SACRAMENTO, CA – Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-Camarillo) commented on the passage of Assembly Bill 1478, a measure which passed the Assembly yesterday, to fund for two years the State Parks that were previously on the closure list:

“Only a few months ago we were all facing the fear of seeing many of our treasured state parks threatened with closure, notably Ventura County’s McGrath State Beach. Through the tireless efforts of the local community, funds were raised to save the park, and we celebrated their success.

“However, shortly thereafter we found out that the State Parks Department failed to report $54 million that it secretly held in a separate ‘slush fund’ while engaging in unethical self-serving accounting practices instead of keeping our parks open.

“I supported AB 1478, which guarantees that our parks, including McGrath State Beach, remain open through 2014 by appropriating millions of dollars from the department’s former slush funds to the fund’s originally intended purpose. Notwithstanding this action, I am committed to ensuring that investigations and audits of the Parks Department continue to ensure taxpayer dollars are being spent ethically and consistent with the wishes of taxpaying Californians.”