Full slate of local state park cuts takes hold this week

This just in: Capitol Building State Historic Park, in Sacramento, has been closed. Legislators on their way to offices have been turned away until next year at the earliest. The state's ability to pass legislation that bleeds money has been hampered.

This suck.

These seems like relatively minor additional closures befitting the relative small level of cuts. It's worth noting that there are a wide range of wasteful spending measures where spending could have been redirected to avoid the cuts altogether. My favorite is the tax giveaway to developers to subsidize the selling of their houses. This year the state just gave away 5 times the amount of the cuts to parks in that program and now some in the legislature want to give away twice the amount of park cuts in extending that program.

But even worse than the abuse by the legislature is this loony idea that these cuts of $14.2 of the some $100 million in general fund monies that go to parks justifies raising a tax that would raise vastly more than that. Newspapers have mostly reported $220 million but I have read some estimates up to $300 million, and apply the math to some of vehicle registration numbers yields higher amounts still. Raising taxes by a minimum estimate of 1500% of the amount of the cuts making it so that users of the parks can pay none of the fees they do now to offset part of the cost of their use of the parks deserves to be roundly condemned. Yet this newspaper's radical tax and government loving editor loves the idea.

I guess I better take a dump BEFORE going to one of my state parks.

disabuser wrote:

... Raising taxes by a minimum estimate of 1500% of the amount of the cuts making it so that users of the parks can pay none of the fees they do now to offset part of the cost of their use of the parks deserves to be roundly condemned.

Wow, where did you come up with that number? The only amount I have heard or seen is an additional $15 for the proposed car registration fee.

The government is putting on a very visible show. Lots of closures, no coordination, and no savings. The Capitol should have a carnival tent placed over it, and Arnie and Maria should be selling the popcorn. Step right up.

The way I see it, its still our land to enjoy, whether or not a gate/facility is open. The best recreation I've had in life has been in remote/wilderness areas; the lack of open infrastructure does not bother or deter me one bit.

However, this does highlight the need to ensure that folks who do visit a closed area do so in a responsible way.

Our State budget is still in the tank to the tune of about 30 BILLION dollars and every single government funded program could see massive cuts. We are now paying the piper for decades of out of control Democrat Assembly and Senate greed and corruption! The governor only has the power to cut costs by utilizing the line item veto! The governor does not write the bills produced in the Senate and Assembly! You folks need to toss each and every Democrat elected official and a few Republicans who refuse to act in fiscally responsible manner and to stop taking money from the myriad of special interest groups. We cannot afford the poor spending habits these greedy politicians have been imbibing in the past decades!

wildman wrote:

The government is putting on a very visible show. Lots of closures, no coordination, and no savings. The Capitol should have a carnival tent placed over it, and Arnie and Maria should be selling the popcorn. Step right up.

Yes, the RINO Terminator and his Left wing wife can shill for the out-of-control left wing tax and spend Democrat controlled State Assembly and Senate. Good little corrupt Democrats one and all each with his/her back pocket held wide open for the truckloads of cash tossed their way for special consideration, union pay and benefit contracts and social programs all for votes to continue their careers in government. Had enough yet? Nope, well let's just keep re-electing Liberal Democrat spenders! This State has a majority of Democrat voters! We can continue to tax and spend until we go broke! OOOOOPS! I think we're there! We're broke already!

Hey, Concerned. DITTO, DITTO, DITTO. I havn't heard it said any better. The only thing that may be different is the $30 Billion figure. I've heard its going to be much further north of that. We do need to vote all these leaches out of office and replace them with anyone with some common sence. We also need politicians who'll tackle the water issue in the Central Valley. All the Politicians involved in shuting off their water should be tared and feathered.

expensive lettuce wrote:

<quoted text>
And that $15 dollar hits the people who can least afford it hardest. What the heck do vehicle fees have to do with parks?

I disagree. I'm not well off. But I scrape up the money every year for an annual pass for the state parks, because then I can use them without worrying if I have the $10 entrance fee, and not worry my car is going to be broken into on the shoulder of the highway. A $15 annual fee will be way better than the $120 the pass costs.

Looking beyond my personal situation, there are many state parks where it is not practical to charge a fee, or park users avoid the fee by walking in. The vehicle fee would take care of both these contingencies, and free park staff to from having to spend staff time being gate keepers / ticket sellers.

The cuts to the State Park budget this year are projected to increase next year. The parks already have a backlog of deferred maintenance. Without stable funding, the situation is only going to get worse.

How much is saved by closing a parking lot or a restroom?

Why not keep the lots open, install self pay stations and let people performing community service clean the restrooms and pick up the trash? That way the parks stay open at the current level of service, we still collect park fees and we reduce costs.

Person wrote:

The way I see it, its still our land to enjoy, whether or not a gate/facility is open. The best recreation I've had in life has been in remote/wilderness areas; the lack of open infrastructure does not bother or deter me one bit.
However, this does highlight the need to ensure that folks who do visit a closed area do so in a responsible way.

If you are young and/or fit and/or don't have small children, this may be a good solution for you. Unfortunately, parks closures lock out seniors, disabled persons, and very young children.

Park closures also lock out tourists who bring income not only to the state, but to the local businesses and services. Our local economy is going to suffer more, because we depend on those dollars.

"Though no full-time rangers or maintenance workers have been laid off"...Huh? So, just tell these full time rangers and/or maintenance people to go clean a bathroom. Geez...I used to work for the State Parks...believe me, these people have plenty of free time on their hands. How about just telling them to go do their jobs? They are getting paid right?

expensive lettuce wrote:

<quoted text>
And that $15 dollar hits the people who can least afford it hardest. What the heck do vehicle fees have to do with parks?

The same thing that cigarette taxes have to do with education.

Chai wrote:

<quoted text>
If you are young and/or fit and/or don't have small children, this may be a good solution for you. Unfortunately, parks closures lock out seniors, disabled persons, and very young children.
Park closures also lock out tourists who bring income not only to the state, but to the local businesses and services. Our local economy is going to suffer more, because we depend on those dollars.

Very good point. Closing parks in Santa Cruz county is not just short-sighted but straight-up stupid. Not only are they some of the better parks in the state, they attract many out-of-town visitors who will spend money in Santa Cruz one way or another. I like the idea of using offenders sentenced to community service to ensure the upkeep of the park facilities but I really don't know if that will fix it since I don't know how deep this rabbit-hole of budget cuts goes.

SkiSanger wrote:

How much is saved by closing a parking lot or a restroom?

Ummm, a sh!tload?

It keeps the people out and reduces all of the Ranger type activities that follow. Directions, lost kids, calls for assistance.

Yea, but he state has money to pay private contractors to work on the highways rather then Caltrans doing the work.

Those with RV's who are desperate for a place to sleep can always use one of the Wal-Mart National Park, parking lots. But then... Santa Cruz county doesn't have one of those. They charge $0 and are relatively safe.

I feel that there are enough people out there, who care passionately about our state parks, that they would volunteer to help keep the parks open and maintained, if they were given the opportunity.
I expect there would be administration costs to oversee, and train the volunteers, but this seems minimal compared to paying staff.
I empathize with the parks and recreation staff who may have lost their jobs, or have less hours. Until the budget allows for their job to be restored, lets consider having volunteers.