Politics & Government

Local Senator Accuses Governor of Political Retribution

State Sen. Harman accuses Gov. Jerry Brown of vetoing a bipartisan parks bill out of political spite.

Local state Sen. Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach) accused Gov. Jerry Brown of playing petty politics by vetoing a bipartisan bill aimed at keeping state parks open despite funding shortfalls by facilitating partnerships with nonprofits or private firms.

On Tuesday, Brown vetoed Harman’s Senate Bill 386, which would require state park staffers to post information about park closures 30 days in advance and information letting groups know how they can partner with the state to keep the park open. Currently, nonprofits and private groups can contract with the state to operate a park, keeping it open to the public in exchange for funds raised through usage fees or concessions. However, it is often difficult for groups to navigate the state bureaucracy in order to negotiate an agreement. SB 386 was designed to streamline the process.

“This bill would order state park staff to put certain information on the Internet and answer inquiries about park closures. A good idea but not one that needs a law,” Brown wrote in his veto message. “What the parks do need is sufficient funding to stay open—something I feel compelled to note the author and his colleagues refused to let the people vote on.”

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Harman’s staff called the veto “an attempt to punish Sen. Harman’s rejection of the governor’s call for more taxes, the governor returned Harman’s Senate Bill 386 (SB 386) without signature.  The letter received was less about the policy of the legislation and more about Harman not supporting additional taxes on Californians.”

 Harman, who represents Los Alamitos, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, and Newport Beach chastised the governor in a written statement Wednesday.

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“We had bipartisan support for the bill through the entire process. I had hoped the governor was interested in looking for new ways to keep our parks open without further burdening the state’s finances.  But instead he chose to make a political statement,” wrote Harman. “This is pretty disappointing. From the get-go I have been concerned that the parks closure list was more of a political football than a real funding issue. Sometimes it is disappointing to be right—this is one of those times.”


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