Thumbs up: Parks’ names: Not for sale

Still having a hard time calling the Ahwahnee Hotel the Majestic Yosemite Hotel? Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area doesn’t roll off your tongue quite like Badger Pass? We’d like to report that the National Park Service is making progress on its attempt to reacquire the trademarks claimed by a former concessionaire. But efforts to settle the dispute reportedly have failed, so a lengthy court battle seems likely.

California’s state park system, for all its scope and variety, probably include anything as world famous as Yosemite National Park’s many landmarks, though fans of Hearst Castle might quibble. But as the legislative session winds down, lawmakers are moving to ensure that California won’t ever be forced to pay ransom to preserve names associated with state parks. Assembly Bill 2249 passed the state Senate last week and is awaiting a final, largely procedural vote in the Assembly before landing on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. It might be fitting if he signed this bill at his official residence - Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park.