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State Parks Update: Are They Closing or What?
Labor Day weekend at Rock Pool in Malibu Creek State Park | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
State Park officials said today that a closure list will not be released today and will likely come next week. "There is a list and it's being reviewed," explained Sheryl Watson, an Information Officer with California State Parks, over the phone. Amid a mass budget crunch this summer, the legislature and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger slashed the department's budget so much, that it will potentially close around 100 parks.
Does that mean we have another weekend at state parks that might close? Not exactly. Watson said no parks will close until the list is released and although that's expected to be next week, there's always the possibility of it being released this week.
Some confusion has arisen within the ranks of state parks employees. A ranger this weekend taking money at Malibu Creek State Park's parking booth said there was a list of 20 parks guaranteed to be saved, noting that his park was not on the list.
Watson said that no such list existed, but there was a list of 20 parks that are taking camping reservations through March 2010. "These are the ones we hope stay open because they have high revenue compared to the operating costs," she said, "but there's an uncertainty." If any of those parks close, full refunds will be given.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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