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California To Close 80% Of State Parks

From the San Jose Mercury News:

‘Angel Island State Park, in San Francisco Bay, is one of 220 state parks that could close as soon as Labor Day under a budget cutting plan by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.’

Schwarzenegger proposes closing 80 percent of California state parks

By Paul Rogers

05/29/2009

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 released Thursday night by the state parks department.

"We’ve never been in as serious a predicament as we are facing right now. It is potentially devastating," said state parks spokesman Roy Stearns.

Layoffs could hit 1,500 or more of the 2,900 state parks employees, Stearns added.

"This is a clear indication of the absolute seriousness of the state budget deficit. We have driven to the cliff and some would argue we are already falling off the cliff."

On Tuesday, as part of an effort to close the state’s $24 billion deficit, Schwarzenegger unveiled a series of proposed cuts. They included a plan to eliminate $70 million in state general fund money to parks in the year that ends in June 2010 and $143 million of that funding by June 2011. The latter number represents 40 percent of the state park system’s $387 million operating budget.

In effect, the plan would phase out all general fund support of parks, leaving them funded only by entry fees, camping fees, and various small taxes, such as a tax on fuel for off-road vehicles.

The proposal still must be approved by the state Legislature.

But Friday, Democratic leaders said the budget hole is so great they expect some parks will close. The main reason: Sales tax, income tax and other revenues flowing into Sacramento have collapsed during the economic downturn and Republican leaders have said they will not support any increase in taxes or fees…

Clearly the California voters must be punished for refusing to vote for even higher taxes.

Of course this is what the government leeches bureaucrats always do whenever an attempt is made to restrict their pipeline of taxpayer money.

Real services, the police, fire stations, the libraries, the jails, the parks – are always the first to be taken to the chopping block.

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This article was posted by Steve Gilbert on Saturday, May 30th, 2009 at 12:01 am. You can leave a response.

13 Responses to “California To Close 80% Of State Parks”

  1. caligirl9
    May 30, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    The Governator did propose eliminating CalWorks (used to be Aid for Families with Dependent Children) and I have no problem with that.

    CalWorks is a fine way for illegal aliens to get welfare because the support checks are given to “benefit” the anchor babies, and of course the illegals themselves get “job training” for such in-demand occupations as medical billing and administrative support persons (file clerks).

    He also proposed cutting health benefits for illegals (WTF? I thought all they had was “emergency” benefits when they pop up in an ER. Apparently there are programs for that! However, there is no program for my 30-something white male California-born (Irish/German heritage) co-worker who is scraping together money to finish his bachelors degree!

    But there’s no way the senate and legislators of my fine welfare state will ever allow that to happen!

    Perhaps it’s time to privatize some of the parks, or make them a bit more self-sufficient? I hate to say it, I’d rather close parks than cut law enforcement and emergency services in any way.

  2. TwilightZoned
    May 30, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    “Clearly the California voters must be punished for refusing to vote for even higher taxes.”

    Can’t wait to see OUR punishment from Oblabla with continually growing tea party members pushing back for no tax increases among other things.

  3. Petronius
    May 30, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    California parks spokesman: “We have driven to the cliff and some would argue we are already falling off the cliff.”

    This is what happens to a Welfare State with open borders.

  4. Barbie
    May 30, 2009 at 7:10 pm

    Schwarzennegar might want to use a brain cell for once and estimate what revenue will be lost due to the tourism decline if parks close. Of course, that would bely his intent to hold Californians hostage until they relent and cough up the ransom dough in the form of taxes.

    Schwarzennegar is a failed governor of a failed state, largely due to his mismanagement. Perhaps if he could divert his attention away from getting face lifts and being henpecked to wife Maria, as well as making rude comments about Rush Limbaugh, the old bagga waste of space might try actually governing. p.s. Arnold, it’s time you take your aging small mind and go over to the ‘D’ side along with the rest of the RINOs. Get out!

  5. Rusty Shackleford
    May 31, 2009 at 12:15 am

    I love this. I really do. I’ve been so sick of smug Californians telling me about my “bad, unhealthy ways” in any state that I live in that’s not Cal-ee-fawn-ya. and they’re so proud of their “green ways” and now, as a model of the world twig-boy wants to make…he demonstrates how he is unable to discern the handwriting on the wall in the form of this ever-so-magnificent state, brought to its knees by socialist policies and methods.

