RSS
Home
Closing California State Parks: Is this the answer to the budget crisis?
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Schwarzenegger’s plan for fiscal balance by closing state parks may affect more than California’s most treasured locales.
“Nearly every state park in the Bay Area — from the towering redwoods at Big Basin to Angel Island, Mount Tamalpais to Mount Diablo and every state beach from Año Nuevo in San Mateo County to Big Sur — would close as part of budget cuts proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. In all, 220 of California's 279 state parks, about 80 percent, would be padlocked starting as soon as Labor Day, under details of a historic closing plan . . .,” Paul Rogers, Mercury News staff writer, reported in an SFGate article posted last week.
Schwarzenegger appealed to lawmakers Tuesday, while speaking before a joint session of the Legislature at the Capitol in Sacramento.
The hit list
If you’re a California resident or have visited the Golden State, chances are you’ve enjoyed at least one of the potentially affected locations. Many of these parks are frequently visited and account for substantial revenue. A few of the most recognized Bay Area state parks include: Angel Island, Mount Tamalpais, Tomales Bay, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, Big Basin Redwoods, Gray Whale Cove (beach), Half Moon Bay (beach), Portola Redwoods, Pacheco, Benicia Capitol (recreation area and historic park), Armstrong Redwoods (natural reserve), Jack London (historic park), and Sonoma (historic park).
Facts according to the California State Parks Foundation:
- The General Fund budget that state parks receive accounts for less than one tenth of one percent of the entire state budget.
- Last year alone, there were over 80 million visitors to state parks – and forecasters bet this year will exceed that number.
- For every dollar that funds the parks, $2.35 is returned to the state's General Fund through economic activities in the communities surrounding the parks.
The community component: More than just greenery
In an interview with Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the California State Parks Foundation, NPR’s Cy Musiker revealed the seriousness of the proposal. Goldstein explained, “We all have memories of camping with our parents, or picnics, or going to the beach. These are places which we associate with great times in our lives and these state parks get almost 76 million visits a year. So there are lots of people who have memories of their state parks. . .. Not only are we worried that they wouldn’t be safe, we are worried that they would affect communities around them in all kinds of ways.”
Goldstein points out that the community aspect is the least understood aspect of issue. “California State Parks are an incredible economic engine for the communities in which they exist . . . the bottom line here is that if you cut out the general fund of the California State Park system which is about $143 million this year, you are actually digging yourself a hole in terms of general fund revenues, and that is not even counting the jobs in these communities and the businesses that might be lost.”
Nearly 2,000 people are vulnerable to job losses from this proposed cut. However to put this in context of total budget cuts, it is not only California’s State Parks that are on the line. “"California's day of reckoning is here," Schwarzenegger said [Tuesday]. He has outlined a series of cuts that include an additional $5.2 billion reduction in funding for public schools, laying off 5,000 state workers and further cutting the pay of 200,000 others. He has proposed eliminating welfare for 500,000 families, terminating health coverage for nearly 1 million low-income children . . .” reported by Juliet Williams, Associated Press, as published Tuesday in the Washingtonpost.com. Then, there are the parks.
*Photo courtesy of Mark Dodge and the California State Parks Foundation
Enjoy this article? Check out Anne's other articles:
- Northern California's best flower gardens and nurseries
- Get wet and drink wine: Ride the Sierra's best rapids this Spring and Summer
- Apple of my eye: Cover's Apple Ranch in Tuolumne
- More than good eats abound at Grounds in Sierra Gold Rush town
- Apple Camp: Technology meets summer fun for kids
Related Articles:
Comments
