Governor's Budget: Close Mt. San Jac?

[KathyW]

From what I heard on the news, not that they get things correct, the facilities on the State Parks would be closed along with parking lots but the public would be able to access them (just have to walk a bit). I guess the public would have to learn to pack out their trash when they leave.


Yes, and more and more talk of doing away with California Proposition 13.

[AlanK]

...the money saved by shutting parks would amount to about $13 million dollars, as mentioned in the Times article. Budget dust...

This is a good point. Of course there will be many threatened cuts in the "budget dust" category, but it means there is hope that the parks will survive.

I agree with Kathy that, although closing parks strikes me as a bad thing, closing a park does not necessarily mean that it will be declared off limits.

[Rob]

closing a park does not necessarily mean that it will be declared off limits.

Reminds me that in the early 1990s the Air Force "closed" March AFB.

Is there any downside to having the Feds take over SJSP?

[AlanK]

Is there any downside to having the Feds take over SJSP?

Do the Feds have any money?

I ask that because here is a representative sample of what is circulating in the world of science. It refers to the outcome of the budget bill that was signed into law on December 26, but it is broadly representative.

DOE will pull the plug on the PEP-II collider at SLAC on March 1, seven months ahead of schedule, resulting in the layoff of 125 employees. To keep the Tevatron at Fermilab going in the search for the Higgs, all employees will take 2 or 3 days a month of unpaid leave. Work on the International Linear Collider was terminated. The U.S. reneged on its commitment to the international fusion energy program, ITER. Other DOE programs were also cut along with NSF and NIST.

[hvydrt]

I don't think San Jacinto would be closed. When they start making cuts, they will close the parks that have the least amount of income. (the parks that have the least amount of visitors) The Tram and the restaurant generate a lot of money.

[cmachler]

DOE will pull the plug on the PEP-II collider at SLAC on March 1, seven months ahead of schedule, resulting in the layoff of 125 employees. To keep the Tevatron at Fermilab going in the search for the Higgs, all employees will take 2 or 3 days a month of unpaid leave. Work on the International Linear Collider was terminated. The U.S. reneged on its commitment to the international fusion energy program, ITER. Other DOE programs were also cut along with NSF and NIST.

Not to take this thread too-far off topic, but they've been on the verge of finding the Higgs boson since 1993. Every few years, it's "the energy levels at such and such new accelerator will finally be able to produce it." Yeah, it sucks that it's the only piece of the standard model that hasn't been verified experimentally yet. But it will be found eventually.

And I'm not at all surprised about the International Linear Collider. I felt that thing was a bad idea from the beginning.

[AlanK]

Not to get lured off topic, but you won't get much of a rise out of me since I'm a condensed matter guy. However, what I left out is the discussion of the huge promised increases in the aforementioned projects just a few months ago.

[asabat]

Is there any downside to having the Feds take over SJSP?

If it went to the USFS, and if you want access without planning six months in advance, yes. Just look at the hassles getting permits to climb Mt. Whitney. OTOH, if it went to the NPS (as part of the Santa Rosa Natl Monument?) maybe not - it's still no limit to day hike to Nevada Falls in Yosemite.