OCEANSIDE — Oceanside is exploring the possibility of launching a park ranger program to oversee the city’s extensive park system, following a unanimous recommendation from the Parks and Recreation Commission earlier this month to initiate a feasibility study.
Councilmember Jimmy Figueroa, who serves as the council liaison to the commission, said the program has been under informal discussion for several years.
“The feasibility study is the next step in the process to guide the city on what it can look like for Oceanside,” Figueroa said. “It’s still in the concept phase.”
Parks and Recreation Director Manuel Gonzalez said the city has delayed pursuing a park ranger program mainly due to concerns over costs and uncertainty about the program’s scope.
“We also hesitated about defining the appropriate scope of the program, and whether the emphasis would be on interpretative programs and connecting our community with nature, or enforcement,” Gonzalez said in an email. “This question is particularly relevant when determining whether the park rangers would be armed or not.”
Currently, the Oceanside Police Department is responsible for responding to calls at the city’s parks and recreational facilities, which include four recreation centers, two senior centers, three aquatic facilities, 17 community parks, 16 neighborhood parks, a regional park, five skate parks, and miles of trails and open space.
Due to staffing limitations and high call volumes, OPD must prioritize urgent public safety issues, which can lead to delays in addressing non-emergency concerns at park facilities. City officials say a park ranger program could help bridge that gap.
A key consideration for the city is determining which department would oversee the ranger program. In some municipalities, ranger programs are housed within police departments, while others fall under the jurisdiction of parks and recreation departments.
If managed by the Parks and Recreation Department, Gonzalez said the program would focus on interpretative programming, park patrols, maintenance support, and enforcement of park rules and regulations. The police would continue to handle serious threats and violent incidents.
“A program under the police department would have a very different look, and that is a question that we need to discuss internally, with the consultant, and hear from the community to make sure that the program meets public expectations and priorities,” Gonzalez said.
Various models exist across the region and beyond. The largest park ranger programs in San Diego County are operated by the state, county and the City of San Diego. Other nearby cities with ranger programs include Carlsbad, San Marcos, Vista, Escondido, Poway, El Cajon and Chula Vista.
“Many cities with extensive open spaces, lakes, preserves, and trails have park ranger programs. Some ranger programs have full-time staff, part-time staff, or volunteers. Some departments have a combination of staff and volunteers,” Gonzalez said. “The City of Oceanside would be slightly different in that we would be looking for the park ranger program to assist in oversight of developed community and neighborhood parks as well as our open spaces.”
The potential costs include purchasing vehicles and equipment, hiring and training staff, setting up workstations, and incurring ongoing maintenance and operational expenses. The city would also need to fund the feasibility study itself, though the exact cost has not been determined.
“We are still several years from having a ranger program, but this was an important step to acknowledge the priority of exploring how we can better manage use of our parks and open spaces,” Gonzalez said.
