So why would anyone vote for Proposition 21? Well, we've got 50 reasons. The first is: Budget cuts in recent years have created more than $1 billion in deferred maintenance at state parks. Prop. 21 will restore parks to their rightful condition. Read all of them below the fold (photo of Montaña de Oro State Park by Alison Sheehey):

1. Budget cuts in recent years have created more than $1 billion in deferred maintenance at state parks. Prop. 21 will restore parks to their rightful condition.
2. Twice in the past two years, state parks were on the brink of being shut down because of California’sbudget cuts. In 2008, 48 parks were proposed for closure, and in 2009, 220of state’s 278 parks (80 percent of the entire system) were proposed for closure. In each case, a last-minute budget reprieve kept the parks open.Last year, nearly 150 state parks were shut down part-time or suffereddeep service reductions because of budget cuts, and more closure proposalsare expected this year because of the state’s continuing budget woes. Prop.21 will create a sustainable funding stream that will ensure that parks nolonger be a pawn in Sacramento budget negotiations.
3. Budget cuts have reduced funding for lifeguards at state beaches, leaving many swimmers unprotected. Prop. 21 will put the guards back on duty.
4. With fewer resources for oversight, crime and vandalism in California State Parks has increased threefold in the last decade. Prop. 21 will provide funds for patrols and enforcement.
5. Nearly 400 organizations hailing – including those representing the environment, business, outdoor recreation, tourism, and many others – support Proposition 21.
6. Proposition 21 gives us the opportunity to keep a promise that was made to future Californians many decades ago.
7. California State Parks contain all or part of more than 50 Audubon Important Bird Areas, and are critical to the conservation of these vital habitat areas.
8. We’ve tried everything else to protect California State Parks and nothing has worked. Raising fees didn’t work. Working with the governor and the legislature didn’t work. Proposition 21 is the last, best solution to the problem of our under funded parks.
9. California State Parks play a vital role in the protection of the Threatened Western Snowy Plover on state beaches. If this work goes unfunded, the future for this bird is bleak.
10. California State Parks provide necessary conservation and public education for the Threatened Marbled Murrelet at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Without this effort, this sensitive bird population could disappear.
11. Proposition 21 will provide approximately $500 million toward State Parks annually, providing a dependable source of revenue outside the annual battle over the state budget.
12. Audubon California and Audubon chapters in California have a long history of support for California State Parks that has included partnering on conservation and education projects, and providing both funding support and volunteers.
13. Proposition 21 will create a State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund which could only be used to fund state parks, urban river parkways, wildlife, natural lands and ocean conservation programs. This money will not be available for other governmental uses.
14. Proposition 21 is a great deal. When passed, the measure will place an $18 annual surcharge on most California vehicles. Vehicles subject to the surcharge would receive free, year-round admission to all state parks. Californians will no longer pay day-use fees at any state parks. In comparison, park visitors currently pay up to $125 for an annual pass or $10-$15 per day at most parks.
15. California State Parks contain habitat for about 10 percent of the entire breeding population of the California Least Tern, which is listed under the Endangered Species Act. Three parks in particular provide essential habitat: Oceano Dunes SVRA (not an IBA), McGrath State Beach, and Huntington State Beach. The last two are within Audubon Important Bird Areas.
16. More than 500,000 schoolchildren participate in interpretive programs in California State Parks each year. State parks regularly serve as outdoor classrooms that help bring to life concepts from science, history, math and environmental education. Without a reliable source of funding, these important educational resources could be lost forever.
17. Each year, California State Parks log nearly 80 million visits from children and families – and many of these visits mark the first time that these people interact with nature and learn about birds and wildlife firsthand. Closing state parks denies people this important opportunity.
18. In2007, Audubon California established an endowment to provide long-term financial assistance to local Audubon chapters to conduct conservation,restoration and public outreach at California State Parks. Proposition 21protects this investment.
19. California State Parks are one of the things that make our state great. California leads the nation in the number of state parks with 278 spread across nearly 1.5 million acres.California parks include more than 280 miles of coastline, 625 miles of lake and river frontage, nearly 15,000 campsites and 3,000 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. The state parks represent the diversity of California, ranging from the last stands of primeval redwood forests to vast expanses of fragile desert; from the lofty Sierra Nevada to the broad sandy beaches of our southern coast.
