Help Gather Signatures to Secure Funding for CA State Parks
Park lovers are gathering signatures for a state initiative to provide stable long-term funding for our endangered state parks.
CESP and The Sierra Club will play a major role in gathering the signatures for this initiative. This means you. To help, send an email to: pjones@eastshorepark.org or call: (510)- 524-5000.
How did California's 278 state parks, once the best in the country, sink to being among the shabbiest? Call it death by a thousand budget cuts. Our parks are falling apart because of persistent underfunding. The state still owns the lands-the spectacular vistas, historic sites, and beaches-but roofs and sewage systems leak, restrooms aren't washed out regularly but trails are, and campgrounds and visitor centers are shuttered. The repair backlog in California state parks tops $1 billion, and it's growing.
As if that weren't enough, twice in the past two years, the whole state-park system was on the verge of being shut down. Only last-minute budget reprieves kept it open. But nearly 60 state parks are to have reduced hours or calendars because of this year's budget cuts, and more reductions are expected next year. Major cutbacks in the Bay Area will include 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.
That's why park supporters are placing a statewide initiative on the November 2010 ballot called the California State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010. It will protect state parks and conserve wildlife by establishing a trust fund in the state treasury to be spent only on state parks, wildlife and marine conservation, and state conservancies.
Funding will come from an $18 surcharge on the registration fee for California vehicles, including motorcycles and recreational vehicles but not larger commercial vehicles, mobile homes, and permanent trailers. Surcharged vehicles will receive free admission to all state parks. In comparison, park visitors currently pay up to $125 for an annual pass or $10 - 15 per day at most parks. There will still be charges for camping and other special services.
The trust fund will be sufficient to adequately fund state parks, freeing them from annual budget cuts and threatened closures. Spending from the trust fund will be subject to oversight by a citizen's board, full public disclosure, and independent annual audits. Money from the general fund currently spent on parks will be available for other vital needs, including schools, health care, social services, and public safety.
HELP SAVE OUR STATE PARKS!
For more info: http://www.yesforstateparks.com/
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