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Are State Parks Actually Saved? There's Spin Behind Schwarzenegger's Announcement, Says Advocates
At the Salton Sea State Recreation Area | Photo by doisneau via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr
Elizabeth Goldstein, President of the California State Parks Foundation, is calling bullshit on Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement that state parks are saved. No details beyond the announcement have been released since last Friday, but Goldstein says read between the lines:
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.
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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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