20. If you’re a hunter, you should vote for Proposition 21, as it will enhance and expand hunting opportunities on Department of Fish and Game land, particularly its heavily used wildlife management areas, to ensure that all California sportsmen and their families have a high quality, low cost place to hunt and enjoy the outdoors.
21. The erosion of California State Parks has a negative impact on our economy. Every year, the parks attract millions of tourists, who spend $4.32 billion annually in park-related expenditures in California.State park visitors spend an average of $57.63 in surrounding communities per visit.
22. Proposition 21 is a good investment. State Parks generate so much economic activity that every dollar spent on state parks creates another $2.35 for California’s treasury.
23. The abundance of outdoor activities at California State Parks entices visitors to exercise, fight obesity and lead healthier lifestyles. Exercise helps maintain healthy bones and muscles. It builds cardiovascular fitness and relieves the psychological and physiological stress linked to poor health. Parks also contribute to public health by protecting forests and natural areas that are sources of clean air and water and by combating climate change by reducing greenhouse gases.
24. State Parks preserve and protect California’s cultural heritage. Of the state’s 278 parks, 235contain significant cultural features, representing the wide diversity of California’s population in traditional tribal buildings, historic structures and communities, prehistoric archaeological sites and cultural landscapes. The state parks include missions, forts, ghost towns,cemeteries, churches, temples, lighthouses, gold mines and much more.
25. The oaks, sycamores,coastal sage scrub and rolling grassy hills of Chino Hills State Park in Southern California provide rare habitat for the California Gnatcatcher and Cactus Wren. Surrounded by urban areas, maintaining this habitat requires constant care from park officials. Proposition 21 will ensure that this vital conservation continues.
26. Proposition 21 will actually help the state budget. With a new dedicated and reliable funding stream,California State Parks no longer will need to receive a portion of their funding from the state’s General Fund, freeing up approximately $130million to prevent cuts to other vital services – like schools, healthcare and transportation.
27. A broad group of business interests support Proposition 21, including dozens of local chambers of commerce and tourism groups.
28. Parks aren’t the only natural resources that have suffered under recent state budget cuts. A portion of the revenue from Proposition 21 will go toward other state wildlife and ocean protection agencies, including: 7 percent to the California Department of Fish and Game to manage and operate wildlife refuges,ecological reserves and other lands it owns or manages; 4 percent to the Ocean Protection Council for marine wildlife conservation and the protection of coastal waters; 2 percent to state conservancies for park and wildlife habitat; and 2 percent to the Wildlife Conservation Board for grants to local public agencies for wildlife conservation.
29. Revenues generated by Proposition 21 will subject to strict financial management safeguards. The Trust Fund will be subject to an independent audit by the State Auditor every year. The findings will be released to the public, placed on the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s website and submitted to the State Legislature for review as part of the state budget. In addition,a Citizens’ Oversight Committee will be created to ensure funds from this measure are spent appropriately. These measures will be limited to just 1percent of the annual revenues.
30. Proposition 21 will help preserve vitally important tidal marsh habitat in San Francisco Bay. Development has whittled away the vital bird habitat in San Francisco Bay, which is a globally important area for migratory birds. The Benicia State Recreation Area is one of the few places in the Bay where one can find large sections of tidal marsh habitat. The conservation of this area is important for birds – and Proposition 21 ensures that it continues.
31. State parks offer California’s youth the opportunity to learn life skills and ways to be stewards of natural resources through state parks programs like Junior Rangers and Junior Lifeguards. These programs have an invaluable positive impact on the lives of youth in California. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, students involved in programs like those offered by the state parks, are 49 percent lessl ikely to use drugs and 37 percent less likely to become teen parents than those who didn’t participate.
32. Surfers dig Proposition 21. Just ask Surfrider Foundation. Why wouldn’t they?California State Parks preserves some of the state’s best surf breaks atplaces like Half Moon Bay, Doheny, San Onofre, San Clemente and Malibu.And don’t even talk about what surfers pay in annual passes.
33. From abalone diving to freshwater and marine fishing, many of our best fishing opportunities are in state parks, beaches and Department of Fish and Game lands. Proposition 21 ensures that these areas will remain open,accessible and properly managed.  
