Editor: I encourage all Sonomans to support our State Parks by voting “Yes” on Prop. 21 on November 2. Our state parks have been underfunded by Sacramento for years, resulting in fewer rangers, deteriorating buildings, dirty restrooms and closed parks. The continuing gridlock in approving a new state budget will only exacerbate these problems. Our town benefits from our local Sonoma State Historic Park as it attracts tourist dollars to our stores, provides our school children a venue to experience our local history, and its colorful buildings enhance the beauty of downtown Sonoma.
Without a stable source of funding, it is inevitable that closures of our state parks will increase. Earlier this year, the closure of the Sonoma SHP on Thursdays made scheduling of school visits more difficult and adversely impacted tourism. Imagine the impact on Sonoma if our local state park were closed multiple days each week!
There is a viable solution to state park funding that would make our parks independent of Sacramento budget gridlock. Prop. 21 will fully fund our state parks’ budget and also provide funds for conservation. These funds will be deposited into a Trust Fund to ensure that they are only used for the intended purpose. In exchange for an $18 surcharge on annual registration of non-commercial vehicles, Californians will enjoy free day-use of our state parks. Considering that the entrance fee for our state parks is between $8 and $15 per vehicle, and an annual state park pass is currently $125, the proposed $18 annual fee is a bargain. For Prop. 21 to pass, we only need a simple majority vote. Over 400 California organizations have already endorsed this initiative.
Arizona did not have the foresight to provide adequate funding for its state parks. Now over two-thirds of Arizona’s state parks are completely closed down. Let us not follow Arizona’s path. Please support Prop. 21 to ensure that our beloved state parks remain open, clean and safe.
Richard Arendt
President
Sonoma Petaluma State Historic Parks Association
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