The State Park Access Pass program creates a new tax. As a State we can not spend our way out of the current financial crisis. If every program threatened with cost reduction seeks a dedicated source of funding we will double the State budget not halve it.
The State Park Access Pass funding source is not logical. It is not any more reasonable to think that the State Parks should benefit from vehicle license fees than emergency services who respond to vehicle accidents or education that relies on vehicles to transport students and staff to schools. Also consider the case of the two car family who has paid $30 in vehicle license fees to access the State Parks and who will have an additional fee to pay when they rent an RV to visit the State Parks.
The State Park Access Pass program removes entry fees as a way of moderating park traffic. Certain high traffic parks have entry fees that can be used to discourage casual visitors and encourage repeat visitors to visit less crowded parks. Removing this tool from the State Park system will cause additional crowding at the most popular parks.
The State Park Access Pass program is a regressive tax. It shifts the burden for the State Parks away from the wealthy, who typically bear the largest burden of the State Budget. It places an additional burden on the poor.
In conclusion, no matter how strongly we support individual State programs, the time has come for us to stop letting special interests of any kind drive the State budget. We need a well thought out budget that allocates a reasonable amount of revenue between the necessary programs and accept the cuts that will inevitably follow.
Tags: california state parks, state park access pass, state parks