The list of closures spans the state. It includes the Governor's Mansion in Sacramento, Redwood parks in the North and the Salton Sea in the south.
We are doing something on our watch - on my watch - that has never been done before."
Tony Perez is the state parks operations chief. Lawmakers have passed an eleven million dollar cut for parks this fiscal year - and another 22 million next year. Perez says it's the breaking point:
"We have been wrangling with it for a while now, but it's the fact that we can no longer sustain cuts to the system that we've been sustaining, without taking work away."
Perez says the department looked at attendance and statewide
and historic significance when creating the list. He says all
70 parks will be closed by July of 2012 and closures may begin as
early as this September. Though officials are hopeful that
local governments and charities may step in to keep some open. The
closure list could change after lawmakers work out a budget
deal
