The Los Angeles Zoo has been one of the city’s premiere attractions since it opened in 1966, and has always been a facility exclusively operated by the city. But that may change after the Los Angeles City Council voted on Aug. 12 to seek proposals from private entities to partner with the city in running the zoo.

The City of Los Angeles would retain ownership of the animals under any public/private partnership for the Los Angeles Zoo (photo by Tad Motoyama)

The proposal was made by the City Administrative Office (CAO), and is designed to save the city money in operating costs. For the current fiscal year, the city has provided the zoo with $17.5 million for operating costs, but that amount is expected to increase over the next several years. The CAO estimates that the city could save $20 million over the next three years if a public/private partnership is formed.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, 4th District, whose district includes the zoo, supports examining options for a partnership. LaBonge chairs the city Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee, which examined the proposal before it went to the city council. He said he would not support any proposal that would compromise the zoo’s education and conservation efforts.

`We’re going to go out there and see who in the world could be a partner with the City of Los Angeles to operate our zoo, to expand our zoo, to continue the great care for the animals,” LaBonge added. “We’ll have an opportunity to see if we want to reject this or not. We’ll see who’s out there.”

LaBonge used the Hollywood Bowl as an example of other entities operated under public private partnerships. The Bowl is a county-owned facility that is operated by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. The CAO’s office also referred to zoos in other parts of the country that have entered into public/private agreements, including the Denver Zoo, whose budget doubled, and the Houston Zoo, whose budget increased 150 percent.

Jason Jacobs, the public relations and marketing director for the Los Angeles Zoo, would not comment on the decision to examine public/private partnerships, and instead directed all inquiries to the CAO’s office. Veronica Salumbides, of the CAO’s office, would also not comment, and referred to a report issued that outlines the goals of the proposal.

According to the report, the zoo would remain a city department under any partnership, and the city council would retain the power to make major decisions regarding the zoo, such as raising admission prices or expanding the facility. The report also states that the zoo’s general manager would remain a city employee, and that the savings would come from sharing the operating costs. The private entity could generate revenue through things like concessions and special programs, but the details have yet to be worked out. No zoo employees would be laid off, and the arrangement could have no negative impact on the animals. The move is designed to “maintain the zoo as an affordable education institution.” The city would still own the zoo’s animal collection, and would be responsible for raising bond money for future acquisitions or capital improvement projects.

One potential private entity that is interested in submitting a proposal is the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), which already partners with the zoo to generate private fundraising support. Richard Lichtenstein, a trustee for GLAZA, said the non-profit organization already has the experience and association with the zoo necessary to make a  partnership work.

“We have already started to retain some consultants and look at how we could approach a business model,” Lichtenstein said. “GLAZA is very enthusiastic about responding, and hopefully it will lead to some changes for the better, if we have the opportunity.”

Lichtenstein said a public/private partnership could result in savings because a private entity could make some decisions, such as changes with concessions and vendors, without having to go to the city council. A private entity would also be expected to match any financial contribution made by the city, through fundraising or other means, which is GLAZA’s forte, he said.

“You can cut the time frame, and time is money,” Lichtenstein said.

In addition to looking at possible public/private partnerships, City Councilmember Herb Wesson Jr. has requested that the CAO’s office look at ways to save the city money while keeping the zoo solely a city-operated facility. Ed Johnson, a deputy to Wesson, added it is intended as a back up if the private proposals do not meet requirements.

“We want to realize savings, but if in fact it doesn’t look like we will realize those savings, we want to look forward to what options we do have,” Johnson added

Todd Leitz, a deputy to LaBonge, said the decision to seek options for a public/private partnership has been considered for the past couple of years, since the city began looking for ways to close multi-million dollar budget deficits. He said the proposals are expected to come back in three to four months, at which time the city council will review the issue again. If a private entity is selected, the partnership could begin as soon as next summer.