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 A Word From Our President
When is a reprieve, not a reprieve? When the Governor releases a statement on a Friday afternoon saying we will not have to close parks. But...wait a minute...they are still taking the same budget cut from California State Parks! Lots of people misunderstood. Even my husband, who knows the state parks situation pretty darn well sent me an email of congratulations last Friday! Read the fine print, I shot back! We haven't won, we are just being talked to death. That sound you hear is the shells being moved around. The Governor just kicked the can down the road and didn't really give parks a reprieve at all.
So here is what really happened…
The Governor made the California State Parks and the Department of Finance go back to the table and find one-time savings to "reduce" the budget impacts this year. Yes, this is the same Governor who said he wasn't using any gimmicks to close the budget gap. But when you look at the "results" of this effort you see a lot of things that are awfully familiar:
- Reduce on-going maintenance
- Reduce hours and/or days of operations at most State Parks units
- Reducing expenditures on seasonal staff.
Examples of service reductions, you ask? Right there in the press release:
- Some facilities will close weekdays and be open on weekends and holidays
- Portions of a unit may be closed, such as a back loop of a campground.
The really damning thing is that all of these "solutions" were things the Department was thinking about doing anyway. What isn't in the press release is when these cuts will be implemented, or how many parks will be affected. The Department was projecting impacts to 100 parks. Has that number just gone up to 279 - the entire California State Park system?
So will Californians have safe, open and well maintained parks? I doubt it! The cuts today are just the same size as they were before. The Governor has not reduced them, or next year's budget cut expectations. Remember: Shell Game.
This is where the rubber will really hit the road. The budget cut for next year is $22.2 million. That $22.2 million is made up of the continuance of this year's cut of $14.2 million and another $8 million. The budget cut for next year is already "scored" by the Department of Finance. In other words, that means they are counting on it to make the budget next year. If the Governor does not reduce that cut in this January's budget proposal, we will know the truth.
Of course, I suspect we will know the truth much sooner than that. At some point in the not-too-distant future - coming to a park near you - there will be reduced lifeguard corps, locked bathrooms, trash bins overflowing, gates to parking lots locked on weekdays, graffiti on rock faces and less campsites. And trust me, there will not be a chance of any regular maintenance either. Forget the roof on the historic house that needs a few new roof tiles to keep it safe, or the trail that is too eroded to use. Those will get fixed "later," whenever that is.
So, just to recap, have we won? NO! Do we need to remind the Governor we can actually follow the bouncing ball? We sure DO! Clearly the Governor has been feeling the heat from all of us who want to keep parks open. He thought we were going to be swayed by the good-news headlines, but we were reading the fine print also. Thank you for continuing to make your voices heard. Your patience and commitment is very much appreciated.
 Park Protection Bills Awaiting Action by Governor
Last month the state Legislature successfully passed two important park protection bills—a major victory for state park advocates! Senate Bill 679 by Senator Lois Wolk (D-Linden) and Senate Bill 372 by Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) are now awaiting action by the Governor. He has until October 11 to sign or veto the bills. Now more than ever, state parks need protection!
Together, these bills will enact strong policies to help protect our parklands from damaging development and infrastructure projects and will establish a new policy in state law—that there shall be no net loss of state park lands in California.
So far over 6,700 park advocates throughout California have contacted the Governor and urged him to sign SB 372 and SB 679. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to help send a strong message of support for park protection.
Want the details on the bills? Click here for a Q & A about SB 679 and SB 372
 Our 40th Birthday Bash
Our Birthday Bash is taking place in the brand new Pavilion by the Bay on San Francisco's Treasure Island this October 25th. Join us from 12:30 to 4 pm for an informal and fun time at a place with a spectacular view San Francisco's waterfront and skyline. The Bash will include live music, children's activities, fortune telling, tarot, face painting, magic, lots of food and good times. Adults can enjoy a libation as well. Join us for a raffle, silent auction and a live auction bid (3pm) on a brand new Subaru Outback! Find out more, and join us!!
 A Night of Folk Music To Save State Parks
San Francisco, Saturday, Oct 3: A group of SF folk musician-activists will perform at the Folk4Parks benefit concert to raise awareness of state park threats and to benefit the California State Parks Foundation. All artists take the stage for free to help state parks! Join them at the Rockit Room in SF for a night of bluegrass, folk and country inspired music.
 CSPF's Film Series
Did you know that Hollywood has been using California's state parks for filming locations since 1910? Beginning with the silent film Ramona starring Mary Pickford, the partnership continues to this day providing both world wide entertainment and great economic benefit to California. As part of CSPF's 40th Anniversary Celebration, we have organized a film series for both Los Angeles (November 7-8) and Sacramento (March 6, 2010). At both events there will be special screenings for families, evening screenings, original archival prints and programs that will include food, entertainment and Paramount studio tours in Los Angeles. All CSPF members as well as the general public are invited!
 What Can a Volunteer Do For State Parks?
In recent months there has been a huge upsurge of interest in volunteering in California State Parks, much of it in response to the Governor's call for cuts and closures. Many Californians have urged their fellow citizens to volunteer and help run parks in order to keep them open and/or functioning. This passion for our parks is just what we would expect from our committed and involved constituency. We want to do everything possible to make sure that volunteers have meaningful and well-planned opportunities to help support California State Parks.
It takes a village to run a state park. We who visit parks see one part of that village - the park aides at the kiosk, the ranger patrolling the park, the seasonal maintenance workers pulling weeds. Another part of the village is made up of experts who protect our parks - the landscape architects, historians, engineers and ecologists, for example. Yet another part is in Sacramento - all of the financial and logistic services, including planning, legal, land management, accounting, interpretation and much more. These folks make sure that the parks are run safely, in accordance with state law. They are the ones who provide water treatment so we can use the restrooms and have potable water. They ensure that the environment is safe and managed according to law, so that beaches are clean, native plants are encouraged, and historic sites are preserved. They process contracts, hold public meetings, draft general plans, and coordinate volunteer programs.
Many of the resources provided by this village are going to be gone soon, or stretched so thin that help will be essential to keeping our parks alive until better times. The Governor’s new plan to keep parks "open" still cuts $14.2 million from California State Parks' budget, which will result in significant staff reductions. This is where volunteers can step in and do the work that is most appropriate, needed and wanted. Together with other partners, including local government entities, we are working hard on creating programs that will place volunteers in parks where they are the most needed, doing the work that is the highest priority. Planning and funding these programs will take a bit of time, but we have already identified partners and potential funding sources, including the California League of Park Associations and Volunteers for Outdoor California. We hope to have robust programs up and running by the end of this year.
For now, we are gathering contact information from those who wish to volunteer at volunteers@calparks.org. We promise we will be in touch in the near future. | 
