Featured in our One Last Splash issue on Oct. 20 were three dog-friendly state beaches. Over the next year, DogTrekker will highlight quite a few more. As we all know, due to budget gridlock in Sacramento, many of California's 278 state parks and beaches are operating on reduced schedules or have been closed. And the threat of more reductions and closures looms large as the budget crisis continues.
We're lucky that visionary Californians came before us to preserve places like Big Sur, Anza-Borrego, Humboldt Redwoods and much of the California coast. We could go on and on. These places define California, and keeping them protected and available for public access is a responsibility we have to the next generation.
On Tuesday, Nov. 2, you can go to the polls and join the ranks of Californians who have worked hard through a grassroots campaign to find a solution to this perpetual state of under-funding. Proposition 21, which establishes an $18 annual vehicle license surcharge, would raise money to keep our parks open and operating. Vehicles with California plates would get free parking, and admission to the parks would be free for drivers and passengers.
Election Day is less than a week away. We know the ballot is crowded, but you still have time to tell your friends and family about Prop 21 and to cast a vote for protecting and preserving California's crown jewels. DogTrekker solidly supports this proposition. Voting for Prop 21 is not just voting for a new funding source to keep our state parks open, it's voting for the future of California.
