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Old     (hatepwcs)      Join Date: Mar 2002       09-16-2003, 5:11 PM Reply   
Circle the wagons, SB1043 the bill that was supposed to give us $900,000 to keep the lake running never made it to the senate floor to be voted on. Once again the only thing the senate seems to be able to accomplish is there own pay raises. Stand by for details on what our next course of action will be.

Although a setback, the battle is not over.
Old    buttacup            09-16-2003, 5:35 PM Reply   
Sounds like some people up at the capital needs to sell their bentleys in order to keep the lake open.
Old     (obrienride16)      Join Date: Jul 2001       09-16-2003, 7:16 PM Reply   
duuuuuude, i thought that had passed already. let us know what we need to do. protest? more emails? calls? whatever.
Old     (deepstructure)      Join Date: Jun 2002       09-16-2003, 7:59 PM Reply   
from the signal...


quote:

Budget Battle Boggles Lake Bill
Plan to fund Castaic Lake dies; supervisor says task force will plug away.

9/16/2003
Pearl Obispo [Signal Staff Writer]


Supporters of the Castaic Lake Recreation Area were dealt a setback Friday when a bill that would have provided thousands of dollars in state funding for the lake failed to make it to the state Assembly floor for a vote.
SB 1043 would have appropriated $900,000 from the Harbors and Watercraft Revolving Fund to the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation.
However, SB 1043, along with two dozen other two-thirds bills, were caught in the middle of the ongoing budget dispute - a budget which has been the source of endless debate since June 15.
”I’m extremely disappointed that SB 1043 was not even taken up, let alone passed,” said Assemblyman Keith Richman. “None of the bills that required two-thirds vote and were part of the budget were not taken up at all.”
Richman, R-Granada Hills, said he will look into some administrative help to bail out the lake, which is state-owned, but county-operated.
”SB 1043 will remain in the legislative file and we’ll see if can take it up in January or not,” he said. “I’m not happy at all with not taking action on SB 1043.”
Sheila Ortega, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, said after hearing of the news, the department is now preparing for the inevitable.
”We are still in discussions with State Water Resources and the Board of Supervisors, and we’re still trying to find funding to keep the facility under county control,” she said. “But we are also preparing a transition plan to the state.”
Ortega said talks have begun with the California Highway Patrol, the agency which will be responsible for security at the lake if or when it shuts down.
”We’ve also developed a 10-day plan to remove county-owned equipment and supplies,” Ortega added. “We’re also notifying contractors that we would be terminating agreements.”
Tony Bell, spokesman for Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, said although the bill has been delayed, the multi-jurisdictional task force that was recently created will continue its efforts to save the lake.
”Certainly the urgency and direction and timeline have changed,” he said. “We have that much more to do now. We’re optimistic however that we will be able to find solutions both short and long-term.”
”The spirit of cooperation is evident between state and county,” Bell said. “The measure didn’t fail because of its content. It was more of a logistical problem. It looks as if the issue was delayed rather than dismissed.”
Regardless, Ortega said, a lot of people were banking on those funds.
”We’re disappointed to say the least,” Ortega said. “We were all present at an executive meeting when we heard the news. We’re continuing on, but we were very dependent on that $900,000.”






Old     (deepstructure)      Join Date: Jun 2002       09-16-2003, 8:01 PM Reply   
and the daily news...


quote:

1413,200~20949~1634228,00.html,http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20949~1634228,00.html

Shutting down the lake
County drawing up plan to close facility
By Nicholas Grudin
Staff Writer


CASTAIC -- County officials are preparing plans to end operations at Castaic Lake after a funding bill failed to pass through the state Legislature.

The Castaic Lake Recreation Area is due to close Sept. 30, according to a transitional plan that the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation was drafting Monday.

Late last week, the state Assembly recessed until January without considering a Senate bill that would have provided $900,000 to keep the lake open for boating, fishing and swimming.

"We're disappointed because we were hopeful for the rescue from the state funding," said Sheila Ortega, spokeswoman for the parks department. "It was really deflating to hear that that wasn't going to happen, but we have not given up hope."

The lake, owned by the state but operated by the county, has been verging on closure all summer due to a county budget shortfall. The state, in worse financial shape, has said it cannot afford to fund it.

County officials, with 14 years left on a 50-year contract to run the lake, have been threatening to relinquish control of the recreation area to the state. State officials say that such action would result in the immediate closure of the lake.

So far, such a drastic decision has been avoided due to funding injections from county Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and the county's general fund, but resources are running thin, according to Tony Bell, a spokesman for Antonovich.

"This is not a good sign," Bell said.

According to Bell, Antonovich is working with state legislators to figure out another solution.

"We've come up with stopgap measures before against all odds, and I am confident that we will be able to do it again," Bell said.

