How will the California state park closures and cuts affect you, and the state?
Frankly, I was surprised when I read the headline, "Schwarzenegger to receive national park award."
How could that be…didn't he just propose cutting $70 million dollars out of the state's park budget? Didn't he just propose closing about a third of the 279 state parks? And didn't he just announce as an alternative to all of the above, server cuts in services and reductions of hours that will among other things cause many parks to close except on weekends?
The governor had to make some hard choices this year, his supporters say in response to California's record $43 billion dollar budget shortfall. The proposed cuts his spokesman said do not mean that Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't support parks. After all he has protected over 400,000 acres of park land, more than any governor in 50 years.
Never-the-less, according to San Francisco State Senator Mark Leno, the timing of the award is a "tragic irony."
These ironic moments are very difficult for politicians who have to live with the ebbs and flows of big challenges and for the public who has to live with the results.
How will the California state park closures and cuts affect you, and the state?