In tax measure for parks, Sonoma County seeks to build ‘world-class’ destination

Caryl Hart envisions a park system in Sonoma County that would rival all others. But a funding gap has stymied efforts to expand the Regional Parks network.|

Stepping through a narrow gap in a barbed wire fence, Caryl Hart walked to an overlook on a windswept peak north of Bodega Bay as a herd of black and brown cows grazed nearby.

Morning fog retreated across the blue-gray ocean, revealing a stunning expanse of coastline. From where she stood on Wright Hill, Hart, Sonoma County’s Regional Parks director, reveled in a view that extended from Mount Tamalpais, overlooking the Golden Gate in the south, to Point Reyes National Seashore, Bodega Head, the mouth of the Russian River and the community of Jenner in the north.

“Isn’t this mind-blowing?” Hart said. “This place is going to be so popular.”

But public enjoyment of this particular landscape - 1,238-acre Wright Hill Ranch, protected by taxpayer dollars from development nearly a decade ago but still gated to general access - and a wider swath of potential and future parkland depends, Hart says, on whether voters in unincorporated Sonoma County will agree to tax themselves to pay more for parks.

Measure J, a half-cent sales tax increase on the Nov. 8 ballot, would generate an estimated $95 million over a 10-year term to open up protected open space, expand recreational amenities and boost upkeep of existing county park sites, many of them beset with crumbling infrastructure.

Hart, a longtime parks advocate, has spearheaded the campaign for Measure J, taking leave from her job to lobby for the initiative, which she said would protect the legacy of a county park system established 50 years ago.

“We live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet and are stewards of enormous biodiversity,” Hart said. “Over 50 years, we have gradually built our amazing park system, and now we need to insure its sustainability.”

The tax measure has grown out of the ambitious vision she has put forward for Regional Parks since taking over in 2010, as well as a parks plan adopted by county supervisors in 2015. Hart’s loftiest proposals haven’t always been well received, including plans to link public wildlands in the west county with a network of trails and public shuttles and a new visitor center on the shore of Bodega Bay.

But among the chief obstacles now standing in the way of Hart’s vision for a “world-class” county parks system is a funding gap she and other Measure J supporters say has stymied efforts to upgrade existing sites and open protected lands already set aside by the county’s Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District. Those properties include Wright Hill Ranch, initially purchased for transfer to California State Parks, and an additional 1,000 acres awaiting development as county parkland.

“We feel we have lifted every possible rock looking for funding, and we felt that was part of our obligation before going to voters,” Hart said.

The parks system is largely supported by fees paid by users. Measure J marks the first time voters are being asked to support a dedicated tax funding source for the system since its creation in 1967 with the opening of Doran Regional Park in Bodega Bay. Today, the network spans 56 parks, trails and beaches, totaling 12,000 acres.

The proposed sales tax increase would raise about $10 million annually for the system, which in addition to fees relies on tax support from the county’s general fund. Its annual budget is approximately $24 million, which includes Regional Parks, county-owned marinas and maintenance of other county lands.

The initiative is unusual in that only residents living in unincorporated areas of the county will vote on it. That’s because the new tax would apply only to purchases made outside cities. In those areas, the sales tax rate would go from 8.25 percent to 8.75 percent.

Critics of the initiative say it unfairly places the onus on residents living in unincorporated areas to pay more for parks, which are used and enjoyed by all. But supporters say the real inequity would be asking city dwellers to pay more, when many already support local parks through special tax measures or property assessments. In addition, the sales tax in most cities already eclipses that in unincorporated areas.

“Those of us who live in the city, and I’m one who lives in Santa Rosa, are paying for city parks already, so it seemed fair in terms of how we did this,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane, a Measure J proponent.

Because the funds would be allocated specifically to Regional Parks, the measure requires two-thirds approval to pass. For that reason alone, some political observers say it faces stiff odds.

The Sonoma County Taxpayers Association, the only organized opposition to Measure J, opposes the initiative on the grounds that it does nothing to address the county’s pension costs. Those skyrocketing costs - up 500 percent since 2000 - deprive the county of more revenue to address needs in parks, as well as with roads and other infrastructure, the association contends.

“The primary objection to Measure J, as with most other county tax measures, is the county’s continuing reluctance to address its pension” and employee retirement obligations, said Dan Drummond, executive director of the tax association. “Instead, it would seem the county prefers to levy ever greater taxes on its residents and visitors.”

Zane called that argument an “old, old story.” She said the group says “the same thing to every tax measure.”