    1) had they not wasted all their money on illegal immigrants, they might have some
    2) had they not taxed their citizens into oblivion, the citizens might have more to spend
    3) had they not given every green cause money, they might have had some
    4) had they realized that every step they took made things worse, they might have chosen a different way (fat chance)

    And so on…

    Something Sergeant Carter once said to Gomer Pyle: “Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid!”

    Yet, our illegal immigrant president and angry hippy administration STILL think that California is the model to follow.

    I have to ask, if when they wake up in the morning, do our democrats in power look at the toaster and think it would make a great bath toy?

  6. crosspatch
    May 31, 2009 at 1:25 am

    I have what I think is a better suggestion. One of the largest money wasters in the state is CalTrans, the state transportation authority. One example where billions could be saved is in returning maintenance of state highways that fall within the limits of incorporated cities back to the cities. About half the workers at CalTrans do nothing but push paper. They do not build roads, the do not maintain anything.

    I will provide an example. There is a small California city that has a state highway that runs through town. They want to put in new sidewalks. But since the road is a CalTrans road, it has taken them over TWO YEARS to get the sidewalk engineering approved.

    This town wanted to put up a banner across the street to advertise a charity function. They asked CalTrans since it is their street. CalTrans said they had to submit engineering drawings and design for 100MPH winds. To put up a charity banner. The amount of time and money that CalTrans costs the cities and the number of engineering staff CalTrans requires by making even the simplest repairs require YEARS of paperwork, reviews, and circular paper chases is amazing. CalTrans is the biggest waste of state money there is. It is layers upon layers upon layers of bureaucracy and lots of chips flying with very few trees falling.

    The state and the cities would be better served by turning over the maintenance of state highways within the incorporated limits to those jurisdictions. It would literally save billions. There is been one project … the addition of TWO handicap ramps at an intersection that has been going back and forth with CalTrans for 18 months now. This is an intersection that CalTrans themselves rebuilt a few years ago without ramps. The city wants to put them in. CalTrans is probably justifying the salaries of 5 engineers on that little project of two handicap ramps.

    In other words, much of the “work” CalTrans does is not really state work at all. They spend thousands of hours micromanaging work OTHER people are doing. A city wanting to repair potholes or fix a sidewalk will have YEARS of paperwork, engineering studies, “resubmit for further disapproval” notes … until CalTrans finally milks enough hours out of the project. If someone needs a project to charge time to … your project is never getting off their books until something else comes along to replace it.

    Give us our parks. Cut CalTrans.

    • crosspatch
      May 31, 2009 at 2:05 pm

      Here is another interesting project in a small California city. There is an overpass inside the city limits. The city wants to widen the overpass and replace the ramps. It carries a state route so they must get CalTrans approval. To date (for the past year) CalTrans has said there is “no need” for the work. Yet CalTrans has managed to charge a half million dollars to the non-project. They deny the project yet bill money to it. So a half a million dollars spent on absolutely nothing. Not a single shovel full of dirt has moved, not a single load of asphalt poured. But the “project” has been issued a number based on the submission for request for CalTrans approval so engineers bill against it when they need to find something to bill a few hours to something. We have too many CalTrans employees with nothing to do who are simply billing hours against projects in order to justify their existence.

  7. canary
    May 31, 2009 at 4:30 am

    Obama warned close to two monthes ago, if his health care wasn’t passed immediately, that national parks would close, along with other threats. Hollywood starts like the Obama’s like to vacation in far away countries.

  8. BillK
    May 31, 2009 at 8:16 am

    Ahnold has learned well the tactics of the left.

    Close popular public state institutions, like parks, visitor centers and the like. Just like the Feds did during past “budget shutdowns.”

    Do nothing to cut real spending.

    The same way public schools cut popular teachers and sports but never reduce administrators’ salaries.

    The people will inevitably cry and capitulate.

  9. GetBackJack
    May 31, 2009 at 11:41 am

    But this makes sense.

    Welfare people, union payroll people and intellectual academics don’t go to “parks”. Thus … there’s no need for this wasteful spending.

    I can guarantee there will still be people “using” these parks. As in druggies, marijuana growers, dealers making transfers, homeless, various gangs, etc. Because where things get abandoned, that’s when “it” moves in.

  10. VMAN
    May 31, 2009 at 2:30 pm

    I think someone already suggested this but turn these parks over to private business. Oh wait that would probably make everything work and even turn a profit. That’s NO way to run a government.

  11. crosspatch
    May 31, 2009 at 5:40 pm

    There is no reason the parks can’t be staffed by volunteers and people serving “community service” sentences.

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