Zmudowski, Moss Landing State Beach Stay Open Through November

Seventy parks that were scheduled to close on Sunday will now stay open. Among them are Zmudowski State Beach and Moss Landing State Beach in north Monterey County.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill on Thursday that allocated $10 million to the State Park system and $13 million in bond funds for projects.

“The big news is July 1 none of these parks will be closing,” said Clark Blanchard, spokesman for California State Parks.

Of the 70 state parks proposed for closure,  

• 40 have signed agreements
• 25 are in active negotiation
• 5 don’t have any active negotiations

Private donors, nonprofits and local governments donated to form the partnerships. By the end of the summer Blanchard said they will know which agreements in negotiation are final.

Because the two Monterey County parks haven’t received donations, the $10 million will be vital to saving them. Once the negotiations are complete in August the $10 million will be allocated among the parks that don’t receive funding.

Blanchard said, “This last year has really shown how important State Parks are to the people of California.”

Mat Fuzie, Monterey District superintendent of California State Parks, said he is looking at saving costs and developing partnerships. Letting go three staff members based on the Monterey coast cut back expenses by around $100,000, said Fuzie.

“For now we get to operate on a shoestring budget until November,” said Fuzie.

Jerry Emory, director of communications with the nonprofit California State Parks Foundation (CSPF), said that the reprieves are temporary since they only keep the parks open for one more year.

While he is thankful that the parks continue to stay open, Emory said, “We may be facing sporadic closures for the rest of the fall.”

CSPF is pushing legislation to secure state parks long-term as members worked alongside Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and Sen. Noreen Evans, D-Santa Rosa, on the “Sustainable Parks Proposal.” Brown accepted $10 million of the bill’s proposed $41 million toward park sustainability.

The other $13 million in bonds are allocated for one-time expenditures to help parks with future sustainability, said Blanchard. Some parks will implement solar panels to replace diesel, saving expenses for rangers and trash pickup.

To determine which parks would be closed, State Parks staff, managers and superintendents considered how hard it is to physically close a park, how much money the park brings in, how many people visit the park daily and the historic significance of the park, said Blanchard.

If the 70 parks closed, the usage of the State Parks would have remained at 97 percent and the revenue at around 90 percent, said Blanchard.

If parks are closed in the future, they will be accessible to the public but no services—garbage, restrooms, parking and rangers—will be provided.

Want to get involved and prevent state parks from closing? Here are some ways:

1. Contact your local coordinating agency
2. Visit the state parks (each small fee goes a long way)
3. Take action with California State Parks Foundation