California State Parks to open.....rarely

[marmar]

from the San Francisco Chronicle:



California State Parks cutbacks widespread
Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, October 27, 2009


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San Francisco -- The California State Parks won't be closed, except during the week and in certain seasons and, really, most of the time, according to a list of cutbacks released Tuesday.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger decreed last month that no parks would be shuttered, but the $14.2 million he cut out of the state parks budget means many of the 278 parks in California will be open only on weekends and almost all will have to endure partial closures. Most of the closures begin next week.

The list prepared by park superintendents throughout California indicates that park visitors should also be advised not to expect many lifeguards or interpretive programs or parking spots or, for that matter, public restrooms, even in a pinch.

"The headlines last month were: 'The Governor Saves State Parks.' Uh, wait a minute. There is still a $14.2 million hit to the state budget," said Jerry Emory, spokesman for the California State Parks Foundation. "In fact, these service cuts might impact more parks systemwide. Before, we were looking at a list of 100 parks, including partial, full and seasonal closures. Now the plan is just to do that across the entire system."

There will be major cutbacks in the Bay Area, including campground, picnic and parking lot closures on Mount Tamalpais, Angel Island, Mount Diablo, Samuel P. Taylor, Tomales Bay and China Camp state parks. Facilities at Olompali State Historic Park, Candlestick Point State Recreation Area and the Benicia Capital State Historic Park will be closed.

The cuts were part of a deal Schwarzenegger signed in July to erase a $24 billion budget gap. The deal also chopped $22.2 million out of the 2010-11 parks budget. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/27/BA861ABBAK.DTL

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Yet we'll still see plenty of those CHP motorcycle idiots with radar guns.

[Nikki Stone1]

3. Those radar guns are giving them testicular cancer if they hold them too near the lap

Mean, but true.

[KamaAina]

8. With most CHPs, that'd be a small, treatable cancer

:evilgrin:

[Nikki Stone1]

2. I saw this on the news tonight.

Just sad. :(

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

4. What's Huell Howser going to talk about, if all the parks are closed?

I like some of his broadcasts, like the recent one on the amazing 500 foot waterfall in Castle Crags State Park in northern California. The falls had been a secret for decades, not appearing on any map, because they were privately owned, but the state recently bought the land and incorporated them into the park.

[The_Casual_Observer]

5. If Huell was there then it must have been AMAZING!

And a tradition for somebody.

[Ignis]

7. Ya got me.

:spray:

[Liberal_in_LA]

6. So the parks aren't really closed...just no services provided.