If more than 200 state parks are closed as proposed by the governor, huge swaths of parkland would be without scheduled park maintenance, which could pose further fire risks.
By Melonie Magruder / Special to The Malibu Times
In Gov. Schwarzenegger’s most recently revised budget proposal, he suggests slicing $143 million from California State Parks’ general fund, an amputation that would effectively lead to the closure of more than 200 state parks. The parks on the chopping block, which would be placed in caretaker status, included Leo Carrillo State Park, Malibu Creek State Park, Malibu Lagoon State Beach, Topanga State Park and Will Rogers State Historic Park.
This proposal is 10 times more draconian than last year’s proposed budget cut, when the governor would have eliminated $13.3 million from parks funding, resulting in the closure of 48 state parks.
The parks department survived last summer’s threatened foreclosure, but may not be so lucky this year, in light of the state’s dire fiscal crisis.
“We are funded through this fiscal year [June 30],” California State Parks Information Officer Sheryl Watson said. “And because summer is our busiest season, we’ll stay open till the end of summer. But if this budget proposal passes, we will have to shut a lot of parks after that.”
Ninety percent of State Parks department operating revenue comes from state funding, with usage fees and private donations making up the balance. The department would be sorely pressed to make up such a large shortfall. Watson pointed out that an increase in usage fees usually means a drop in visitors and park fees would need to triple to accommodate funding cuts.
“Campsite fees now are $25 to $40,” Watson said. “If those rates are raised to $75 or $100 a night, well, people probably won’t go camping. And that’s $25 or $40 that we won’t receive.”
The potential revenue lost by closure of state parks is considerable. According to a report provided by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, California contributes roughly one tenth of 1 percent of its general fund budget toward the costs of operating California’s 279 state parks. But, based on a parks department 2002 study, visitors to parks generate more than $6.5 billion in new sales for private businesses around state park communities. Those expenditures yield hundreds of millions of tax dollars annually. It is estimated that more than 100,000 private sector jobs are dependent on spending by park visitors on local businesses.
Watson said park visitor spending returns more than $2 in tax revenue for every $1 the state allocates to State Parks’ general fund.
California State University, Sacramento recently published preliminary data of a survey that says state park visitors spend an average of $4.32 billion annually in park-related transactions, based on attendance estimates of 74.9 million visitors a year. More than 25 percent of those expenditures, or $1.66 billion, was generated by nonresident visitors.
Beyond the loss of corollary state revenue generated by park visitors, should parks be forced to shutter, California will be burdened with costs associated with lack of regular maintenance operations.
Lynette Hernandez, State Parks services superintendent for the Topanga sector, worries about the vulnerability of huge swaths of parkland without scheduled park maintenance.
“How do we keep out fire risks from homeless people?” she asked.
Watson said State Parks utilizes a strong volunteer force throughout California to help defray operating costs.
“We have 20,000 wonderful volunteers who already do a great job of acting as camp hosts and docents,” Watson said. “But they are not specialists. We use law enforcement officers, heavy equipment operators and fire brigades. And state parkland comprises a lot of acreage.”
There are 27 parks owned by the state that are managed by local cities and counties under what is known as “operation agreements,” which would not be subject to closure. These include Point Dume State Beach, Will Rogers State Beach and Santa Monica State Beach. Malibu Pier, which is also State Parks property, will also likely continue to operate, as the Malibu Pier Partners, LLC, a private business, mostly operates it.
The governor has vowed to cut funding for what he has deemed are overlapping state boards and commissions before he cuts funding for education, health care or state parks. But these measures would not compensate for the expected drain on the parks department coffers.
The governor’s spokeswoman, Lisa Page, said, “The governor understands how difficult these cuts are for Californians, but with a $24 billion deficit there are simply no good options. The scope and the severity of this recession have forced us to put options on the table that would have been unthinkable just a few short months ago.”
Local parks supporters and environmental advocates are vowing to fight the budget cuts with grassroots activism.
Melina Watts, the Malibu Creek Watershed Coordinator for the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, advises concerned citizens to contact their state legislators. In an e-mail to The Malibu Times, she said the California State Parks Foundation is requesting letters go directly to Gov. Schwarzenegger and the Budget Conference Committee, which took up the issue of the department budget last Thursday, and voted Monday to reject the cut to State Parks funding.
Democrats on the committee have proposed an annual $15-per-vehicle fee on California drivers to make up the parks budget shortfall, but Republicans on the committee expect to nix that idea, according to reports in the Los Angeles Times.
“Right now, we’re waiting to see what will happen with the budget before the Legislature,” Watson said. “We’ll take any ideas on how we can continue to operate our parks to serve the same number of visitors and keep them safe.”
More information about State Parks or action by the California State Parks Foundation can be found online at ww.parks.ca.gov or www.calparks.org