With California fiscally drowning deeper into the red, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently proposed a round of painful budget cuts in an attempt to close an eye-popping, $14.5 billion projected deficit. The Governor’s plan to shutter 48 parks and beaches in California’s prized state park system stands out as among the most controversial of the reductions.

Parks on the chopping block include Topanga State Park, Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve, Morro Strand State Beach, and Candlestick Point State Recreation Area.

The closures are expected to save the state $13.3 million in fiscal 2008-09 – or a miniscule 0.009% of the estimated budget shortfall.

Such meager cost savings have critics haranguing the shortsightedness of Schwarzenegger’s proposals.

According to state officials, the affected parks hosted 6.5 million visitors in 2007 (1). Those visitors included school groups of urban children with limited opportunities to experience green space and legions of avid hikers, joggers, surfers, campers, and artists.

“California state parks and beaches are one of the few affordable recreational resources available to the public,” says Matt McClain of the Surfrider Foundation. “If you look at the cost of taking the average family out for a day at the beach, versus going to a theme park or even to the movies, you quickly begin to understand how valuable these resources are, especially to middle and low income families.” (2)

Terminating the employment of at least 50 percent of the seasonal lifeguards at state beaches in Orange, San Diego, and Santa Cruz Counties is also a part of the harsh budget measures. Obviously, this has negative implications for the potential health and safety of California beach-lovers.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s budget proposals still need to be ratified by the California State Legislature before they become reality. Assuming unaltered passage, the collateral damage of erasing a wide swath of California’s valued state parks and lifeguards would be disheartening and highly disappointing.

(1) www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-parks11jan11,0,2577733.story
(2) www.surfrider.org/Coastal_news.aspx?CN_Id=200610308