SYRCL Volunteers and Staff Rally at the Capitol to Save Our State Parks

On Tuesday, June 21, 2011 SYRCL staff, along with supporters of the South Yuba River State Park and Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, joined dozens of other park supporters at the State Capitol for the Save Our State Parks rally and expo.  This rally, bringing passionate supporters of the 70 parks slated for closure, was a bittersweet reunion.  We met old allies and friends, shared park stories and provided materials and expertise for those walking into and out of our Capitol building.  Our combined purpose:  To educate our leadership as to the critical need for our parks to remain open and under the management of the Department of Parks and Recreation.

In the afternoon, the California State Parks Foundation had organized meetings with groups of park supporters and their state legislators, allowing  SYRCL staff and volunteers the opportunity to meet with staffers for Senator La Malfa and Assemblyman Logue’s office, as well as a consultant for Senator Gaines.  During our meetings, staffers for Sen. La Malfa and Assy. Logue both indicated that their legislator support a full park budget, and that the recent tax revenue increases could cover the current parks budget gap.

We applaud the Senator and Assemblyman for this support, and look forward to active measures from both offices to return funding to our state parks.

However, the parks are still slated for closure! With your help, this could change:  Please call your legislator – and the Governor! – let them know that closing the parks is the wrong thing to do, and urge them to put full park funding into the budget negotiations.

Governor Jerry Brown

c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814

Phone: (916) 445-2841

Senator Doug La Malfa

c/o State Capitol, Room 3070
Sacramento, CA 95814

Sacramento office:  (916)-651-4004
Oroville office:  (530)-532-5860

Assemblyman Dan Logue
c/o State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

Sacramento office:  (916)-319-2003
Chico office:  (530)-895-4217

Senator Ted Gaines

c/o State Capitol, Room 3056
Sacramento, CA 95814

Roseville office:  Phone: (916) 783-8232