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Sacramento, CA – The California State Parks Foundation today expressed strong support for the California State Park Access program announced by Assemblymember John Laird (D-Santa Cruz). The new program will bring over $200 million annually in new funding to support the state park system, while providing free day-use access to California state parks.
"California's state parks are finally being thrown the financial life preserver they've so desperately needed for decades," declared Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the California State Parks Foundation. "The California State Parks Foundation believes that a solution to the underlying fiscal crisis in our state park system is the only way to truly save our state parks. We are pleased that Assemblymember Laird has introduced the California State Park Access Pass and will be working closely with him to gain the Legislature's and Governor's support for this critical program."
The California State Park Access Pass is a proposal to provide much-needed funding for the state park system, while offering Californians free day-use access to their state parks. It creates a new funding stream for California's state parks by instituting a $10 surcharge on vehicle license fees of all non-commercial vehicles and a subset of commercial vehicles in California. In exchange for paying the fee, Californians will be provided free day-use access to virtually all state parks, no day-use or parking fees required.
Additionally, given the state's current economic difficulties and the reality that the new funding stream will require the Department of Parks and Recreation to change current operations to effectively spend the new revenue, the State Park Access Pass creates an opportunity for short-term General Fund savings. Under the proposal, Department of Parks and Recreation would, for three years, "give back" up to $300 million in General Fund support that would have normally been allocated to the Department for maintenance and operation of the state park system.
"This proposal is truly a rare example of a win-win situation," said Goldstein. "The public wins by getting free access to their state parks, but also by generating funds that will improve and enhance the parks so that we'll all want to visit them more often. The state park system wins by
having a source of funding that is stable and sustainable. Fresh from the news that state parks may be spared from the budget chopping block, the State Park Access Pass program is a way to ensure that they're never put in the chopping block again."
The State Park Access Pass program has been included by Assemblymember Laird as part of the Assembly's budget proposal. In the next weeks, the proposal will need to be adopted by the Conference Committee on the Budget, which will be comprised of members of the Assembly and the State Senate, and included in the Legislature's final budget proposal to Governor Schwarzenegger. The proposal requires the Governor's approval to become law.
About California State Parks Foundation
With our 95,000 members, the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) is the only statewide independent nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting, enhancing and advocating for California's magnificent state parks. Since 1969, CSPF has contributed more than $136 million to benefit state parks. CSPF is committed to improving the quality of life for all Californians by expanding access to the natural beauty, rich culture and history, and recreational and educational opportunities offered by California's 278 state parks—the largest state park system in the United States.
Find out more about the program here
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