Registered: 01/15/08
Posts: 89
Loc: Camp Hill, Pennsylvania
The title says it all. To nutshell the story though, Arnold wants to try to correct the state budget and one way he's thinking about doing it is to close tons of parks in California.
I'm from across the US in Pennsylvania, and I've never been to Cali (although I want to go), but this is a terrible situation and upsets me all the way over here. Without getting into a long-winded post, I personally feel that closing that many parks is ridiculous and is going to hurt CA in the long run due to a lack of tourism dollars, people losing jobs, and the like. The rest of the article is below.
I just thought y'all might be interested if you haven't already heard.
By SAMANTHA YOUNG, Associated Press Writer Samantha Young, Associated Press Writer – Fri May 29, 9:16 am ET
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's budget cuts could mean the closing of up to 220 state parks, among them the home of the world's tallest tree and other attractions that draw millions of visitors.
Schwarzenegger this week recommended eliminating $70 million in parks spending through June 30, 2010. An additional $143.4 million would be saved in the following fiscal year by keeping the parks closed.
"This is a worst-case scenario," said Roy Sterns, a spokesman at the state parks department. "If we can do less than this, we will try. But under the present proposal, this is it."
Among the parks that could be closed, the parks department said Thursday, are Lake Tahoe's Emerald Bay, Will Rogers' Southern California ranch and Humboldt Redwoods State Park, which boasts the world's tallest tree, a giant that tops 370 feet. Even the Governor's Mansion in Sacramento is on the list.
The Legislature last year rejected the governor's proposal to close 48 state parks. But lawmakers said that with California's budget deficit now at $24.3 billion, the situation is so dire that it is likely some parks will close.
"Things that were previously dead on arrival are a lot more viable in a crisis like this," said Democrat Jared Huffman, chairman of the Assembly's parks and wildlife committee. "I think some cuts are coming to the parks, and they'll be cuts I won't like and the public won't like."
The state parks department said a $70 million cut would leave it with enough money to run just 59 of California's 279 state parks.
The state's famed park system attracts nearly 80 million visitors a year. William Randolph Hearst's Castle on the Central Coast and a dozen other so-called moneymakers would remain open, as would many Southern California beaches that attract millions of visitors year round.
But others that could close include: Fort Ross State Historic Park, the southernmost Russian settlement in North America; Bodie State Historic Park, one of the best-preserved Old West ghost towns; and Big Basin Redwoods, the oldest state park.
The proposal has angered conservationists and some Democrats in the Legislature, who say California's parks are treasured spots that help the state and local economy.
"State parks draw tourism to California," State Parks Foundation president Elizabeth Goldstein said. "This proposal makes the budget situation worse."
The foundation estimates the state gets a $2.35 return for every dollar it spends on parks.
California spends roughly $400 million a year running 279 state parks and beaches, with roughly a third of the money coming from the state general fund. The rest comes from user fees, which account for slightly more than a quarter of the revenue; bond funds; gasoline taxes; federal money; and other sources.
Assembly Minority Leader Mike Villines said the state cannot afford to subsidize state parks when lawmakers are being asked to make severe cuts in even more vital areas.
"Parks are just not going to be a priority over public safety and education, as much as we hate to see them close," Villines said.
At least 2,000 park rangers, biologists, lifeguards, interpreters, architects and maintenance workers would be laid off if the proposal is adopted, said Sterns, the parks spokesman.
The layoffs would be in addition to 5,000 state positions the governor has already recommended cutting.
"When you cut that much, you have to let go highly trained teams of biologists that you can't get back in a year or two," Huffman said. "It's a myth to think you can mothball the entire system. These cuts will cripple the park system for a decade or more."
Sad yes, but California has been strongly into recreation space denial for over a decade. Look at all of the piles of boulders along hiways in the Sierras in former parking places, denying access to the mountains. Well a lot of those paks have 1 or 2 rangers looking our for them. I guess the ghost town parks will be stripped. Anyway it also means there won't be any rangers to keep you from camping and no permits or permit fees. At last we can camp next to the lakes and collect arrowheads in parks! Jim
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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.
From what I read in today's paper, closure means no services, not outright closure. You can still use the park for backpacking but no restrooms, visitor centers, campgrounds, etc.
A California annual park pass is $120 a year. If you do not have a annual pass, it is about $5 per day for parking. Campgrounds are about $20+ per night. A LOT of fees ARE collected from California state parks! Thus, I am a bit mystified with the idea of no money for the parks. What has been done with all the fees that are collected?
A LOT of fees ARE collected from California state parks! Thus, I am a bit mystified with the idea of no money for the parks. What has been done with all the fees that are collected?
"Swept" into 'General Funds' like lots of other monies.
Politicians always like to suggest cutting the most popular programs such as parks, police and fire protection to give them political cover to increase user fees.
Closing the parks means closing the campgrounds. Backpackers can continue to use the park unless they fence the park.. but where would they get the money?
Disingenuous if you are charitable, deceptive if you are realistic.
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"In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not." Yogi Berra
Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3293
Loc: Portland, OR
However much the parks are popular, they are a nonessential service. When you are a politician facing the need for billions of dollars of cuts, and the taxpayers have just resoundingly rejected any tax increase to cover the shortfall, then you are going to look first at everything that could possibly be called a "frill".
