Recreation Workers

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan will get his larger police force if a City Council committee has its way, but the city will also hire more librarians and recreation supervisors to improve library service and keep recreation centers open longer hours. The addition of the park and library workers was among the most striking changes proposed Friday by the council's Budget and Finance Committee, as Riordan's $4.3-billion budget cleared its first major hurdle.

"Short field" soccer games for adults begin Sunday at Laurel Park, Katella Avenue at Bloomfield Street. Men's and coed games will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and women's games will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Organized by the Recreation and Community Services Department, the games cost $3 for each player and are supervised by recreation workers. Information: (562) 430-1073.

"Short field" soccer games for adults begin Sunday at Laurel Park, Katella Avenue at Bloomfield Street. Men's and coed games will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and women's games will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Organized by the Recreation and Community Services Department, the games cost $3 for each player and are supervised by recreation workers. Information: (562) 430-1073.

At twilight, from a campsite high atop the Verdugo Mountains, trailblazer Erick Madrid feels he's worlds away from the twinkling lights and the endless procession of cars below. But this is hardly the wilderness. "You can hear the city. You can feel it hum," said the 26-year-old Mammoth Lakes resident last week as he surveyed the expanse of Los Angeles and the hazy outline of Catalina Island beyond it. "It looks pretty chaotic down there, and I think I would go nuts."

The popular Hungry Valley recreation area for off-road vehicles is closed temporarily while repairs to roads and trails damaged by the recent tropical storms are being made, officials said Tuesday. Recent heavy rainfall and early snowmelt have caused dirt roads and off-road vehicle trails in the area, which straddles Ventura and Los Angeles counties near Gorman, to become washed out or deeply rutted, creating unsafe conditions for public use, officials said.

After 20 years of working as a hairdresser, Christine Litchie decided it was time for a change. When she heard about an opening at Northwood Community Park in Irvine for a recreation worker, she applied immediately. She got the job and embarked on a new career. Though the park offers recreation activities for all ages, most of Litchie's time has been with children's programs.

Unless negotiations resume, a Torrance municipal employees union with about 400 blue collar members will strike or begin a job action in about two weeks, a union leader said Thursday. Lamont Frederick, president of Local 1117, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said workers voted Tuesday 114-55 to reject a contract offer and authorize a strike.

Studying leisure and recreation is not all fun and games. Consider the varying theories one must weigh when deciding whether an activity can be elevated to play: Is the motivation intrinsic? Is there a suspension of reality? Is there a locus of control? These are just some of the concepts that students grapple with as they pursue their bachelor's and master's degrees from the department of leisure studies and recreation at Cal State Northridge.

Studying leisure and recreation is not all fun and games. Consider the varying theories one must weigh when deciding whether an activity can be elevated to play: Is the motivation intrinsic? Is there a suspension of reality? Is there a locus of control? These are just some of the concepts that students grapple with as they pursue their bachelor's and, yes, master's degrees from the department of leisure studies and recreation at Cal State Northridge.

At twilight, from a campsite high atop the Verdugo Mountains, trailblazer Erick Madrid feels he's worlds away from the twinkling lights and the endless procession of cars below. But this is hardly the wilderness. "You can hear the city. You can feel it hum," said the 26-year-old Mammoth Lakes resident last week as he surveyed the expanse of Los Angeles and the hazy outline of Catalina Island beyond it. "It looks pretty chaotic down there, and I think I would go nuts."

A $1.86-million renovation to half of the old City Hall complex should begin about Aug. 1, according to city officials who said the work finalizes a deal that will allow Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area employees to move in this fall. The 18,000-square-foot building, used recently as a haven for teenagers who left behind trash and empty beer cans, will have its first professional occupant in nine years.

Studying leisure and recreation is not all fun and games. Consider the varying theories one must weigh when deciding whether an activity can be elevated to play: Is the motivation intrinsic? Is there a suspension of reality? Is there a locus of control? These are just some of the concepts that students grapple with as they pursue their bachelor's and master's degrees from the department of leisure studies and recreation at Cal State Northridge.

Studying leisure and recreation is not all fun and games. Consider the varying theories one must weigh when deciding whether an activity can be elevated to play: Is the motivation intrinsic? Is there a suspension of reality? Is there a locus of control? These are just some of the concepts that students grapple with as they pursue their bachelor's and, yes, master's degrees from the department of leisure studies and recreation at Cal State Northridge.

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan will get his larger police force if a City Council committee has its way, but the city will also hire more librarians and recreation supervisors to improve library service and keep recreation centers open longer hours. The addition of the park and library workers was among the most striking changes proposed Friday by the council's Budget and Finance Committee, as Riordan's $4.3-billion budget cleared its first major hurdle.

After 20 years of working as a hairdresser, Christine Litchie decided it was time for a change. When she heard about an opening at Northwood Community Park in Irvine for a recreation worker, she applied immediately. She got the job and embarked on a new career. Though the park offers recreation activities for all ages, most of Litchie's time has been with children's programs.

The popular Hungry Valley recreation area for off-road vehicles is closed temporarily while repairs to roads and trails damaged by the recent tropical storms are being made, officials said Tuesday. Recent heavy rainfall and early snowmelt have caused dirt roads and off-road vehicle trails in the area, which straddles Ventura and Los Angeles counties near Gorman, to become washed out or deeply rutted, creating unsafe conditions for public use, officials said.

A $1.86-million renovation to half of the old City Hall complex should begin about Aug. 1, according to city officials who said the work finalizes a deal that will allow Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area employees to move in this fall. The 18,000-square-foot building, used recently as a haven for teenagers who left behind trash and empty beer cans, will have its first professional occupant in nine years.

If you think walking in Orange and Los Angeles counties must include dodging exhaust-spewing cars, the Irvine Community Services Department would like to get you back to nature. Beginning Jan. 19, city recreation workers will lead walkers on monthly tours along trails that pass bubbling creeks, waterfalls, flowers and animals. The all-day tours will continue Feb. 16, March 2 and March 30. Excursions will leave University Community Park at 8 a.m. each day and return about 4 p.m.

Unless negotiations resume, a Torrance municipal employees union with about 400 blue collar members will strike or begin a job action in about two weeks, a union leader said Thursday. Lamont Frederick, president of Local 1117, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, said workers voted Tuesday 114-55 to reject a contract offer and authorize a strike.