View of a public park in Santa Barbara. Image by Jack N. MohrOPINION – 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.
A curved pedestrian footpath and open space adjacent to housing units. (Photo: Tarnet VIC 3029, via Shutterstock)OPINION: But not everyone in California has a neighborhood with safe places to walk or a park around the corner. There are deep inequities in access to nature in our country – a fact that has become even more glaringly obvious during the pandemic.
A river in Kings Canyon National Park, California. (Photo: Owen Sholes, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Over the last year, Californians have turned to neighborhood parks, trails, and beaches for respite and healing more than ever before. Some of us have grown to appreciate the park down the street or have developed a favorite walking route through tree-lined neighborhoods.
A section of the Rubicon Trail at D.L. Bliss State Park in South Lake Tahoe. (Photo: AJ9, via Shutterstock)OPINION: It’s time to shift the conversation around parks in California. New data is illuminating the need to look at state parks in communities a bit differently. Rather than measuring their value by their undeniable beauty, new research illustrates a clear opportunity to measure parks by their impact on our public health and communities.
Visitors at Dolores Park in San Francsico on Memorial Day, 2018. (Photo: FTiare, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Access to care is not the only problem the Latino Coalition is fighting to remedy. Another acute health inequity facing Latinos: woefully inadequate numbers of accessible outdoor activities and parks. With the already high rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease facing the community, opportunities for exercise and outdoor endeavors become all the more important.
Big Chico Creek in the town of Chico. (Photo: Bill Brimm, via Shutterstock)The conventional wisdom in Sacramento is that high-dollar borrowing has a better chance of winning voter approval if the economy is strong. That thinking will be tested Tuesday. Proposition 68 would provide $4.1 billion for natural resources, state parks and water projects. It is backed by Democrats and their allies, and opposed by anti-tax groups.
A killer whale performs at SeaWorld. Photo: Ed SchipulPolitics in California’s Capitol is rarely black and white – even when dealing with orcas. Earlier this week, a bill that would ban animal parks from keeping killer whales in captivity met an unceremonious death in the Assembly Parks and Wildlife Committee. The bill was reduced to a “study bill,” which is how lawmakers often handle issues they want to disappear.
A shift in power at the Orange County Transportation Authority board in part reflects a dispute over power in the largest town in OCTA’s jurisdiction – Anaheim. Major issues are at stake, as OCTA is a significant entity in O.C. ruled by a politically savvy, 17-member board.
Report of Investigation into Discrepancies in Financial Reports Submitted by the California Department of Parks and Recreation
By Thomas M. Patton, Deputy Attorney General
(Ed’s Note: The full report with exhibits, witnesses’ interviews and other documentation is avaialble here.)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
California’s Natural Resources Agency issued a statement on July 20, 2012,
Like many of her colleagues, state Sen. Lois Wolk, a Democrat, found herself this year in a totally new election environment.
During her initial four-year term, she represented the 5th Senate District, a Delta-flanking district where she built a reputation as an advocate for water and environmental protections. Now, she is the senator from the