and Parks formed a public-private partnership to fund, redesign and rebuild the space.From that point on, the city, community groups, designers, builders and private-sector leaders have worked at the same table.Decisions and approvals moved faster, and the community had a real role in shaping the future of this place.

That’s what can happen when government, business and residents have clear responsibilities, a shared deadline and no patience for unnecessary delay.The public-private partnership model makes use of private sector leadership, working alongside city departments.It puts decision-makers at one table, cuts unnecessary reviews, gets departments talking to each other and keeps the commu...