Attendees poured into an informational hearing held in Santa Monica last week, at which Senator Fran Pavley discussed ways to mitigate the devastating effects of budget cuts on the California State Park system.
The hearing, hosted by the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee (for which Pavley serves as chair), also featured testimonies from State Assemblywoman Julia Brownley, a panel of state and national parks officials, citizen foundations and historic preservation trusts about the tenuous fiscal condition of the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
“We have the best state parks in our district,” Pavley said at the beginning of the meeting. “But California’s fiscal situation is getting worse and the parks department relies on the health of the state’s general fund for its budget. With the stock market plummeting, we, as owners of our parks, must brainstorm on ways to keep them open and healthy.”
Sacramento’s most recent budget revisions have cut about 16 percent of the parks department’s core operating budget for this fiscal year, with anticipated lost revenue from forced park closures adding another four percent loss next year. State parks’ funding represents roughly one-tenth of one percent of California’s annual general fund budget.
Brownley, declaring she has received more correspondence on the state parks issue than on any other, said, “The parks department represents a very small portion of the state budget. Considering the asset our parks represent, closing any park would be very short-sighted.”
Pavley said she was looking for a “sustainable solution” to last through at least two years of a “volatile economy” and sought to present a clear picture through situation reports from the panelists.
“We can barely fund operations, let alone the $120 million a year we need for maintenance,” Michael Harris, acting chief deputy director of the state parks department, said at the meeting. “If we were to address the deferred maintenance backlog we’ve built up over the last several years, it would cost well over a billion dollars.”
Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the nonprofit California State Parks Foundation, said Californians are now visiting state parks more than ever.
“Their visits are bringing money to the state,” Goldstein declared at the meeting. “Closing parks will not save us money.”
But Goldstein pointed out that reduced monitoring of parks has already led to expensive problems. Recent incidences at Malibu Creek State Park include signage vandalism and a bust of $28 million worth of illegally grown marijuana.
Tony Perez, deputy director of state park operations, said creative ways to make up for budget shortfalls are under investigation.
“Every state park is in jeopardy of closure,” Perez said. “So we are making every fund-raising effort, from seeking citizen gifts of cash donations or land to corporate sponsorship of parks.”
Corporate sponsorship is controversial, as some say neon signs or obtrusive sponsorship (as in cigarette or alcohol companies) would ruin parks’ natural beauty.
“We won’t allow the integrity of our park settings to be compromised,” Perez said. “But if it’s a choice of either closing a park and losing employees or featuring signs recognizing a corporate sponsor, we have to consider it.”
Paul Rathje, a volunteer with the Topanga Canyon Docents, offered three proposals to help insure that local parks stay open: a statewide effort to add a ballot initiative to the next election slate for a $15 vehicle registration fee (which would bypass the need for a two-thirds approval in the Legislature); a system for community contributions toward park upkeep (with assurances that donated monies would directly support a selected park, rather than be passed into the general fund); and creation of a walk-in pass fee (currently most state parks require entrance fees only from vehicles).
Public commentary solicited plenty of other suggestions, including amending the state income tax form to add a contribution box for state parks, volunteer maintenance committees for park walk-throughs and increasing fees for popular campsites.
The California State Parks Foundation is sponsoring an “I Love State Parks” action day September 5 at Baldwin Hills Scenic Outlook in Culver City. More information may be obtained online at www.calparks.org.