If the county closes the lake, state officials will secure the lake and all recreational operations would be halted, according to Steve Caps, spokesman for the state Department of Parks and Recreation.

"We don't have the funds to operate it," Capps said. "We had meetings within the state government to discuss security measures if the lake is closed by the county."

The state has not yet finalized its security plan if the lake is closed, but several access points would be gated and the California Highway Patrol would likely patrol the area.

Assemblyman Keith Richman, R-Granada Hills, expressed dismay about the decision and said that the lake's future is once again completely uncertain.

"I'm very disappointed," Richman said. "The county and the state department of parks are going to need to discuss where we go from here."




Old    norcal_99            09-17-2003, 10:39 AM Reply   
Sorry to hear this.

Old    murrayair            09-17-2003, 10:56 AM Reply   
Yeah, me too. Like david said, let us know what we need to do. I'll do anything to help out fellow wakeboarders.
Old     (monkey)      Join Date: Oct 2002       09-17-2003, 2:11 PM Reply   
Stupid question, but what exactly were they doing there that cost nearly a million $$$ to operate?
Old     (monkey)      Join Date: Oct 2002       09-17-2003, 2:31 PM Reply   
I wonder what would happen if you tried beating them at their own game... First off, 900K seems like a ridiculous cost to keep a lake open for recreational use. That's like 10 officers, employed full-time, cruising around in brand new comp boats, patrolling the lake 8 hours a day, every day.

Assuming that funding is just a political excuse that they thought the majority would buy into given our current state economic sitution, maybe you could use the same tactic to strike back. Make the argument that this is yet another example of the politicians making fiscally irresponsible decisions. They can't keep a lake open that's been generating so much revenue for the community (tax revenue), because they can't operate efficiently enough to run it for less than nearly a million dollars. Furthermore, taking this recreational facility away will leave teens with nothing else to do but get in trouble.. You could contact the local media with politicians names, and real $$$ numbers, then start making the individiul politicians aware of the negative coverage...

In other words, SPIN the story the other way, and do it through the media. They love human interest stories.


Old     (deepstructure)      Join Date: Jun 2002       09-17-2003, 3:48 PM Reply   
i have no idea what it costs to run a lake - but i imagine with the salaries of sherrifs, lifeguards, maintenance crews, gate-personnel, etc., not to mention utilities, supplies, fuel/maintenance for boats, repairs, insurance, that the costs of running the lake could easily surpass a million dollars.
Old     (monkey)      Join Date: Oct 2002       09-17-2003, 6:53 PM Reply   
Were you guys not paying launch fees, parking fees, permit fees, etc? In Carlsbad, we pay enough in fees that the City probably makes a reasonable profit. In fact, I think I saw old Bud Lewis cruisin around in a new Mercedes

Still, 900K is HUGE! I mean, with that kind of money, you could almost buy a small house in California somewhere ... Seriously though, think about how many salaries you could pay out on that budget. The numbers just don't add up unless you work in an enormous amount of waste.
Old    buttacup            09-17-2003, 9:38 PM Reply   
Castaic charges launch fees and entrance fees for anyone passing the gate but like Chris said, they have to pay the people that work there and all the other stuff. Not sure what the fate of the CSUN aquatic center is now either I know the teacher there has run summer programs teaching kids how to canoe, wakeboard, ski and sail for the past several years and then some. There has to be some money that the CA gov't is hiding from us.
Old     (onealrep)      Join Date: May 2002       09-18-2003, 9:04 AM Reply   
Tim,

You hit it on the head with the waste comment. The money the lake generates doesn't all go back to the lake. It goes into the counties general fund, maybe 25-30% goes into the parks and rec fund. The studios film a lot at the lake as well, that money also goes into the general fund. It's typical gross mis-management by a government agency.
Old     (flux)      Join Date: Jun 2003       09-18-2003, 9:38 AM Reply   
Hmmmm.

Add 50 campsites, a small store/food stand, and a marina with $2.75/gal gas. Seems like revenue would be generated a bit more easily. All the lakes in Kern Co have these, they have one tenth the population/tax base, but manage to keep all their lakes open.

Seems embarrasing that all the campsites at the mud puddle (BV) are always booked, but Castaic is gonna close down. Welcome to LA county, always searching for new ways to decrease the quality of living.
Old     (timmy)      Join Date: Jul 2001       09-18-2003, 9:53 AM Reply   
they should do it like they do here in FL

launch ramps free. only service in park is a trash can that gets emptied once in a while. fish and game stops by maybe 10 times in the summer to do random safety checks. grass is mowed once in a while. so it probably costs about $10k/yr. and then probbaly another $20k every 15 years or so for launch ramp maintenance.
Old     (monkey)      Join Date: Oct 2002       09-18-2003, 11:35 AM Reply   
I think Parks and Recs accounting statements are a matter of public record... hint hint.

