Senator Archuleta Secures $5 Million for the A.J Padelford Park Expansion in Artesia

Senator Bob Archuleta Secures $5 Million for the A.J Padelford Park Expansion in Artesia

NORWALK CA – California State Senator Archuleta has been in talks with the city of Artesia’s need for open space and parkland. A.J. Padelford Park is located in the low income community of Artesia and is in desperate need of an expansion. The park size has not changed since its development in 1973 and provides 0.47 acres per 1,000 residents which is significantly below the Los Angeles County average of 3.3 acres per 1,000 residents.

“Once we begin the expansion of the park, the capacity to host healthier physical activities, such as baseball and soccer would be our ultimate goal. This project will improve park safety and create more recreational opportunities for local at risk youth and families from throughout the city,” Senator Archuleta said.  The expansion will also lower the density per square mile and create more park space per person, creating a greater quality of life in the neighborhood.

The development of the park includes acquisition of properties at the fair market value purchase price. “Now that the funding is secured, we can begin the project by reviewing and finalizing the preliminary designs and plans for the expansion. This is great news for the community as Senator Archuleta has been instrumental in pushing for the funding” Councilmember Ali Taj said.

The park was named after A.J. Padelford after his passing in 1972. The construction company was known for their large projects in Artesia and Cerritos which included the first car dealership of the world’s largest mall, Cerritos Auto Square, Cerritos Plaza, the Artesia Public Library, the Artesia Town Center, Vons, Home Depot and many other projects.

The city has plans to name a segment of the park in honor of slain officer, which occurred in 2010. The park is known for an area that dead ends and its visuals are not prominent from a distance coming into the park. Unfortunately the officer was ambushed when he entered the dead end and this is one area that will change with the acquisition of the properties.