Governor Signs Huffman-Authored Bill to Help Save State Parks

Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, applauded Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday for signing Assembly Bill 42, Huffman-authored legislation that will enable some of the state parks threatened with closure due to budget cuts to remain open.

AB 42 authorizes the state Department of Parks and Recreation to enter into operating agreements with qualified nonprofit organizations to operate a state park unit if the agreement will enable the state to keep open a state park that would otherwise be subject to closure. Among those is just north of Novato.

“The Governor has recognized the important role that state parks play for Californians, and my bill represents a creative solution that will allow the state to secure partnerships to enable a number of the state parks on the closure list to stay open,” Huffman, who represents Novato residents in Sacramento, said in a statement. “Particularly in these tough economic times, creative public/private partnerships are an essential tool in providing ongoing protection of, and continued access to, these treasured public assets. As we struggle to address California’s state budget deficit, I will continue to work to protect funding for state parks.”

Brown has recognized that nonprofit organizations are essential partners to state parks, particularly as 70 parks are set to close, said Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California State Parks Foundation.

“These are difficult times ahead for all Californians who support, visit and appreciate their state parks,” Goldstein said, “and AB 42 is a creative option to try to lessen the blow from park closures. (The foundation) will continue to work with nonprofit groups across the states that are stepping forward to help protect our parks, and the passage of AB 42 will encourage additional groups to step up to save our state parks.”

Nonprofit that get involved in supporting state parks would be required to provide an annual report with an accounting of all revenues and expenditures that would be made publicly available. All revenues received from the park could be expended only for the benefit of the state park unit. The nonprofit could contribute additional in-kind services and funding from outside entities for support of the park.

In May, Huffman said he believed the closure of state parks would do little to improve the state’s fiscal situation in the short run and only serve to harm state and local economies in the long run by losing tourism dollars. 

“We need to continue to seek stable long-term funding for state parks while at the same time work to facilitate other creative solutions, including public/private partnerships, to keep state parks open for the public’s benefit,” Huffman said at the time.

Olompali, just off Highway 101 on the slopes of Mount Burdell, is among nine parks on the closure list that showcase Native American history and other archeological assets. Almost 45 percent of entire statewide system of state historic parks are proposed for closure. The North Coast counties (Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte) have 22 parks on the closure list, accounting for 31 percent of the closures.

Olompali is a sacred site for both Native Americans and hippies from the Haight-Ashbury days. Evidence of the presence of the Coast Miwok tribe, called the Southern People (Olompali), dates to 6,000 B.C. The tribe lived there until the 1850s and their descendants are still a recognized and organized group in the North Bay area.

In the late 1960s, the Olompali land was privately owned and became a cultural gathering spot and commune. The Grateful Dead played there regularly. A fire at the house led to the commune's closing in 1969. Many artifacts were saved but have yet to be put on display.

The park was opened as a state historic park in 1990. Today it features a small museum, a bookstore, picnic tables and hiking trails.