As many as 223 state parks throughout California could be closed, including 25 in and around the Bay Area, in a cost-cutting move proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger to help deal with the state’s $24 billion deficit. According to the Chron, the governor is proposing to eliminate the $150 million that parks receive from the state’s general fund. If the proposal goes through, it means maintenance workers, office technicians, park superintendents, landscapers, rangers, environmental scientists, administrative officers and bookkeepers will have to be laid off. And parks that cannot sustain themselves with higher user fees would be closed. The governor warned of painful cuts if the five budget compromise measures were turned down, but voters either ignored him, or preferred the cuts to raising taxes.
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