I ended up voting about Arnold Schwarzenegger's propositions in the May 19 election, knowing full well that this would mean that drastic budget cuts would ensue. So now that the scope of the necessary budget cuts (incidentally, the propositions wouldn't have bridged the entire budget gap) are becoming known, I am forced to support them.
You've probably heard that one of Schwarzenegger's budget-bridging proposals is the closure of some state parks. And in our area, the only state park is the Chino Hills State Park, which is on the proposed closure list.
The Daily Bulletin reports (sorry, old-timers, but I couldn't work the word "progress" into there) that various politicians are decrying and deploring the closure:
Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, said he was concerned about the park closing....
Assemblywoman Norma Torres said the closure will affect her constituents in the region....
Chino Hills Councilwoman Gwenn Norton-Perry said she was alarmed by the potential of the state park closing.
But then again, you have to look at the numbers. According to the Daily Bulletin, "the park takes about $700,000 to run, but it only brings in about $60,000."
While I love parks, some things need to be sacrificed, and all of us need to sacrifice. (Even the UTLA, though they may believe they're exempt.)