34. California is known for its magnificent beaches, and of our 278 California State Parks, 64 are beaches. In 2007-2008, seven of the 10 most popular state parks were beaches and these comprised nearly 25 percent of the annual attendance for the entire state park system. At a time when beach access is always under threat, state parks and beaches ensure that one-third of California’s coast is made accessible to the public. State beaches are located in every region of California and provide access for all of California’s children and families.
35. Proposition 21 protects the investment that Californians have made in their state parks. Californians have invested billions of dollars in their state parks since 1901, and that investment has paid off many times over. If we walkaway from that investment now, we dishonor the sacrifices of previous generations of Californians and guarantee fewer “dividends” in the future.
36. Proposition 21 helps preserve California’s important historical assets. Among California 278 State Parks are dozens of sites that are vital to the preservationof our history. This includes places like Sutter’s Mill, Bodie, the California State Capitol Museum, Hearst Castle, and many others.
37. Proposition 21 is supported by a long list of conservation organizations, including Audubon California and local Audubon chapters. Among these groups are The Nature Conservancy, Defenders of Wildlife, California League of Conservation Voters, Friends of the Los Angeles River, Sierra Club, Save the Redwoods League, The Wilderness Society, Natural Resources Defense Council,and many, many others.
38. Conservation on California State Parks helps protect neighboring agricultural property from the spread of invasive, non-native plants. Think that’s no big deal? According to the California Invasive Plant Council, invasive plants in pastures and farmland cost California $82 million annually. Invasive plants crowd out natural vegetation, agricultural crops and can be toxic to livestock. With nearly 1.5 million acres of state parks land, Prop. 21will provide important funds to combat the growth of invasive plants. As a result, agricultural property adjacent to state lands will have better protection from the threat of invasive species.
39. Voting for Proposition 21 will create and protect thousands of California jobs.Rangers, maintenance crews, gatekeepers, firefighters, lifeguards, the list of jobs with California State Parks goes on and on.
40. California State Parks go a long way toward keeping filming in California. Last year,more than 900 permits for more than 2,000 days of filming were issued for state parks – helping ensure that one of California’s signature industries stays home.
41. Anza-Borrego State Park is the largest state park in California, and the second largest in the continental United States. Among the many species found there is the Least Bell’s Vireo, an endangered bird that relies on the protection of this vast habitat region for its survival. Supporting Proposition 21helps ensure the future of this bird.
42. Prop.21 will greatly improve management of the 2.5 million acres of land under the control of the Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Parks and Recreation. Seven percent of the revenues from Prop. 21 will be dedicated “for the management and operations of wildlife refuges,ecological reserves and other lands owned or managed by the Department ofFish and Game for wildlife conservation.” Annually, this will double the Department of Fish and Game’s woefully inadequate land management budget –and it must be dedicated to management, not capital expansion.
43. Proposition 21 helps ensure the protection of rare and threatened plant and animal species. California State Parks preserve examples of nearly half the rare habitat types in California, including coastal prairie, valley oak woodland and Mendocino pygmy cypress forest. They are second only to the national forests in the number (162) of endangered, rare and threatened species they protect. (The national forests have 14 times more acreage than state parks.)
44. The Boy Scouts of America support Proposition 21.
45. According to a recent study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research,increasing access to parks and recreation space is an important part of combating the rapidly growing rate of obesity and diabetes in the state.Without the dedicated, reliable source of funding provided by Prop. 21,residents could lose state parks as a resource for outdoor exercise,something health experts say Californians sorely need.
46. Proposition 21 helps provide invaluable nature experiences for low-income, underserved families who are unable to pay an increasingly larger percentages of their family budgets for entry into state parks. Now, for the cost of one or two visits, these people will gain access to all the parks, year-round.
47. California State Parks offer some of the best opportunities for viewing birds and other wildlife. Voting for Proposition 21 ensures that these opportunities available at all 278 California State Parks, year-round.
48. California State Parks provide key foraging habitat for the endangered California Condorat sites such as Andrew Molera State Park and Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park in Big Sur. Without these facilities protected in their range, the great birds will face even more obstacles to survival.
49. Closing state parks is not an idle threat. Just look at Arizona, which has closed two-thirds of its parks due to its budget difficulties. This is not a problem for which we can always expect an eleventh-hour solution. We’ve tried everything else – Proposition 21 is the only real solution we have.
50. Although budget cuts have not forced the closure of any parks, hours at many of the state’s most popular parks have been cut, leaving many facilities unavailable on weekdays or off-season. Prop. 21 will keep the parks open.