Ensuring park and beach access for all

OPINION – Growing up in Fullerton, I spent countless hours with my family in the parks and beaches that were just moments away from our home. These were not just places of recreation for us – they were places of refuge, connection, and joy. They shaped my childhood and deepened my appreciation for California’s natural beauty, an appreciation that has only grown stronger with experience and time.

I am not alone in this. The love for our parks and beaches is something that brings us together as Californians.

Studies have continuously shown that spending time in nature does more than just refresh the body, it renews the spirit and mind. Parks and beaches offer a place to play and they offer a place to belong by knitting our communities together in ways that are hard to quantify, but easy to feel.

Here is the thing, though – too many Californians are being left out. Whether it is because there are no parks nearby, or the bus does not run late enough to them, or because some folks simply do not know where to go. Too many of our neighbors do not have the access they deserve to the natural wonders that define our state. That is not just a missed opportunity, it is a missed promise.

Since 2019, California has made that promise a priority. We have invested more than $100 million into community-based outdoor equity programs, expanding access to nature for low-income families across our state. We have seen the fruits of that investment, like the opening of Dos Rios State Park in the Central Valley, which stands as a testament to what we can achieve when we focus on the needs of underserved communities.

I will be direct – this year’s budget has been tough. We have had to make hard choices, and that has meant scaling back on some of the funding that was helping to open up our parks to everyone. Even when the funding is there, I hear from community organizations that the maze of permits, fees, and restrictions can turn what should be a simple day at the beach into a bureaucratic red tape nightmare.

That is why I introduced AB 2038. This bill cuts through the red tape, ensuring that small, non-commercial recreation and education programs have the same access to our state parks as anyone else. It is about fairness. It is about making sure that every kid can feel the sand between their toes and hear the waves crashing on the shore – whether they come from a family with financial means or one that is just scraping by.

AB 2038 has bipartisan support and no registered opposition for good reason. It is a straightforward, cost-effective way to make sure our parks and beaches are open to all, not just a fortunate few. It reduces administrative burdens, lowers costs, and lets community programs focus on what really matters – serving our kids and our families.

This is personal, not just policy. When I think about the joy and the freedom I felt as a child in those parks and on those beaches, I want every child in California to have that same experience. To find their own story in the natural beauty that we all share. To feel that they, too, are part of something bigger.

Let us make sure our parks and beaches remain places of joy, discovery, and community for every Californian, no matter who they are or where they come from.

Sharon Quirk-Silva is a California Assemblywoman from the 67th District.