Associated Press: Governor vetoes Republican bill on state parks

Brown vetoes another GOP bill on state parks

By SHEILA V KUMAR Associated Press

October 5, 2011

 

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Gov. Jerry Brown said Tuesday he vetoed a Republican bill allowing cities or counties to operate state parks that are threatened with closure but signed a similar Democratic one allowing nonprofits to help with some park operations.

SB356 by Sen. Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, would have mandated that the Department of Parks and Recreation give local jurisdictions the option of temporarily taking over state parks facing closures after lawmakers cut $33 million from the department' budget in March.

Seventy of the state's 278 parks, beaches and historic sites are set to close by next July because of the budget cuts.

Brown, a Democrat, said in his veto message the bill was unnecessary and duplicative because the California Department of Parks and Recreation already has signed contracts with cities and counties willing to operate parks within their jurisdictions.

Blakeslee's bill was the second Republican-sponsored bill vetoed by Brown relating to the closure of state parks. Brown vetoed SB386 by Sen. Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach, which would have required the state department to post a 30-day notice of park closures on its website and answer inquiries from anyone interested in operating the park.

"Protecting in statute a local government's ability to adopt a threatened park will help put an end to these sorts of political ploys," Blakeslee said. "I am disappointed that Gov. Brown feels differently."

Brown said in his veto message regarding Harman's bill that Harman was one of the GOP lawmakers blocking his proposal to call a special election allowing voters to decide on extending several temporary tax hikes, which would have provided the funds to keep parks open.

Brown did sign AB42 by Democratic Assemblyman Jared Huffman of San Rafael, allowing nonprofits to enter operating agreements with state parks facing closure.

Huffman said his bill won't be able to save all the parks facing closures but is a creative solution to protecting and providing access to parks.

Assemblyman Roger Dickinson, D-San Rafael, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review, has said he will hold an oversight hearing on Nov. 1 in regards to the closure of state parks. He said the meeting will review the methods the department used to choose which parks would face closure and address any possible legal issues that might be related to keeping parks open.