Friday, May 13, 2011

California to close 70 parks

LOS ANGELES — Want to see the California Governor’s Mansion, once home to such political giants as Ronald Reagan and Earl Warren? You’d better hurry.

The Governor’s Mansion will be among 70 state parks that will close to the public, Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration announced Friday — part of $11 billion in budget cuts that had already been approved, while a gap of more than $15 billion remains.

The closings highlight the depth of the budget cuts California is set to endure. Though Mr. Brown has lobbied hard for temporary tax extensions that could close the remaining gap, Republicans have thus far blocked a vote on his plan, and he is preparing to unveil his proposal for an all-cuts budget next week.

“We have made some very difficult decisions to close the deficit,” the State Assembly speaker, John A. Pérez, said in a written response to a request for comment. “I am hopeful that with the release of the May revise, we can close out the remainder of the deficit with a balanced approach without resorting to further cuts.”
Read the rest here.

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