(SACRAMENTO) â Today, Assembly Bill 510 (AB 510) by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Orange County was approved on the Assembly floor by more than a two-thirds vote. AB 510 would provide funding to the Wildlife Conservation Board to be used for the purchase of land related to the West Coyote Hills Open Space Project.
âNorth Orange County deserves its fair share of parks. This bill would help save the largest remaining open space in a highly urbanized area of Orange County and Los Angeles County to be enjoyed by over 1 million people as a natural preserve,â said Quirk-Silva.
There is a great imbalance of parks and open space between North and South Orange County. North Orange County is highly urbanized with few parks, and even fewer opportunities for new parks. Currently, North Orange County has 1 acre per 246 people, while South Orange County has 1 acre per 6 people. The National Recreation and Parks Association standard for parkland is 1 acre per 100 people. Within 7 miles of West Coyote Hills, there is only 1 acre per 356 people.
âWest Coyote Hills will provide a respite from dense urban living, for underserved areas of Orange County and Los Angeles County,â said Quirk-Silva. âIt will also serve as a biodiversity hotspot that will support plant and animal habitats, and be a unique educational resource for the entire region. Letâs not let the opportunity for a West Coyote Hills park slip away from us.â
More information about the bill can be found here.