Hello JapanRon,
With at least 9 out of the Nations Top 25 bass coming from Castiac it seems unbelievable that that could happen. I haven't read the article but will check it out. Thanks for the heads up!
Here's the article I found:
Lake contract reviewed
![[Image: spacer.gif]](http://www.dailynews.com/cda/images/article/spacer.gif)
Cuts could end county's Castaic deal
By Patricia Farrell Aidem
Staff Writer
CASTAIC -- Los Angeles County's contract to run Castaic Lake's recreation area is under review by state officials after county parks officials said they would sever the pact if the state follows through with proposed cuts to county revenue.
Before looking at shifting its own dwindling funds to keep the Castaic Lake Recreation Area open, the state first must determine whether the county legally is able to break its contract to operate the fishing, swimming and boating locale, said Roy Stearns, a spokesman for the state Department of Parks and Recreation.
"No. 1, can they just get out of a contract? We're not sure," Stearns said Tuesday. "If they do, we will have to look at us running it, and where do we get the money then for us to run it? We're crunching the numbers now."
About 800,000 people visit the lake each year, up to 45,000 on holiday weekends.
Seventeen years still remain on the 50-year contract and state and county lawyers are negotiating, Stearns said.
County attorneys believe that that contract and one to operate the state-owned Placerita Canyon Nature Center in Newhall can be cut short to save the county $3.1 million, county parks spokeswoman Sheila Ortega said.
If the state takes over Castaic, county officials expect the lake to remain open to the public, but service levels -- including operating hours -- could change, said Karen Grant, assistant director for the North County Community Services Agency, which runs county parks in the region.
That is likely, Stearns said, but closing the popular recreation area is a last-resort possibility.
"We are not crazy about the idea of closing facilities. That's not our preference," Stearns said. "We would definitely take a look at the cost of operating it if L.A. County gets out of this contract. Under the present budget situation the state is going through, the likelihood of that is unknown."
The state parks department already faces cuts of up to 45 percent and would have a hard time taking over the operation, Stearns said.
But the county counters that it, too, is struggling because of planned revenue cuts from the state, and must slash its own parks budget by about 50 percent. The county runs the recreation area at no cost to the state, and collects a parking fee that covers about one-third of its costs, Grant said.
County's parks chief Tim Gallagher notified the state in a March 17 letter that his department has recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve handing the responsibility of running the lake back to the state if the California Legislature withholds vehicle license fees in order to balance its own budget. The parks department relies on a portion of those funds allocated to the county under normal conditions.
But California is facing its worst financial crisis in more than a decade and is looking at its options as it prepares to cut $34 billion from its 2003-04 budget. The county stands to lose $650 million under the state's proposed cuts.
"Suddenly finding the money to keep this park in full operation won't be an easy task," Stearns said. "Castaic Lake is a piece of the State Water Project that brings water to Southern California. State law requires that the man-made lake be open for recreation, administered by California parks officials, and allows for subcontracting by the county.
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