Someone should go through the figures, then take it to the local new channels, with politicians names assigned... Seriously, this is how these guys operate. They hit your bottom-line, so threaten to hit theirs. They don't give a rats-ars about the $$$, or about the environment, or even about you. They only pretend to. All they care about is keeping their cushy govn't jobs, so make it clear to them that you're someone who can take that away from them...
Old     (supersport)      Join Date: Dec 2001       09-18-2003, 3:04 PM Reply   
Tim, your absolutely right. I think the LA County Parks and Recs have been negligent and should be held accountable. THey should have made revenue / spending adjustments years ago.
Old     (sdub)      Join Date: Jan 2003       09-18-2003, 4:09 PM Reply   

Remember you are dealing w/ calif. government here, who can waste money better than the best of 'em.
Old     (colorider)      Join Date: Jun 2001       09-18-2003, 9:24 PM Reply   
May be a dumb question, but why dont they turn it into a permit sale lake. The lake we ride on sells permits every year. No more then 550 permits are sold. Each permit costs around 560 bucks. that is a total of 308,000 bucks!! The lake is only open from May 1st and shuts down sept 31. They sell out of permits in the 1st month of sales!!!!!!! This is a pretty small lake too. Has many trashcans that are emptied every day, has great new bathroom facilities that are VERY clean and nice. Has outdoor showers and a fish cleaning station. The lake and surrounding areas are very clean and well kept. There is also a full staff of rangers. Why the heck can't a large lake like Castaic and a state where you can baord all year long get a clue and and follow this type of example!! You could get more then enough money from selling private permits. Also, at our lake the most boats you will see on the lake at once is about 40 during a Holliday weekend. Hopefully I am missing something about your poor lake because the money solution seems too easy to me.
Old     (deepstructure)      Join Date: Jun 2002       09-19-2003, 5:05 PM Reply   

quote:

http://www.the-signal.com/News/ViewStory.asp?storyID=3189

Lake Waiting on Legislature


9/19/2003
Pearl Obispo [Signal Staff Writer]


Supervisors Michael D. Antonovich and Yvonne Braithwaite-Burke will introduce a motion Tuesday to keep the Castaic Lake State Recreation Area open until the Legislature follows through with a long-term solution.
Senate Bill 1043 would allocate $900,000 in state funds for the lake and set up a task force to plan the lake’s future operation. The bill failed to make it to the Assembly floor for a vote before the Legislature recessed early Saturday.
“Supervisors Antonovich and Burke are co-sponsoring a motion to keep the lake open until the state Legislature is back in session,” Antonovich spokesman Tony Bell said Thursday. “We can proceed with plans to create a joint effort with the state to secure permanent funding for Castaic Lake.”
The Legislature isn’t scheduled to convene again until January, but Gov. Gray Davis has asked for a special session to extend Megan’s Law, which expires Dec. 31. That law, forcing registered sex offenders to disclose their whereabouts, also failed to be renewed last week.
If the special session is held, there will be a push for SB 1043 to be included, Bell said.
The announcement came a day after Castaic Area Town Council members expressed frustrations over the lake’s possible closure. The supervisors previously approved Antonovich’s motion to fund the lake through Oct. 1.
The supervisors also plan to raise fees at the lake to help offset operating costs.
The Legislature’s failure to pass SB 1043 last week “put us in a very different situation,” Antonovich deputy Millie Jones said. “The $1 increase, which the board has set a public hearing for, is the limit to what we (the county) can do.”
Jones urged the Town Council and community to continue writing letters in support of the lake.
“We’re still looking into revenue for some interim funding,” Jones said. “Proposals may come forth for private-public enterprise. And we continue to look for people’s input.”
Jones also said the annual Love Ride, scheduled for Nov. 9, will be held despite the overall uncertainty.
“At this point, we’re confident that venue will remain open,” said Walter Moore, spokesman for Roland and Associates, the public relations firm for the Love Ride. “We feel confident that the financial issues will be resolved and we plan on going to Castaic Lake Nov. 9.”
The firm has already completed flyers for the event, with Castaic Lake as the venue.
The Love Ride, touted as the largest one-day motorcycle fund-raising event in the world, raised more than $1.1 million last year. This year’s event, in which 20,000 die-hards are expected to turn out to hear headliner ZZ Top perform, will benefit Reading by 9 and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
“We’re hoping possibly more will come out just because of ZZ Top,” Moore said. “That’s a huge get.”




Old    dertbiker2000            09-19-2003, 7:00 PM Reply   
its all politicaly
Old    dertbiker2000            09-19-2003, 7:01 PM Reply   
its all political
Old    dertbiker2000            09-19-2003, 7:02 PM Reply   
fooooooking bowl****
Old    dertbiker2000            09-19-2003, 7:04 PM Reply   
took me awhile to get past the censorship

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