Funding for a popular state program that gives fourth graders and their families free access to several dozen California State Parks is included in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year after all.
When Newsom presented his draft budget, on Jan. 10, the California State Parks Foundation raised alarm bells about missing funds for the California State Park Adventure Pass. But since then the foundation has learned that $2.1 million to support the program was quietly included in a pool of funding aimed at education, with the initial confusion illustrating just how tricky it is even for invested parties to monitor specific programs in California’s massive $291 billion budget.
If that $2.1 million survives budget revisions in the legislature and wins approval this summer, that means all fourth graders in California should be able to get passes good for 54 state parks this fall.
The budget, however, still does not include money to continue a program that lets Californians use a library card to check out passes to visit more than 200 California state parks and beaches for free.
Some 33,000 Library Parks passes have been sent to public libraries over the past couple of years, with branches reporting the passes and backpacks filled with hiking gear are some of their most popular items to check out.
Passes in libraries now are valid through Dec. 31. But if lawmakers don’t budget new funds for the coming fiscal year, Rachel Norton, executive director of California State Parks Foundation, said libraries won’t get any passes for the public to check out in 2025.
Parks supporters plan to push hard to get funding for the pass program added to the budget before it’s finalized this summer.
That could be an uphill battle, though, with the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office predicting the state’s budget deficit will be $20 billion more than what Newsom’s team is now banking on. If true, more climate and environment programs could be on the chopping block in coming months.
Legislators soon will start a series of hearings to discuss changes they want to make to the governor’s proposed budget. Newsom is slated to release a revised budget in the middle of May, with a June 15 deadline for lawmakers to pass that budget.