California closes dozens of state parks due to budget shortfall

California Governor Jerry Brown on Friday announced the closure of up to 70 California state parks due to budget cuts.

The parks to be closed comprise a quarter of California's 278 state parks, the governor said in a statement.

"Closing state parks is not a task that gives anyone joy, but we are experiencing turbulent times that necessitate deep -- almost unthinkable -- cuts to public services. I will work hard in the coming weeks to reach an agreement that will allow us to avoid deeper and more disruptive reductions."

The park system will cut services this summer and begin shutting parks in September, with all 70 closings completed by July 2012, said California State Parks Director Ruth Coleman.

"We regret closing any park," Coleman said in a prepared statement, "but with the proposed budget reductions over the next two years, we can no longer afford to operate all parks within the system."

The state will start seeking partnerships with local governments and nonprofits that could keep some of the parks open, she said.

The closure will affect roughly 200 workers, some of whom will be shifted into vacant positions within the department, said Tony Perez, the state's deputy director for park operations.

There are almost 2,300 full-time positions in the state parks and about 500 of them are open, according to official figures.

Among the notable parks set to close are the Governor's and Leland Stanford mansions in Sacramento, the Antelope Valley Indian Museum, the Salton Sea State Recreation Area and the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.

In March, Brown signed into law a bill that slices 11 million dollars from the parks budget in the fiscal year that begins on July 1 and 22 million in the next fiscal year.

That trims the system's 2012-2013 budget from the state general fund to 99 million dollars.

The list of parks to be closed may grow if Brown makes additional budget cuts in his updated proposal to close the the remaining 15.4-billion-dollar state budget deficit, said Coleman.

Brown is scheduled to release the proposal on Monday.

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