Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed closing up to 220 of California’s 279 state parks, which would remain closed until there is available funding to operate them.
The problem with this idea is first, of course, the public then cannot legally use them. In addition, closed parks would mean accelerated deterioration of park facilities (trails, buildings, etc.) A closed park is an excellent hidey-hole for illegal drug activity (marijuana growing, meth lab.) Who then guards the wildlife, and prevents arson?
The California Parks Foundation is squeaking loudly about this probable eventuality, as one might expect — encouraging the public to protest mightily to the Governor.
But hang on a second, people! California is really and truly going broke. In two weeks, California will be insolvent, and the parks may be closed by court order, rather than executive fiat. This is a time to find solutions, not just voice dissent.
Here’s a suggestion: Don’t close the state parks. Instead, the state should lease them out for periods of 10 years. Preferred lessees should be city and county governments, in cooperation with local nature foundations. For example, the Santa Monica Mountains could be leased to a coalition of Los Angeles County and City, Malibu, and Santa Monica. Use and parking fees, and other concessions, would be used to partially fund the lease payments. The parks could be staffed with a combination of volunteer and city/county labor — or contracted out.
Win-win. The state government gets rid of an expense, and receives and income stream. The local economies get to keep, and perhaps enhance, the economic benefit from the state parks. As California Parks Foundation notes, “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.”
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is a federal operation that includes in its overlapping jurisdictions some California State Parks, like Malibu Creek, Leo Carrillo, Topanga, Point Mugu, and Will Rogers Historic Park. Many facilities in the Recreation Area are federal land, like Solstice Canyon, Franklin Canyon, and Paramount Ranch; yet others are municipal areas, like Charmlee Wilderness Park in Malibu. These will not be affected by the proposed state closures. Your idea of leasing the state parks is a worthy idea and one would hope that the other jurisdictions that comprise the National Recreation Area, like the feds, and adjacent counties and cities could pick up the slack for soon to be orphaned state parks.
Here’s a thought: why not lease the parks out to local marijuana growers with the agreement that the growers would pay to keep the parks open? The State would be supporting local agriculture, benefitting financially from an activity that’s going to go on anyway, diverting some of the flow of funds from the Mexico cartels, and keeping an eye on an industry that’s typically rather more covert. Heck, they could even tax the income!
…Bringing an all-new meaning to the slogan, “Buy American!”
Well, Schwarzenegger said California needs bold, innovative ideas and to think out of the box. This would give “locally grown” whole new meaning.
This is like some crazy nightmare – all the beautiful parks lost at once…and all we are left with is jammed packed Los Angeles freeways and smog..
Here’s another way to tell Arnold “Hummer” Schwarzenegger the world is more than penthouse hotel rooms and bodybuilder rooms;
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/save-california-state-parks-from-closure