Palomar, San Pasqual parks axed by state
Originally published May 13, 2011 at 1:08 p.m., updated May 13, 2011 at 5:19 p.m.
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| Palomar Mountain is a favorite spot in San Diego for people to get away from the urban area. Activities including hiking, camping, birdwatching and fishing. The park is on the state's list of sites to be closed by July 2012. |
Seventy state parks — or about a quarter of the system — will permanently close by July 2012 as part of sweeping attempts to balance the budget, officials announced Friday in Sacramento. They said they spared many of the most beloved and historically significant sites but will lose more than 5 million visitors once the closures take force.
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“You look at all the park names, and it’s a little overwhelming,” said Elizabeth Goldstein, head of the nonprofit California State Parks Foundation. “This generation may be the first generation that leaves the park system smaller and less rich than the one we received from our parents.”
State officials said 208 parks will remain open, but the entire network faces service reductions this summer, including midweek closures, locked bathrooms and fewer operational lifeguard towers. Once sites are shuttered, a process scheduled to start in the fall, gates will be locked and workers will just visit on safety patrols.
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State Sen. Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, expressed regret over the closures, but said, “I am relieved that Torrey Pines State Beach, San Elijo State Beach and Old Town state park have all been spared.”
A budget update due Monday in the Capitol may make the situation worse, as could future state budgets balanced without the new fees or taxes, Goldstein said. “If Brown decides he is going to go with an all-cuts budget, this list is probably the baseline, not the full impact,” Goldstein said.
Republicans criticized the announcement.
“Is Jerry really trying to convince us that he’s already cut every penny from the nonessential parts of the budget and only the essential parts are left unscathed?” Mark Standriff, a spokesman for the state GOP. “Once again, the governor has shown that he would rather protect the bureaucracy at the expense of families than protect families at the expense of bureaucracy.”
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At Palomar Mountain, the news put a damper on spirits Friday.
“It’s very unfortunate,” said Steve Wellens of Vista who had just set up camp with his daughter Haleigh in anticipation of a weekend of camping with about two dozen friends and family at the park’s 31-site Doane Valley Campground.
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A budget update due Monday in the Capitol may make the situation worse, as could future state budgets balanced without the new fees or taxes, Goldstein said. “If Brown decides he is going to go with an all-cuts budget, this list is probably the baseline, not the full impact,” Goldstein said.
Republicans criticized the announcement.
“Is Jerry really trying to convince us that he’s already cut every penny from the nonessential parts of the budget and only the essential parts are left unscathed?” Mark Standriff, a spokesman for the state GOP. “Once again, the governor has shown that he would rather protect the bureaucracy at the expense of families than protect families at the expense of bureaucracy.”
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At Palomar Mountain, the news put a damper on spirits Friday.
“It’s very unfortunate,” said Steve Wellens of Vista who had just set up camp with his daughter Haleigh in anticipation of a weekend of camping with about two dozen friends and family at the park’s 31-site Doane Valley Campground.
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Mike Lee: mike.lee@uniontrib.com; (619)293-2034; Follow on Twitter @sdutlee
Look, people, I understand the state is broke and we have to reduce spending. I get that. But this is the typical small town routine: "give us what we want or we'll reduce the police force, the fire department, close the library, and shut down the parks." There are so many other areas deserving of the budget axe... especially in California. Don't get me started because I'll say things you won't like.
Jerry can make it hurt if he goes after the things we like. The predominant users of state parks - the productive sector of the population, the middle class - are being coerced to support his political apparatus.
This is extortion. This is wrong. This is racketeering. This is coercion. To Sacramento, this is a game. And I for one don't appreciate it.
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