This is what happens when citizens want every goernment service they use personally, but are convinced that every service used by everyone else is just waste, fraud and abuse.
You may like to think that this is just a cynical manipulation of the voters by cutting popular stuff like libraries and parks, but if you were in their position, you'd probably be doing the same, or else perhaps you'd be hammering services to the poor - which always look like frills to the middle class, until the day they apply for food stamps, as our own Jimshaw recently had to do.
It is interesting that they will cut the things that matter to people (I think this is to solicit their future support for higher taxes), yet they never talk about the things that only affect a few of their friends. How many special commissions are filled with a few people who meet two or three times a year and are paid $100,000 a year or more?
No, they cut schools, fire, police, and anything else they think will scare the populous into opening their wallet. It is all just political manipulation that unfortunately works. The problem with that is that as long as the state spends 110% of the available budget, more money just makes us go further into the hole.
We threw out Davis because of his spending problems. Today, there is more money coming into the state’s coffers than ever yet we are going bankrupt? The problem is not income; it is out of control spending. The last election told the politicians that they needed to get the spending under control. So, rather than do something that will really work they make cuts that will hurt people. Then when they go back next time, we will gladly sell our futures (and our kid’s futures) to make the pain go away. The politicians will then spend 110% of that increase and we will do the same thing all over again. It is a hopeless cycle that I am not sure we will ever be able to break. Unfortunately, it will eventually break us.
Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3293
Loc: Portland, OR
I totally agree with you about such things as closing down those hole-and-corner commissions that only benefit a few people, but that sort of stuff is not going to amount to $4 billion (last figure I heard for the CA deficit) no matter how many commissions you have.
Today, there is more money coming into the state’s coffers than ever...
Hmmm. I haven't heard any numbers for CA, but I did recently hear that federal tax receipts are down by something on the order of 35%, so it seems highly unlikely that 2009 tax revenues in CA are exceeding the levels of 2007 or 2008. Are you sure this is true?
rather than do something that will really work they make cuts that will hurt people.
Believe it or not, every dollar the legislature spends is going into someone's pocket somewhere and helps that person, so the converse is true, too. Every cut hurts someone, too. The art of politics is in apportioning the pain (taxes) and the joy (services) to the "right" people.
A politician's idea of who is the "right" person to protect is going to include a broad swath of voters, but under the system we have today, you can darn well bet that it is also going to include his contributors, because they paid to put him in office and he knows it.
Until we, the people, learn how to cut in front of the big contributors ahead of us in line, we'll continue to be aced out in the race to see who is the "right" person to serve first.
As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. Just paying your taxes isn't going to win you any favors in Sacramento. The name of the game is votes and contributions.
I don't really mind paying taxes for the many services we Californians take for granted. I was actually kinda looking forward to being harrased for my JMT permit and my bear can by a few rangers this Summer. Actually, I don't look at it as being harrased, there just doing there job and are under paid. Personnally I think the Gov should start with cutting there own wages before they cut jobs and services, instead of giving themselve wage increases.. Seem a little backwards to me.. There doesn't seem like much we can do about it but useing less is a start....
It is political posturing. The Parks are important for the tourist industry and are an aminity that increases real estate value. Closing them is false economy.
They should consider outsourcing more, cutting State Park staff and increasing user fees. Only the latter will be considered.
If the scenario is played skillfully it will end with the citizens thanking the politicians for increasing user fees. Maybe they will only increase the nonresident fees.
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"In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not." Yogi Berra
In the last 5 years before I retired, I worked as a mid-level administrator at CSU. In this period, we were faced with a series of either flat budgets or budgets with increases that fell behind inflation. At the same time, the Colorado legislature would press for increasing enrollment and to apply a whole variety of unfunded mandates to the University regarding politicians personal pet projects.
Two of the strategies we used to meet the budget shortfalls were: 1) Get rid of low-demand programs we were planning to eliminate anyway but to pass the blame on to the politicians; and 2) Target for elimination several programs that had a great deal of community and alumni support.
The first strategy allowed us to do what we had planned to do but to let the politicians take the heat (Hey, our hands are tied! Blame those reactionaries from eastern Colorado).
The second strategy would generally activate concerned alums; hopefully those with connections in the State House. They would then lobby for increases in budgets for the targeted programs. It didn't always work but it worked often enough that it was part of the arsenal. The targeting of popular programs worked best if the program had a lot of support from the business community or if it were one that generated a lot of research grant money.
I suspect that this is the same tack that the California legislature is taking with the parks.
The second strategy would generally activate concerned alums; hopefully those with connections in the State House. They would then lobby for increases in budgets for the targeted programs. It didn't always work but it worked often enough that it was part of the arsenal. The targeting of popular programs worked best if the program had a lot of support from the business community or if it were one that generated a lot of research grant money.
I suspect that this is the same tack that the California legislature is taking with the parks.
Yup, and now there are some numbers, including nearly $1.7 billion spent by out of state Calif park visitors. I'll be interested to see the paper summarizing the survey results.
It is political posturing. The Parks are important for the tourist industry and are an aminity that increases real estate value. Closing them is false economy.
They should consider outsourcing more, cutting State Park staff and increasing user fees. Only the latter will be considered.
If the scenario is played skillfully it will end with the citizens thanking the politicians for increasing user fees. Maybe they will only increase the nonresident fees.
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