Governor Schwarzenegger Has Really Rattled the Cages with Proposed Cuts to California’s State Parks

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Hundreds rally on Capitol Steps, including Republican State Senator Maldonado

Photos courtesy of Diana Casanova

By Elizabeth Goldstein
President
California State Parks Foundation

The Save Our State Parks (SOS) Campaign held a rally on the West Steps of the Capitol yesterday in protest of the proposed cuts to state parks. More than 300 park advocates including legislators, mayors, surfers, hikers, campers, RV enthusiasts, and other parks users chanted slogans and held signs decrying the proposed closure of 48 state parks and the reduction of life guard staffing at 16 state beaches.

Senator Christine Kehoe, Senator Abel Maldonado (pictured right), Assemblymember John Laird, Assemblymember Ira Ruskin, Elizabeth Patterson (Mayor of Benicia), Randy Widera, President of the California League of Park Associations, Gail Sevrens from the California State Park Rangers Association, Caryl Hart from the State Park & Recreation Commission and parks advocates all spoke in opposition to the governor’s proposed closure of state parks and highlight the fact that California’s state parks are under assault - from plans to build a six-lane toll road through San Onofre State Beach to a proposal to add transmission lines through protected desert wilderness to this latest proposal to shut down 48 of California’s magnificent state parks. These attacks on California’s state parks are unprecedented.

The rally brought together a diverse group of parks supporters across the state to demonstrate that state parks are essential to Californians’ quality of life and government can’t ignore the will of the people. Rally participants sought to encourage the Governor and the Legislature, before making a rash decision to close even one state park, to explore their local state parks by taking in the redwoods, taking the family hiking or fishing or by simply spending the day at their local state beach.

The protest came together in response to the Governor’s recently released Fiscal Year 2008/2009 budget proposal. Included in his proposal are major cuts to California’s state parks system, which yields very little savings to the state, yet negatively impacts nearly every Californian. While California is facing a significant budget deficit, closing even one state park is unacceptable, but closing 48 state parks and reducing lifeguard protection by 50 percent to some of our state’s most populated and popular beaches, as proposed by the Governor, is an absolute travesty.

It is estimated that the closure of these parks will result in a little more than $13 million in savings, or one thirteenth of 1% of the state budget. And when you factor in the loss of tourism dollars to local communities, the savings become negligible. It has been estimated that for every dollar spent by the state on parks, $2.35 in tourism revenue has been generated. Furthermore, with a proposed reduction in staffing to state beaches, California will be opening itself to significant liability since skilled lifeguards will not be present to assist beachgoers in the event of an emergency.