In 1960, Jack London State Historic Park was opened to the public. The park was created in 1959 when about 40 acres of London's Beauty Ranch was acquired by the state, partly through a gift from Irving Shepard, London's nephew and an heir to his estate. Today the park contains more than 800 acres. (PRESS DEMOCRAT FILE PHOTO)

Penalizing park allies

EDITOR: Regarding the proposal to drastically raise the cost of a state park annual pass, Philip Sales ("Price hike is wrong strategy," Close to Home, Thursday) wrote, "I think the increase is poor public relations and hardly a way to reward the public for its support over the past year." I couldn't agree more.

In October 2001, "when Governor (Gray) Davis dropped fees," said then-state parks Director Rusty Areias, "we began to see a surge in park visitors . . . a total of 21 million additional visitors. But then came the economic bonus," Areias said. "The additional spending is astounding and wonderful at a time when California's sagging economy really needs a boost."

Let's consider Proposition 21 in 2010, where a proposed $18 annual fee on vehicle registrations would have completely funded state park operations and given people free day-use. California voters rejected this ballot measure. Still, there were 4.2 million forward-thinking voters who supported it.

Now the state thinks it can coax people into buying a pass for $195? In these economic times, raising fees seems counter-intuitive. If these same 4.2 million voters were offered an annual day-use pass for a measly $18, this would produce $75.6 million for state parks.

BILL KRUMBEIN

Santa Rosa

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