Recreation And Parks

A British company's proposal to build an observation wheel about as tall as a 20-story skyscraper at Venice Beach has some residents' heads spinning at the prospect of more crowds, trash and noise. With enthusiastic support from Los Angeles park and tourism officials, Great City Attractions is seeking permission to operate a 200-foot-tall mechanical ride just west of the Venice Beach boardwalk at Windward Avenue. The attraction would consist of 42 enclosed, air-conditioned "capsules," each capable of accommodating eight people.

There were vinyl albums by Etta James and the punk band X. There were cosmetic kits, one with seven kinds of nail polish. There were sleeping bags, luggage, cutlery, a small red guitar with a broken neck and a collection of Ernest Hemingway stories. Hours after police launched a nighttime eviction of the Occupy L.A. encampment, Los Angeles City Hall's south lawn offered enough personal possessions to sustain a small community — except that no one was left to claim them. City crews on Wednesday began the long and potentially expensive process of restoring the 1.7-acre park that served as ground zero for Occupy L.A., saying they expected to send 30 tons of refuse to the landfill.

They call him "Ranger Ray"--and the 84-year-old man with flowing mustache and long scraggly snow-white beard has been a fixture in this park the last 12 years. Ray Miller isn't really a ranger. He is a volunteer, the "Grand Old Man" of the state park campground host program, in which campground caretakers are permitted to live year-round without charge in state parks in return for assisting the real rangers by acting as liaison with campers.

On a cold and blustery day, winter drawing to a close, snow-covered mountains rising abruptly to the north and sheets of ice crackling under the sun, John Frederickson gazes out over Crowley Lake and smiles. "This is great," he says, referring to the wind as it whips through the canyons from the south, driving frozen sections across the surface. "This is just what we need to open this lake up."

Somehow, somewhere along the line, connections had been frayed and confidence lost. Conceived in the ashes of Watts, this was supposed to be a municipal administration built to absorb ethnic shocks. In a city of so many colors, of so much wealth and poverty, it was expected to keep the peace. But on a single evening in late April, the flames that lighted the Los Angeles sky revealed that despite its multiracial hues, Mayor Tom Bradley's model City Hall was powerless to keep the lid on.

While the eyes of the world will be on Olympic synchronized swimmers this month, local attention was on nearly two dozen Valley girls who practiced relentlessly and overcame some obstacles to end up winning five medals in a major competition. The girls practiced their skills all summer at Granada Hills Pool, one of several sites citywide where the Recreation and Parks Department offers synchronized swimming.

Los Angeles city officials announced a summer job program Tuesday with 7,000 positions available to youths from low-income families throughout the city. The program--targeting people ages 14 to 21--will be funded with city, state and federal grants and will be coordinated by the city's Community Development Department. "The talk about the kids being the future is one thing," said Councilman Mike Feuer, chairman of the council's Budget and Finance Committee.

Inspired by Tiger Woods, city parks officials announced Wednesday that they will open a golf academy for city youths next month in Griffith Park. The Tregnan Golf Academy at Coolidge is set to open July 10, providing city children with the chance to take lessons on three practice holes and a driving range.

It is known simply as the Japanese Garden. But to those familiar with this 6 1/2 -acre oasis, tucked away in the middle of bustling Van Nuys, it is affectionately referred to as "Gene's Garden." Since its dedication in 1984, Gene Greene has overseen this inspiring display of native plants, exotic birds, trees, waterfalls, lakes and streams - a public treasure that many don't know exists. "It's the best-kept secret for 25 years," said Greene, who worked closely with the landscape architect who designed the garden.

Although the new Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is not scheduled to open until late 1994, it may already be losing one of its major tenants. Administrators of the Conejo Recreation and Park District recommend that the district drop its plans to acquire office space in the $64-million complex because of tight budget constraints. "We just don't have the resources and wherewithal to proceed at this time," said Tex Ward, general manager of the park district.