Sate Senator Evans Teams with Senator Simitian on "Sustainable Parks Proposal"

Update: May 10, 2012

The Sustainable Parks Proposal got its first hearing on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 before the State Senate Budget Subcommittee #2 which focuses on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy and Transportation. 

The plan hasn’t been assigned a bill number because it will be part of the budget via trailer language.  Trailer language provides guidance on implementing the state budget.

If the proposal is approved in the final budget signed by the Governor, the funds would become immediately available to prevent up to 50 parks slated for closure from closing.

According to Teala Schaff, a spokesperson for Senator Evans, there is no formula in place at present for dividing the money so it is not known how much money Benicia might receive to help offset the costs of operating the State Recreation Area.

May 9, 2012

The looming threat of state park closures may become a notch less dire if State Senator Joe Simitian gets his way.

Simitian (D-Palo Alto) joined Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) in unveiling a "sustainable funding proposal" Tuesday to help keep open 50 state parks that are slated for closure on July 1 because of revenue shortfalls.

The senators said the proposal will be heard Wednesday afternoon in the Senate Budget Committee #2 on Resources, Environmental Protection and Energy and Transportation chaired by Simitian.

The state Department of Parks and Recreation in March targeted 70 state parks for closure on July 1 because of an $11 million budget shortfall this year and an anticipated $22 million budget annual deficit starting July 1.

Evans and Simitian said 18 of the 70 parks on the closure list have reached operating agreements with local or state nonprofit agencies. Evans said 20 of the 70 parks slated for closure are in her district that includes Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt counties.

Mario Giuliani, Benicia's acting Economic Development Director, said he was uncertain if the Benicia State Recreation Area would receive any of the money for road repair but did say it would give the city more flexibility in running the facility.  Benicia is negotiating a operating agreement for the State Recreation Area.

The senators' 7-point sustainable funding proposal for state parks includes tapping $10 million annually from the Department of Motor Vehicles' $500 million motor vehicles account for public roads.

The money would be used to maintain public roads and facilities in the state parks and for enforcement of traffic laws on them.

The State Parks Department has an ongoing $15 million deficit for roads and trails maintenance and for service provided by park rangers related to motor vehicles in parks, Simitian and Evans said.

The funding plan also recommends appropriating $10 million annually as long-term loans from the Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund for five years to replace the State Parks and Recreation funding and to complement bond funding for water quality and septic systems repairs in the state parks.

The senators also recommended using $21 million, or one-third of the state funds allocated toward local assistance programs, for trails and other state parks uses.

The funding plan requires no new revenue and will cost a Californian 50-60 cents a year to keep the parks open, Evans and Simitian said.

Simitian said Californians are finding it difficult to understand why the parks are closing and when they are open.

"This (the state parks) is God's gift to California and we're talking about shutting the gates," he said.

"The goal is to get past the year to year crisis management and put in place a plan to rebuild state parks," Simitian said.

During a conference call with the media about the funding plan this morning, Evans said the $70 increase in a state parks pass will cause lower attendance.

Both Evans sand Simitian said there is no possible way to close some parks.

"You just can't put a fence around thousands of acres. People will still show up, but what happens then to the litter, the restrooms and campfire monitoring," Simitian asked. By closing a park, the state is saying there will be no services
available, Simitian said.

Both senators said they are cautiously optimistic the committee will be receptive Wednesday to the sustainable funding proposal.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Do you subscribe to the Benicia Patch newsletter? It brings our latest stories, blogs, announcements and the day's calendar events to your in-box early each morning.

Do you have opinions, experiences and views to share? Consider becoming a Benicia Patch blogger!

If there’s something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor JB Davis at 707-628-0051 or email him at benicia@patch.com.