Help save my lake

jbelson · Guest

My home lake, Lake Castaic, is in danger of being closed. Los Angeles Co. wants to hand over control to the state. The state says that they dont have the money to run any of the lake operations: lifeguard, gates, maintenance, etc...

Please, if you live in California, click or paste the link below:
http://www.savecastaiclake.org/whotocontact.htm
And write to the governor or senators, I've sent letters to them all, and tell them you do not want the lake closed. Castaic is the closest lake to L.A. County and provides lots of enjoyment for everyone: Wakeboarders, skiiers, fisherman, and even tubers. Heck, I've even fished there when I was 5, and hope others kids get the same chance to enjoy it's waters. If the proposal passes, we will all be left high and dry.

Thanks,

Josh

pooser · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 4738

i already posted this in general a couple weeks ago. i know two people that work there and they say its unlikely that it will be closing anytime soon but you never know. im not too worried.

Mister C · Posted: Jul 19, 2003 3:34 pm Post subject:

jbelson, did you get any repsonses from the people that you contacted?

silver girl · Soul Rider Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 496 City: England

good luck
hope u dont lose ur lake

jbelson · Guest

Wrote 14 letters and not one response. The only response I want to get is to continue boarding on Castaic for a long time to come.

~*HyPeRlItE*~*HuNNiE*~ · Criminal Joined: 07 Jul 2003 Posts: 77 City: Maui, Hawaii

hope everything works out for u. that would suck if they closed it. u got my support jbelson Wink

pooser · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 4738

dont worry, be happy. its just a big budget thing. unless the county gets a big donation to keep the lake running they will keep threatening closing it. but they are remodeling the bathroom i doubt they are going to close it with all the new stuff they got. so if anyone wants to donate money for this cause you can send it directly to me and i will make sure it gets put to use on my new boat... uh i mean saving our lake. Laughing

jk

Boardbrat · Posted: Jul 22, 2003 11:21 am Post subject:

I live a little further south then castaic but I can not believe it myself. There are very few lakes and the last thing we need is to lose the ones we have.

jbelson · Guest

A new article about castaic lake. If you haven't yet, please call or write to help save this glassy water.

Boats may 'sail' to Capitol steps
By Nicholas Grudin
Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Boating enthusiasts could descend on Sacramento later this month -- their fleet in tow -- if the Legislature can't find the funds to keep Castaic Lake Recreation Area open, protest organizers said Monday.

A member of Friends of Castaic Lake has circulated an e-mail urging a caravan of boaters to drive to the Capitol on Aug. 18 if the state does not save the recreation center, which is expected to shut down in the middle of Labor Day weekend.

"We want to show the state Legislature that there are a lot of voters who use the lake. We want to show them that at their doorstep," said Tracy Jara, president of the Castaic Chamber of Commerce, who supports the boat protest.

Facing a budget shortfall of $4 million this fiscal year, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department officials want state government either to take over the lake or pay the county agency $2.8 million to continue operating the popular swimming and boating destination.

Friends of Castaic Lake member David Jarrell, who wrote the e-mail sent out on Friday, is hoping to round up more than 100 Southern California boaters to haul their crafts to Sacramento in a show of unity for keeping the lake open.

Jarrell said Monday he believes that closing and securing the lake would be more costly than leaving it open.

"It truly makes sense for (state government) to just hand over the money (for) the county to run the operation," Jarrell said.

The closure of Castaic Lake -- one of the Santa Clarita Valley's most popular tourist attractions -- has been looming for months as county officials have struggled to cope with the massive state budget crisis.

The state's new 2003-04 spending plan, approved by Gov. Gray Davis on Saturday, did not include any additional funds for the county park system.

On Monday state officials were still fishing for funds to operate the facility.

"There are a number of people looking to see if we can find funds to keep Castaic Lake open," said State Sen. Pete Knight, R-Palmdale. "The California Boating and Waterways Commission seems to have some money. We should investigate tapping into their sources and see if they could help us out."

So far, however, no funding has been secured, Knight said.

County officials were frustrated Monday as they continued to push state representatives for a solution, said Tony Bell, spokesman for Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

"I hope people are listening up there in Sacramento, because down here in Los Angeles County we're serious about keeping Castaic Lake open," Bell said.

If state funds don't come, county officials plan to close Castaic Lake on Aug. 31 in the middle of the long holiday weekend popular with boaters at the lake.

About 800,000 people visit the lake each year, including as many as 45,000 on holiday weekends. The visitors, who stop for gas, food or an overnight stay at nearby hotels, provide the lifeblood for Castaic's economy.

Officials have said that 60 seasonal lifeguards would be fired if the lake closes, and seven permanent employees would be reassigned to other county facilities. Workers received layoff notices in June.