How Proposition 4 passing is a big win for California's state parks
SACRAMENTO — California's Proposition 4 passed with 58% voter support. The $10 billion state bond will fund wildfire prevention, clean water, and protect against climate risks. It also has millions of dollars earmarked for California state parks.
There are 280 state parks across the Golden State, including 340 miles of coastline and thousands of campsites.
Money from Proposition 4 is going to be a huge help, with park supporters celebrating it as a big win. The money can be spent on expanding recreational opportunities as well as repair and maintenance costs.
"You can both fix things and make them more climate-resilient all in the same project," said Rachel Norton, executive director of the California State Parks Foundation.
Norton expanded a bit on why there's a big need for this money.
"It's everything from facilities that need new roofs or campsites that need to be refurbished or roads that need to be repaved," she said. "Almost any state park you go to you can find something that needs fixing or some TLC."
Strong, atmospheric river storms over the last two winters had a significant impact on coastal park locations. That includes Seacliff State Beach, where heavy surf and rain washed away the pier and sea wall, and at Montara Beach, where a stairway leaves people struggling to reach the sand.
"So if you try and walk down to the beach on the stairway, you basically get to this place where you have to like jump," Norton said of Montara Beach.
The historic Folsom Powerhouse also has a list of repairs that are needed.
"There's anywhere from a billion to $1.2 billion in deferred maintenance needs in California state parks," Norton said.
Norton said that the new bond funding comes at a time when state parks are underfunded and cash from past voter-approved measures is now running out.
"The last natural resources bond was Prop 68 in 2018, and most of that money is already either spoken for or spent," she said.
The state bonds will be paid back from the general fund over the next 40 years. Park supporters are hoping to see some of the bond money being spent by next summer.
