SACRAMENTO – Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) today introduced SB 1078, a bill that would create a plan to develop long-term funding for all California state parks.

SB 1078, the State Parks Revenue Generation Act would utilize money already owed to the state through the State Lands Commission (SLC) from delinquent rents and undervalued state land leases.

“Our state parks are of vital importance to our environment and our communities,” said Evans whose district currently includes eleven 20 parks slated for closure July 1. “Collecting money owed is a first step towards generating funds to keep our parks open. We need lasting funding solutions to make park closures ancient history.”

In August 2011, the California State Auditor released a report on the SLC indicating a failure to collect rent or renegotiate undervalued leases worth millions of dollars.

This bill would fund the SLC to collect past due monies protecting the lands from closure through a general fund loan that would be paid back via the overdue collections.

“The state is owed millions of dollars,” continued Evans. “My legislation will enable the state to collect money taxpayers are owed and reinvest those funds in parks so they are never again on the chopping block.”

SB 1078 provides a loan of $1million from the general fund to develop and implement a collection plan. The loan would be repaid with the first $1 million collected.

The bill would also require additional revenues collected by the SLC be deposited into a new Delinquent Rent Collection Account in the general fund.

From that account, the second $1 million collected would be allocated to the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to study ways to increase park revenues.

An additional $1.5 million and any remaining moneys in the account would be allocated to implement the DPR’s newly identified revenue generating programs.

Excess funds collected would be transferred to the general fund. Delinquent rents obligated by law for schools would not be affected by this bill.

Evans represents the Second Senatorial District, including all or portions of the Counties of Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma. Senator Evans Chairs the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Committee on Judiciary.