California
Status: At Risk
278 State Parks and Sites
Take Action! Contact your state representatives.
Twice in the last two years budget challenges have put California's expansive system of 278 parks at risk of shutting down, prompting their placement on the 2008 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. Now California, and at least 38 other states, is trying to fill budget gaps that total more than $89 billion, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. An estimated $19 billion deficit is attributed to California alone. For advocates and users of state parks, this is not welcome news. With more than 20 years of under-funding, already 150 parks are impacted, operating with reduced services and part-time closures. In a method of operation described by some as "sort of closed, sort of open," the California parks system is at best described as struggling with a variety of unmet needs.
California parks are known for their scenic beauty and vast natural resources, but many are not aware that 235 of the state's 278 parks contain significant cultural features, including historic structures and communities, prehistoric archaeological sites and cultural landscapes, and traditional tribal buildings. An immense collection of missions, gold mines, churches, forts and millions of museum objects and archives need constant upkeep and a stable source of funding. An accumulated backlog of more than $1 billion in maintenance needs currently exist, with leaking roofs and deteriorated structures putting parks at serious risk of irreversible damage. One example is Pigeon Point Lighthouse, an 1871 structure located on San Mateo County's southern coast. In 2001 state park officials closed the lighthouse once the building became so deteriorated that pieces of brick and iron were falling to the ground. Now blocked off by chain-link fencing, and described as "in critical condition," a full restoration of the lighthouse is expected to cost approximately $9 million as part of a project headed up by the California State Parks Foundation.
What is the future of California's state parks and state-owned historic sites?
More than 80 million visits to state parks each year boost local and regional economies, with a recent study showing that state park users in California spend more than $4 billion annually (leveraging $2.35 for every $1 spent by the state). Park advocates are betting on the popularity of state parks to help sway California voters to help provide a dedicated and reliable funding source for parks. A statewide ballot initiative, slated to appear in November 2010, will decide if the proposed State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010 is established. If voters approve, the measure directs new revenues from an $18 vehicle license fee, generating about $500 million in annual revenues which will be available to state parks (15 percent going for wildlife and ocean protection agencies). This approach could provide a long-term and sustainable plan, not to mention freeing up $130 million annually that currently goes to parks and could be redirected back into California's general fund.
On May 14, 2010, Governor Schwarzenegger revised his proposed 2010-11 budget, restoring $140 million in general funding to the Department of Parks and Recreation's budget. This reverses an earlier decision by the Governor to eliminate all general funding for state parks and replace through revenues from a proposed offshore oil drilling project that has now been scrapped, in response to the recent oil spill disaster in the gulf. Advocates caution this latest move requires the full support of the Legislature and still does not address a long-standing pattern of underfunding for California state parks.
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