Many Californians are thankful nearly all state parks will remain open this holiday despite budget cuts. But the state parks director warns it's just a temporary fix.
Ruth Coleman says new partnerships with nonprofit organizations, cities and counties have helped keep all but one of the 70 state parks on the closure list, open a while longer.
Coleman says in 1979, 91 percent of the park's budget came from general purpose taxes. This year, it's just 29 percent. “So in one generation, we have really reduced the amount of taxes that we give to our state park system, and instead we're expecting them to generate more of their own revenue,” said Coleman.
Coleman says there are limits to how much money parks can raise. She says Californians needs to take a serious look at what they're willing to do to keep parks open for future generations.
