From Planning to Parks: The Rise and Rise of Joe Halper

At 88, Joe Halper shows no signs of slowing down. Within hours of stepping down after nearly seven years on the West Los Angeles Planning Commission, he had taken up cudgels against the proposed eldercare facility near his home on Palisades Drive in The Highlands.

And, with the support of Councilmember Mike Bonin and Pacific Palisades Community Council Chair Maryam Zar, Halper was sworn in as the latest commissioner on the city of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks—an echo of his early career in park management on the east coast.

He said his first task was to visit as many parks as possible to understand the needs and issues; some need money, others water, others visitors.

And as the city accumulated hundreds of parks from Angels Gate to Zelzah since it undertook the management role to protect green spaces in 1889, Halper suspects it might take a little time to get around.

—JOHN HARLOW