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Health & Fitness

California Auditors Uncover $54 Million In Parks Department Stash Hidden From The Public

California State Park Funds Found. $54 Million Hidden From Public. Los Encino Park

Several months ago, a call went out from State officials to save our state parks. Then, last Friday, along with the horrific news about the Colorado theater massacre, was a story that millions of dollars were hidden from the public by the California Department of Parks and Recreation...$54 Million to be exact, were squealed away for 14 years and apparently hidden from both the public and State auditors.

Reading the article, I found out that the money was swept from fees and fines collected from off road parks and facility maintenance. Could this be where the STOP sign fines levied by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy went?

What will the fallout be? Will voters go along with the Governor Brown's tax
increase despite the uneasy feeling that there may by tens of millions of
dollars in taxpayer money available but not accounted for? From a local
perspective, will the generosity of the Good Samaritan that donated $150,000 to
keep Los Encino Park open be given back his donation? So far Ruth Coleman,
director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation since 2002 is the
only Brown official to quit because of the revelation. We should expect more to
follow.

Find out what's happening in Sherman Oakswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

From a political perspective the park scandal has dealt a serious blow to Governor
Brown's attempt to raise taxes top close the current budget gap. Voters are
reluctant to agree to pay higher taxes following this revelation of false
claims of government poverty. Governor Brown needs to do more to assure the
public that there are no more hidden stashes of public money. Otherwise he may
be handed a devastating defeat at the hands of distrusting voters.

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