Last month the Governor signed the state budget. It contained an additional $6M cut to state parks, bringing the total General Fund cut for this budget year to $14.2M. It is expected that this will result in the closure of perhaps more than 100 state parks.
California State Parks Foundation Statement on Governor’s Budget Revise:
Update August 4, 2009
SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, the Governor signed a revised Fiscal Year 2009-2010 state budget, based on the package of bills sent to him by the Legislature on July 24. In using his blue-pencil veto authority, the Governor exacted an additional $6.2 million cut to the state park system, bringing the total General Fund cut to $14.2 million. It is expected (and referenced in the Governor's budget summary) that more than 100 state parks will be closed. Below is a statement of the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) on the Governor's veto.
Statement of Elizabeth Goldstein, CSPF President
"This is a dark day in the history of California's state park system. At a time when Californians are most in need of their low cost, accessible state parks, the gates are being slammed in their faces. At a time when local businesses, particularly in rural communities, most rely on tourism and park visitation for their own economic stimulus, the doors are being shut to them. In the context of an $85 billion General Fund budget, the $14.2 million in "savings" that would come from closing more than 100 state parks is truly a drop in the bucket. But it's a small drop that will have a ripple effect, then a tsunami, for park visitors and local economies.
Closing more than one-third of the state park system cannot be done without real consequences to Californians. Although CSPF and other park partners are already trying to identify ways to keep some parks open, it will simply not be possible for the state to walk away from 100 parks and expect others to fully substitute for its public responsibility. California's state parks have been teetering on the brink of a funding cliff for several decades, this action now pushes them over the edge. California cannot afford for its state parks to be a political football every year. Our state parks desperately need a dedicated funding source to protect them from these now-annual budget actions."
How to get Involved:
State Park Facts:
Even if you are not planning to visit a park soon, the governor's short-sighted proposal will impact you and every California resident. It is the very definition of "penny-wise, pound foolish". Consider the facts:
FACT: The General Fund budget that state parks receive accounts for less than 1/10 of one percent of the entire state budget.
FACT: Last year alone, there were over 80 million visitors to state parks – and all indications are that this year was going to be even higher.
FACT: For every dollar that funds the parks, $2.35 is returned to the state's General Fund through economic activities in the communities surrounding the parks.
That means eliminating all funding for state parks could actually result in the state losing over $350 million dollars in revenue.
Closing parks will have a ripple effect that will cause further economic turmoil in towns across the state already reeling from bad economic decisions made in Sacramento. Closing state parks not only loses potential revenue within the park, but will cause losses to the local economies in communities that surround the state parks as well.
