Could California State Parks Be A Solution For San Joaquin River Parkway?

A new bill in the assembly would grant the California State Parks Department authority over land along the San Joaquin River Parkway. The bill by Fresno Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula would expand the existing Millerton Lake State Recreation Area along the 22-mile stretch of public and private riverbottom land between Friant Dam and Highway 99. State management could help solve an operational and financial problem for public land along the river, such as the 500 acre River West open space area. But the state parks system has its own problems and if the proposal becomes law, some worry it could also create new problems. We spoke about the issue with The Fresno Bee’s Marek Warszawski who recently wrote about the issue in his column.