A $40 million plan to revamp the drug addict paradise known as MacArthur Park is completely ignoring the major flaws with the space, as pointed out in a scathing message from mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt.
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez stood with city officials at an Earth Day event Wednesday to unveil a sweeping redesign of the park’s lake, pitching a greener future built around stormwater capture, cleaner water, and new public features meant to transform one of Los Angeles’ most troubled spaces.
“It’s about transforming how we care for this space,” Hernandez said, describing a plan to capture, treat, and reuse stormwater to reduce pollution and improve conditions for families who rely on the park.
But before the ink could dry, Pratt fired back, not at the engineering, but at what he says the city is refusing to confront.
“How about clean the park of fenty zombies,” he posted on X, cutting straight to the issue that has come to define MacArthur Park’s daily reality.
For months, The California Post has documented the park’s collapse into what residents and business owners describe as ground zero for fentanyl use, people slumped over in the now-infamous “fentanyl fold,” open drug use steps from playgrounds, and a constant churn of overdoses and emergency calls.
Locals say the park has become less a public space and more a magnet, a place where services, handouts, and lack of enforcement have drawn a growing population of users and dealers into a concentrated zone of chaos.
The city says its plan leans heavily into infrastructure: reworking the lake to rely less on drinking water, reducing runoff into Ballona Creek and Santa Monica Bay, and adding features like a cascading water system, new landscaping, and educational signage.
“It’s about what this community is owed,” said Board of Public Works Commissioner John Grant, pointing to a vision of a park that reflects pride and investment.
However, the park’s long-troubled conditions remain visible.
The once-iconic fountain that shot jets high above the lake is no longer operational after repeated metal theft stripped key components.
During a recent visit, The Post observed dead birds in the water, human waste along the shoreline, and debris scattered throughout the pond.
City leaders say the proposal builds on more than $27 million already spent on safety and programming around the park, with construction expected to begin this fall.