Sec. 171. 

The Department of Recreation and Parks shall have the power and duty:  (Added, 1947.)

(1)  To establish, construct, maintain, operate, and control, both within and without the limits of the City of Los Angeles, the following:  (Added, 1947.)

(a)  all parks of the City of Los Angeles;  (Added, 1947.)

(b)  all playgrounds, swimming pools and bath houses, recreation centers, recreation camps, beaches, stadiums, athletic fields and any and all other types or kinds of lands, waters, boats, facilities, machines, structures, or equipment for recreational purposes; including museums, observatories, exhibits, and other functions, works, materials or facilities for public enjoyment;  (Added, 1947.)

A person on beach premises under control of city, who being unfamiliar therewith and proceeding into a place of impenetrable darkness falls and is injured, does not as a matter of law exercise ordinary care for his own safety and hence any injury is a result of his own contributory negligence for which he may not recover.

Cheyney v. City of Los Angeles, 119 Cal. App. (2d) 75.

(c)  all property acquired by it or assigned to its jurisdiction for public recreation.  (Added, 1947.)

(2)  To design, construct and operate, lease, rent or sell concessions or privileges to be exercised for the benefit, education, amusement, convenience or enjoyment of the public, in connection with any function, site or facility under jurisdiction of the Board.  (Added, 1947.)

(3)  To establish schedules of charges for special services.  (Added, 1947.)

(4)  To aid and promote public recreation, and to cooperate and join with other public agencies, associations and organizations for such purpose.  (Amended, 1955.)

(5)  To establish, maintain and operate playground or other recreational facilities upon portions of public streets, under such terms and conditions as may be fixed by ordinance.  (Amended, 1955.)

(6)  To succeed to all of the powers, duties, functions, funds, facilities and property of the Department of Parks, and the Department of Playground and Recreation, as heretofore constituted under the Charter; including the park fund, and the playground and recreation fund, which shall be transferred to the recreation and parks fund.  (Amended 1955.)

The Board of Park Commissioners has the exclusive right to act on behalf of the City of Los Angeles with reference to park matters.

Pratt v. Security Trust & Savings Bank, 15 Cal. App. (2d)

Where powers are fully vested in the Board of Park Commissioners to manage the park system of the city and all of the real and personal property devoted to that use, as well as the erection and maintenance of all buildings thereon, the legislative power of the city vested in the Council and Mayor is subordinate to the former power, and ordinances accepting a gift to erect in a certain park two structures, and appoint, in accordance with the terms of the gift, three citizens to supervise the erection and to manage and control the structures, are void.

O’Melveny v. Griffith, 178 Cal. 1.