2 00 8 -0 9 Budget Proposal

Seven local state parks - including Montana de Oro - targeted for closure in governor's budget proposal

Montaña de Oro State Park and William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach are in the governor’s plan to close or limit services at nearly 50 state parks

By David Sneed

What do you think of the proposal to close seven state parks in San Luis Obispo County?

Preposterous! It makes no sense on so many levels. It may be painful, but it looks like it's necessary. It's a good idea. Parks should be the last thing the state spends money on. I don't know.

Your vote has been counted, thank you for voting.

From north to south, here are the 48 state parks, beaches, reserves and recreation areas that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing to close to help balance the state budget. The parks would be closed until enough money is available to reopen them. The governor’s office also said some parks could be turned over to local governments to operate.

— Del Norte Redwoods State Park.
— Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park.
— William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park.
— Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area.
— Plumas-Eureka State Park.
— Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park.
— Manchester State Beach.
— Clear Lake State Park.
— Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
— Austin Creek State Recreation Area.
— Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve.
— Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park.
— Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park.
— State Indian Museum State Historic Park.
— Tomales Bay State Park.
— Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park.
— Benecia Capitol State Historic Park.
— Benicia State Recreation Area.
— Candlestick Point State Recreation Area.
— Railtown 1897 State Historic Park.
— McConnell State Recreation Area.
— California State Mining and Mineral Museum
— George J. Hatfield State Recreation Area.
— Wassama Round House State Historic Park
— Portola Redwoods State Park
— Great Valley Grasslands State Park
— Henry W. Coe State Park.
— Fremont Peak State Historic Park.
— Fort Ord Dunes State Park.
— Limekiln State Park.
— William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach.
— San Simeon State Park.
— Harmony Headlands State Park.
— Estero Bluffs State Park.
— Morro Strand State Beach.
— Los Osos Oaks State Reserve.
— Montana de Oro State Park
— Providence Mountains State Recreation Area.
— La Purisima Mission State Historic Park.
— Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park.
— Los Encinos State Historic Park.
— Topanga State Park.
— California Citrus State Historic Park.
— Will Rogers State Historic Park.
— Pio Pico State Historic Park.
— Mount San Jacinto State Park.
— Salton Sea State Park.
— Picacho State Recreation Area.
Here are the 16 state beaches where Schwarzenegger is proposing to cut the number of lifeguards:

— New Brighton.
— Seacliff.
— Manresa.
— Natural Bridges.
— Sunset.
— Bolsa Chica.
— Huntington.
— Doheney.
— San Clemente.
— San Onofre.
— Carlsbad.
— South Carlsbad.
— San Elijo.
— Cardiff.
— Torrey Pines.
— Silver Strand.

The governor’s 2008-09 budget proposal includes a plan to close or limit services at nearly 50 state parks — including seven in San Luis Obispo County.

Local parks that would be affected are:

•Montaña de Oro State Park;

• William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach;

• San Simeon State Park (including property added in the $95 million Hearst Ranch conservation);

•Morro Strand State Beach;

• Estero Bluffs State Park (north of Cayucos);

• Los Osos Oaks State Reserve; and

•Harmony Headlands State Park (never opened).

There are 11 state parks in San Luis Obispo County. Not affected under the proposal would be the most popular state parks here: Hearst Castle, Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, Pismo State Beach and Morro Bay State Park. The Castle and the Dunes are two of the biggest money-earners in the State Parks system.

The 2008-09 budget proposed Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger calls for the Department of Parks and Recreation budget to be cut by 10 percent, or $13.3 million. This translates into 136 jobs lost in the department, all but 12 of them coming from field units within the system.

In response, the department is planning to place 48 of the 278 parks into caretaker status, including the seven here.

“It’s painful and it’s difficult, but it’s the only option left on the table,” said department spokesman Roy Stearns.

The department used three criteria in deciding which parks would be closed: Can it effectively be closed to the public? How many people use the park? How much money does the unit generate?

“We looked at a system that was fair and equitable across the state without any undue hardship to anyone,” Stearns said. “About 6.5 million visitors statewide will be affected of 79 million visitors annually.”

Potentially devastating

Morro Bay Councilwoman Betty Winholtz said the closure of Montaña de Oro would have a major effect on locals.

“I think the closure of Montaña de Oro … is going to be a major catastrophe for Los Osos,” Winholtz said. “Locals use that so much.”

It is unclear what the closure of these parks means in terms of public access. Complete closure of some parks, particularly state beaches, is not possible. Caretaker status may mean closing campgrounds, restrooms and other public services, and closing gated areas that can easily be cordoned off, said Nick Franco, superintendent of the San Luis Obispo Coast District.

“I don’t see putting up barriers on the beach,” he said. “You would spend more money trying to keep people out than keeping it open.”

Any level of closure would be devastating to the county’s billion-dollar tourism industry, said Jonni Biaggini, executive director of the San Luis Obispo County Visitors & Conference Bureau.

“Tourism is the brightest star in the county’s economy, and beaches are the main reason people travel,” she said. “It’s not good for tourism any way you look at it.”

Still, the county has private campgrounds and plenty of motel rooms that could help make up for the loss of local state park campgrounds, said Peter Candela, chief executive officer of the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce.

“If people are looking for a place to stay, there are plenty of locations,” Candela said. “I don’t know if it’s going to affect us too much.”

State Sen. Abel Maldonado, R-Santa Maria, said he was not happy to hear Montaña de Oro was on the chopping block.

“It’s a beautiful park and should not be closed,” he said.

If the governor wants to cut the budget by 10 percent, then all park budgets should be cut by 10 percent — not some by 100 percent, he said.

“The bottom line is we have a lot of work to do,” he said.

Decision not final yet

Any closures would not go into effect until July 1, when the governor and state Legislature are due to agree on the budget for the next fiscal year.

Until that happens, the department must begin planning on how to deal with the proposed cuts, Stearns said.

The 2008 budget cuts are the latest in a string of State Parks cutbacks in the past 20 years.

Budget compromises have prevented closures, but State Parks officials are less optimistic that a compromise will prevent closures this time.

“We would love to think the budget situation will improve,” Stearns said. “But in California, we’ve had so many of these budget crises over the years, you have to ask yourself: ‘How likely is that?’ ”

Staff writers Sona Patel and Sarah Arnquist contributed.