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More Evidence California is Royally Screwed Up

November 17, 2010, 11:17 am

I was in discussions with California State Parks over the last few days.  Given that their new earmarked funding source was defeated in the last election, they are facing cuts next year.  A number of parks will again face closure.  As I have many times, I said that I could easily keep many of these parks open under our operations using only the gate fees and no public subsidies.

For the first time, someone explained to me why they could not entertain my proposal.  It is illegal in California to replace any function performed by a public employee with a private contractor.   The only way they could consider private operation of a park is to allow it to close, lay everyone off, let it sit closed to the public for a while, and then possibly reopen it with private management.  And even that approach will likely be challenged in the court.  The public employees unions are committed to allowing parks to permanently close rather than establish the precedent of private management.

More on public-private partnerships in recreation and how private management of public recreation works, here.

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Category: Private Recreation Management
  • Doug

    No bigee. It's part of our extensive "no public employee left behind" program.

  • Fred from Canuckistan

    The logic of public sector unions is not explainable to or understandable by people who have never had to suffer the agonies or appreciate the great difficulties of maintaining a lip-lock on a public teat.

    It is really, really hard, the mental strain, the risk of permanent injury, the Public Trauma Stress Disdorder running rampant and untreated . . . you just can't understand.

  • caseyboy

    Well, I can't say that I'm surprised. Can't have private sector, free market entrepreneurs showing up the public/union workers now can we. Screw the parks. Screw the people. The great outdoors is overrated anyway.

  • SChaser

    How do we get rid of these parasitic organisms? Can we RICO them to death? Obviously they ARE corrupt racketeering organizations.

  • alanstorm

    "It is illegal in California to replace any function performed by a public employee with a private contractor." IOW, efficiency and economy won't even be given a chance. That explains many things.

  • Dr. T

    California today is a snapshot of the entire USA in about ten years. It ain't pretty.

  • Ted Rado

    Since I was a young man (I am now in my eighties) it has been obvious to me that anything that can be done by competitive private enterprise should NOT ne done by government. Government employyes have no incentive to hold down employment or cost. Inefficient private companies go out of business. Inefficient government managers hire more people and get a higher level title.

    If you have any doubts on this subject, do business with a private company, such as Vanguard. Then go to the post office or the DMV. End of discussion.

  • Rick Caird

    This is absolutely amazing. As California heads deeper into chaos and closer to bankruptcy, state law prohibits anyone from doing anything about it. So, we find the state that has the most overpaid and over benefited workers, is unable to lower labor costs except by doing away with the labor. I would never have expected any state would have such a law. Is it any wonder California is reaping exactly what it has sown? And, no, I am not in favor of a bailout for California.

  • Joycine

    Dear Coyote,

    Please don't give up. California's government loves to close parks as a visible gesture to prove that we citizens do not relinquish enough of our money over to the state. (Believe me, there will never be any closure of catered meetings or halting of political trips to Hawaii.)This political action has always frustrated me as a Californian who loves our parks. The new information you have related in this article has given me a ray of hope. The fiscal state of California is beyond bad. The mind-set of our leaders, along with the voters who have come to depend on that mind-set and keep them in office, indicate that we will continue with actions detrimental to our state.
    Now I can be optimistic about California's park closures. Let them close the parks. Keep them closed. Keep them closed until we can reopen them with private entities that will care for our parks instead of treating these treasures like a political football.
    Keep ready Coyote. We are ready for you even if our "leaders" don't know it.