Monterey County names new Parks Director

The 6 month long search for a new Director of Parks and Recreation for Monterey County is over. The county has announced that Mark Mariscal from the City of Los Angeles will begin in his new role on March 23.

Mariscal has worked in park operations, budgeting, personnel management and community engagement . He comes to Monterey County from the City of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation where he’s spent a total of 22 years, 14 years of which he served as Operations Manager, overseeing up to 800 full and part-time employees and multi-million dollar operations which included Recreation, Museums, Camps and Sports Divisions.

Prior to his position as Operations Manager, he was the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Exposition Park Complex.

Mariscal holds a Bachelor’s Degree from California State University, Los Angeles in Recreation and is bi-lingual in Spanish.

He also currently serves as President of the State Board of Directors of the California Park and Recreation Society.

Mariscal inherits a Monterey County department seeking a plan. As of late, Laguna Seca has lost money and Manzanita Park has dealt with controversy over open access.