Politics & Government
How to Save Chatsworth's Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
Assembly Bill 42 would allow nonprofits to take over. It now moves to the Senate.
The state Assembly Thursday passed a bill which may provide a way to keep Chatsworth's open.
The state park is one of 70 on Gov. Jerry Brown's closure hit list. The closures would cut $22-million from the state's $26-billion budget deficit.
And the Land Use Committee of the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council Thursday voted to compose a letter to state officials opposing the governor’s actions.
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The Assembly legislation would allow nonprofit agencies to take over maintenance of the parks.
Assembly Bill 42, introduced by Jared Huffman, D-Marin, it is now being ushered through to the Senate. It is expected to be heard in Senate committees starting next month. It must get Senate approval by Sept. 9 and be signed by Gov. Brown by Oct. 9 in order to take effect on Jan. 1.
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If AB 42 becomes law, a nonprofit will need to sponsor each individual park in order to fight closure. AB 42 would authorize the state Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into agreements with qualified nonprofit organizations for the improvement, restoration, care, maintenance, administration or operation of the parks.
Chatsworth volunteers have already clocked more than 3,700 hours patrolling the 670-acre Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park.
In December 2009, when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened to close the parks to help balance his budget, the Santa Susana Volunteers were formed. Now more than 60 volunteers scout the area looking for graffiti, homeless encampments and dumped trash.
Linda Van der Valk, Neighborhood Council land use chair, said she spoke with the state park ranger, and he said he didn’t know how they would keep the public out of a closed park.
“It would be difficult,” van der Valk said. “And for the horses, if they shut the gate on Larwin Street it will be hard to fit through.”
Hikers have been known to cut through fencing to access closed parks; however, the opening would have to been much larger if horses are involved.
“On one side you hear all of the reports about childhood obesity and on the other hand they are closing all of the parks. It doesn’t make sense,” van der Valk said.
Van der Valk also suggested Chatsworth residents and others write letters of opposition to the governor and senators.
Van der Valk is also concerned about vandalism at the park, which could close in 14 months.
Teena Takata, secretary of the committee and newly installed president of the nonprofit Santa Susana Mountain Park Association, said when the state closes parks it’s not uncommon for officials to consider the property surplus land and sell it off.
Association members have worked tirelessly to preserve the Santa Susana Mountains and the Simi Hills.
On the heels of the governor’s announcement last week to close 25 percent of the park system, the California State Parks Foundation moved forward with support for AB 42.
The Foundation, a 42-year-old nonprofit and park advocacy group, strongly opposes the closures.
AB 42 was introduced into the Legislature in February when Gov. Brown first announced he was thinking about closing state parks to help meet California's budget crisis.
Traci Verardo-Torres, vice president of government affairs for the Foundation, said under AB 42 any money raised by the nonprofits for state parks, including Chatsworth's Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, stays in the park’s budget.
Recently the state budget was infused with an unexpected $6.6-billion influx of tax receipts, but cuts still loom.
Statewide, implementation of the park closure list would mean parks in 36 of California’s 58 counties will be shut, and almost 45 percent of the state’s entire State Historic Parks—destinations for students on field trips about California’s history and statehood—are slated to close, according to the Foundation Web site. The list includes closing of some of the most unique, historic, culturally important and iconic state parks in California.
Closures, which would begin after Labor Day, would endanger some of the most unique and enduring pieces of California and pre-California history. Highlights of the resources at risk include:
- 11 parks that provide coastal access
- 9 parks that showcase Native American history and other archeological assets
- 8 parks that have natural ecosystems that include unique California redwoods
- 22 parks, or 31 percent, that include North Coast counties of Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt and Del Norte
- And the second largest state park in the California, Henry Coe.
The list of potential park closures includes:
- Anderson Marsh State Historic Park
- Annadel State Park
- Antelope Valley Indian Museum
- Austin Creek State Recreation Area
- Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park
- Benbow Lake State Recreation Area
- Benicia Capitol State Historic Park
- Benicia State Recreation Area
- Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park
- Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
- Brannan Island State Recreation Area
- California Mining & Mineral Museum
- Candlestick Point State Recreation Area
- Castle Crags State Park
- Castle Rock State Park
- China Camp State Park
- Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area
- Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park
- Fort Humboldt State Historic Park
- Fort Tejon State Historic Park
- Garrapata State Park
- George J. Hatfield State Recreation Area
- Governor's Mansion State Historic Park
- Gray Whale Cove State Beach
- Greenwood State Beach
- Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park
- Hendy Woods State Park
- Henry W. Coe State Park
- Jack London State Historic Park
- Jug Handle State Natural Reserve
- Leland Stanford Mansion State Historic Park
- Limekiln State Park
- Los Encinos State Historic Park
- Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
- Manchester State Park
- McConnell State Recreation Area
- McGrath State Beach
- Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve
- Morro Strand State Beach
- Moss Landing State Beach
- Olompali State Historic Park
- Palomar Mountain State Park
- Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park
- Picacho State Recreation Area
- Pio Pico State Historic Park
- Plumas-Eureka State Park
- Point Cabrillo Light Station
- Portola Redwoods State Park
- Providence Mountains State Recreation Area
- Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
- Russian Gulch State Park
- Saddleback Butte State Park
- Salton Sea State Recreation Area
- Samuel P. Taylor State Park
- San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park
- Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park
- Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park
- Shasta State Historic Park
- South Yuba River State Park
- Standish-Hickey State Recreation Area
- Sugarloaf Ridge State Park
- Tomales Bay State Park
- Tule Elk State Natural Reserve
- Turlock Lake State Recreation Area
- Twin Lakes State Beach
- Weaverville Joss House State Historic Park
- Westport-Union Landing State Beach
- William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park
- Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area
- Zmudowski State Beach