Current Issues
California State Parks Announces Reduction of Services in Marin District
October 26, 2009
Danita Rodriguez, Marin District Superintendent
In keeping with Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan for keeping parks open, California State Parks is today announcing the implementation of service reductions at parks across the State. The goal is to achieve the required cost savings while minimizing the disruption to park visitors as much as possible. All of the service reductions are consistent with the Governor’s September 25 announcement of the kinds of service reductions the public could anticipate in order to achieve the budget savings necessary to meet severe budget restrictions.
The reductions are designed to minimize disruptions for park visitors, while keeping parks open and achieving the $14.2 million in budget savings to help close the State’s budget deficit. To achieve savings as quickly as possible, State Parks will begin implementing these cost saving measures all across the State in the next few days.
The service reductions came about through a process wherein each of the State Parks’ District Superintendents designed a plan for specific reductions tailored for each park within their respective district. The plans included all 279 parks within the statewide system. A summary of some of the most common service reductions across the State include:
- Reduce days of operation by two or three weekdays at selected parks. Other parks will close a portion of a campground or outlying day-use areas.
- Close and consolidate some park offices and/or reduce hours of operation.
- Reduce off-season lifeguard levels at some beaches.
- Remove some trash cans and fire rings from the beach and close roughly half of the restrooms at some beaches.
- Close many park visitor centers two or more days every week.
- Reduce the numbers of school tours and interpretive programs at many parks.
These service reductions are intended to ensure that California State Parks achieves its required cost savings while maintaining revenues at the highest level possible for the remainder of this fiscal year and while minimizing disruptions to visitors.
For the Marin District, the specific service reductions for the parks within the district are as follows:
Mt. Tamalpais State Park
The upper mountain (from Pantoll to East Peak and W. Ridgecrest) will only be open to vehicular traffic weekends and some holidays November 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.
Bootjack parking lot will only be open weekends and some holidays November 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. These areas may be open during the weekdays the week before Easter and the week after Easter.
Restroom facilities in all closed areas will not be open.
Tomales Bay State Park
The main park entrance, Shell Beach parking lot, and Millerton Point parking lot will only be open weekends and some holidays through June 30, 2010. These areas may be open the week before and after Easter. Restroom facilities in all closed areas will not be open.
Environmental Living Programs will not be conducted during the 2009/2010 academic year.
Olompali State Historic Park
This park will be closed to public use Monday through Friday November 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010.
China Camp State Park
Back Ranch Meadows Campground will be open on weekends and some holidays on a first come, first served basis through March 25, 2010. Current reservations will be honored. Back Ranch Meadows Campground will go back on the reservation system (through Reserve America) starting March 26, 2010.
Weber and Buckeye Point Day Use areas and the lower China Camp Village parking lot will be open on weekends and some holidays November 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. Restrooms at Weber, Buckeye Point and China Camp Village will only be open when those areas are open.