County parks officials had asked supervisors to reject the proposal by former Congressman Doug Ose.  But Tuesday's 3-to-2 vote directs County Executive Steven Szalay - not parks officials - to try and negotiate a solution with Ose.

The two big sticking points are Ose's request for more than a million dollars in county funds for deferred maintenance … and the length of the lease.  Ose is asking for a 50-year lease; county officials only want five years.

ORIGINAL STORY

The popular Gibson Ranch in northern Sacramento County could reopen under a proposal before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday.  Problem is, county parks officials don't like that proposal.

The county shut down Gibson Ranch after Labor Day weekend, citing budget cuts.  Then, it sent out a "request for proposals," or RFP.  Officials are looking for an outside organization to operate the park under a lease.  Four groups showed interest.  But the only application came from former Congressman Doug Ose, who says he made a list of more than a hundred unique activities he could offer.

Ose: "I don't think there's any shortage of opportunity.  We just got to have the wherewithal to make it an attractive place for people to come, and that's the purpose of my proposal."

But the county doesn't like Ose's proposed terms: a 50-year lease and a county investment of more than a million dollars in deferred maintenance.  Janet Baker runs the county's Regional Parks department.

Baker: "If we had released a different kind of RFP more in keeping with what he's proposing - a long-term lease with the county contributing money - I think we may have gotten different proposals and more proposals."

Baker is asking Sacramento County supervisors Tuesday to reject Ose's proposal and let her start a new search instead. Ose says his prposal simply wouldn't make business sense without a long-term lease and what he calls a "non-Ose" investment in deferred maintenance.