Best news so far: They wouldn’t happen till Jan. 2009, if they happen at all. Opposition is already lining up:

“We’re extraordinarily upset, and frankly angry at this attack on California’s treasured state park system,” said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation, a non-profit group in Marin County. “This is the most draconian set of cuts ever considered for California’s state parks.”

Meanwhile, parks experts predicted a patrolling nightmare if the Democratic-controlled Legislature agrees to the closings. It’s not possible to “close” thousands of acres of forests, meadows and beaches, they said, even if you padlock the parking lots.

“What do they mean, close a park? Mostly you can’t,” said Joe Engbeck, a former state parks employee and author of “State Parks of California: From 1864 to the Present.”

Also, reader John Tunnicliffe posted a ream of thoughtful comments. A couple highlights:

we need to demand higher value for our tax dollar, period, and, since we need to trim the fat off of this pig, we should all stop ordering bacon.

but shutting down the Parks and other recreational assets of the People is just ridiculous. it is counter-productive. it is foolishness. re-creation is an important component of personal/public/community health. John Muir correctly concluded that “wilderness is necessary”. and it is. it is not an optional item. and though we tend to organize ourselves like termite mounds we are not blind insects. we do not have a Queen. our wings do not fall off. we all have pincers.

if funding fails we can volunteer in our local communities to support the Parks. we can operate shovels. we can manage and monitor the trails. there are plumbers among us; we can figure out how to to keep the pipes clear. we are not crippled. we can do stuff.

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closing the parks is just about the most ignorant proposal I have ever heard. where’s the cost-benefit analysis? how much money are we talking about “saving” here? is included in the proposal termination/serverance of the employees? how much does that cost? or is the plan to just shift them around? and then who’s going to pay for park protection services or is the plan to just let the properties fall into hobo-dom? then what? with fewer police we have more crime and more rats?

as for maintenance of the facilities I think we are can figure out how to enlist the volunteer/corporate/private communities. mountain bikers can handle a shovel. Girl Scouts can sell cookies. companies can encourage contribution. service, man.

Sell said, John.