The new initiative comes from legislation in the aftermath of last year’s parks funding scandal.
The governor’s Natural Resources Secretary, John Laird, says the panel of experts, citizens and parks advocates will "examine how parks operate, how they’re structured, how they’re funded and take a wholesale look at the parks system, with the goal of developing a sustainable parks system into the next decades."
A quarter of California’s 280 state parks nearly closed because of budget cuts during the last two years. A mix of one-time funds and operating agreements has kept the parks open, but maintenance has slipped and entrance fees have gone up.
The panel will make its recommendations to the governor and legislature in the fall of next year.
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