Cuts from the state look to have a local impact, but some officials are saying a piece of the state budget puzzle will help rather than hurt.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed efforts to close the multibillion-dollar state deficit includes changes that could shift the state’s focus on restoration of the Salton Sea.
Brown’s May budget revise includes closing some state parks throughout the state, including the Salton Sea State Recreation Area, along with eliminating 43 boards and commissions.
- one of which is the recently-created Salton Sea Restoration Council.
Council elimination “a favor”
“(The elimination of the council is) an indication that the state has given up on its responsibility to restore the sea or do any of the work there,” said county Supervisor Gary Wyatt. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
The state had to decide whether to get on task or get out of the way so that locals can work on it, he said.
Imperial Irrigation District Director Jim Hanks agreed.
“I think they did us a favor,” he said.
“We’ve known all along it’s going to be up to us locally to find a solution,” he added.
The council was created by former Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, and would bring together state and local agencies seek a restoration solution and funding.
However, it could put more constraints on what the Salton Sea Authority is trying to do with the sea, Hanks said.
Millions of dollars have already been set aside through two state propositions for restoration at the Salton Sea, said Silvia Paz, senior field representative for Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez’s office, at a Salton Sea Authority meeting last week. That funding would likely not come through with the council’s elimination if there is no other oversight structure.
Because of the elimination of the council, Assemblyman Pérez, D-Coachella, is considering an alternative structure to keep that money available for restoration measures, Paz said. A new position could be created, a deputy director for the state Department of Natural Resources that would be in charge of the Salton Sea.
State park could be impacted
The state park elimination seems like it will have more of an impact with those going to the Salton Sea for recreation, said Salton Sea Authority Executive Director Michael O’Connor.
The authority is asking the state to look at options like public-private partnerships to keep the park going, he said.
There may be more hope out there as the Salton Sea park may not be closed because of federal funding it receives.
Sixteen of the 70 state parks targeted for closure receive federal funding under the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which collects royalties from offshore drilling to buy parklands and wildlife refuges, The Associated Press reported.
The fund requires state parks that have received the money to remain open or, if closed, that a park of equal size is opened nearby.
Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., said the funding is a grant to the state, and operates like a contract.
“It is linked directly to the deed of these lands. It says the state makes a commitment to provide these places for public use in perpetuity. To not do that is essentially a breach of that contract,” Jarvis said.
If the state were to close parks that receive the federal grants, the National Park Service could declare the state ineligible for future funding under the law.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed efforts to close the multibillion-dollar state deficit includes changes that could shift the state’s focus on restoration of the Salton Sea.
Brown’s May budget revise includes closing some state parks throughout the state, including the Salton Sea State Recreation Area, along with eliminating 43 boards and commissions.
- one of which is the recently-created Salton Sea Restoration Council.
Council elimination “a favor”
“(The elimination of the council is) an indication that the state has given up on its responsibility to restore the sea or do any of the work there,” said county Supervisor Gary Wyatt. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
The state had to decide whether to get on task or get out of the way so that locals can work on it, he said.
Imperial Irrigation District Director Jim Hanks agreed.
“I think they did us a favor,” he said.
“We’ve known all along it’s going to be up to us locally to find a solution,” he added.
The council was created by former Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, and would bring together state and local agencies seek a restoration solution and funding.
However, it could put more constraints on what the Salton Sea Authority is trying to do with the sea, Hanks said.
Millions of dollars have already been set aside through two state propositions for restoration at the Salton Sea, said Silvia Paz, senior field representative for Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez’s office, at a Salton Sea Authority meeting last week. That funding would likely not come through with the council’s elimination if there is no other oversight structure.
Because of the elimination of the council, Assemblyman Pérez, D-Coachella, is considering an alternative structure to keep that money available for restoration measures, Paz said. A new position could be created, a deputy director for the state Department of Natural Resources that would be in charge of the Salton Sea.
State park could be impacted
The state park elimination seems like it will have more of an impact with those going to the Salton Sea for recreation, said Salton Sea Authority Executive Director Michael O’Connor.
The authority is asking the state to look at options like public-private partnerships to keep the park going, he said.
There may be more hope out there as the Salton Sea park may not be closed because of federal funding it receives.
Sixteen of the 70 state parks targeted for closure receive federal funding under the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which collects royalties from offshore drilling to buy parklands and wildlife refuges, The Associated Press reported.
The fund requires state parks that have received the money to remain open or, if closed, that a park of equal size is opened nearby.
Jon Jarvis, director of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C., said the funding is a grant to the state, and operates like a contract.
“It is linked directly to the deed of these lands. It says the state makes a commitment to provide these places for public use in perpetuity. To not do that is essentially a breach of that contract,” Jarvis said.
If the state were to close parks that receive the federal grants, the National Park Service could declare the state ineligible for future funding under the law.
Staff Writer Elizabeth Varin can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
