California’s State Parks Generate $4.3 Billion Annually, Study Says
Posted June 10, 2009 in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Last week, I wrote about Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's dramatic proposal to close 80% of California's state parks to address the state's $24 billion budget deficit. I argued that this shortsighted plan defies logic from an economic perspective because parks are such a huge economic engine for local communities. A new study reveals just how enormous that engine actually is. On Monday, researchers at the California State University at Sacramento announced findings that state park visitors spend $4.32 billion a year in park-related expenditures. These new numbers are simply astounding. In other words, by investing $150 million a year in our state parks, California reaps a return of over 28 times its initial investment. There are numerous theories of which program cuts could balance California's budget, but it doesn't take a degree in economics to figure out that any program that repays its initial investment 28 times over is a program worth saving. California's parks belong to the people and should remain open to the people.
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Alan Kemnp — Jun 13 2009 12:50 AM
Where is the Coastal Commission?
Closure of Central Coast State Parks and State Historic Parks will result in environmental degradation, public safety and public health issues in the Coastal Zone... the Area that the Coastal Commission is chartered to protect.