Without the additional revenue, Measure J supporters warn, the county’s parks system is at risk of not being able to fulfill its mandate for providing accessible and affordable outdoor experiences to the public. They argue that the combination of park demand, escalating costs and backlog of facility needs has stretched park budgets to an unsustainable level, putting natural resources at risk and applying pressure on county officials to raise fees.

General fund revenue has only recently returned to pre-recession levels, according to Hart, and for this fiscal year, amounts to $4.8 million. Regional Parks has grown by 2,500 acres in the past five years, and also has seen a doubling of park visitation over that same period of time, with more than 5 million visits last year.

California State Parks has made similar arguments in seeking to raise fees along the Sonoma Coast, a proposal that has drawn strong opposition from the county. But Hart, a former State Parks commissioner, made several distinctions between what the state and county are seeking to do.

She said the county’s opposition to the state’s fee proposal plan only relates to charging at coastal parks, in possible violation of the California Coastal Act. She noted that the county dropped fees at all coastal parks except where it has full-time staff and campgrounds.

She also argued that Regional Parks has kept fee amounts at other parks fairly constant. The parking fee at most Regional Park sites is $7, with a yearly pass or “membership” selling for $69 and $49 for seniors. Campsites run from $30 to $34 a night. Hart said if Measure J passes, she will advocate reducing parking fees across-the-board at every location where they currently are assessed.

Under Measure J, the county also would assume management of Bodega Head and Shell Beach to stave off the state’s desire to implement new day-use fees at those locations, and also co-manage Willow Creek, a 3,337-acre addition to Sonoma Coast State Park near Jenner, in order to fully open that site to the public.

Another major focus is 1,769-acre Tolay Lake Regional Park in Petaluma, which was set aside by the Open Space District in 2005 but has limited public use. The property includes Tolay Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in Sonoma County, important Native American artifacts, a wealth of biodiversity and phenomenal views of San Pablo Bay, Mount Diablo, Mount Tamalpais and Mount St. Helena.

The Measure J expenditure plan for Tolay calls for building public access trails, backcountry camping facilities, restrooms and an interpretive center for visitors to learn more about the California Coastal Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes.

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria contributed $200,000 to support Measure J. The donation has almost entirely bankrolled the campaign, which has raised $231,621, according to the most recent campaign finance records. Other major contributors include Jean Schulz, widow of the late cartoonist Charles Schulz ($5,000), PG&E ($3,000) and Connie Codding ($2,500). Hart, whose husband is former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, contributed $10,000.

There have been no registered groups formed to campaign in opposition to Measure J.

The initiative’s sweeping expenditure plan touches all corners of the county. In Sonoma Valley it would support construction of a multi-use trail as an alternative to cyclists and pedestrians now forced onto busy Highway 12. In Cloverdale it would pay for remodeled picnic areas and other infrastructure at Cloverdale River Park, and in Healdsburg it would fund renovations and improvements at Veterans Memorial Beach.

“With additional revenue, we could not only add additional recreational opportunities for the public, but also enhance the experience at park sites that we already have,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo, the board’s chairman.

At present, the unincorporated county, as well as Cloverdale, Petaluma and Windsor, have the lowest tax rates, at 8.25 percent. The tax increase under Measure J would put the county on par with Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg and Sonoma. The state sales tax cap is 9.5 percent.

Measure J supporters say tourists will pay a higher percentage of the new tax because wine tops the list of taxable goods in unincorporated areas.

Phil Schutt, who lives in a rented home on Highway 1 across from Carmet Beach, said he doesn’t mind paying more for parks.

“I’d like to see more open space preserved and greater access for the community, and I’d be willing to pay for it,” he said.

To highlight Measure J’s potential benefits, Hart invited a Press Democrat reporter and photographer on a tour of Wright Hill Ranch, which she considers the crown jewel in an expanded network of coastal parks and trails overseen by the county should the initiative pass.

The ranch was the largest private landholding on the Sonoma Coast between Bodega Bay and the Russian River when the Open Space District purchased the property for $5.6 million in 2007 from the Poff family. But plans to transfer the ranch to State Parks fizzled along with the state’s finances during the recession. Nine years later, use of the site is restricted to guided outings.

That fact was underscored when Hart pulled off Highway 1 near Wright’s Beach and entered codes into a padlock to open the gate to the property. A stately buck leapt through the low brush as Hart’s pickup climbed the steep and winding road. About halfway up the mountain, she stopped at another locked gate. A sign alerted visitors that the property remained closed to the public.

“This sign, in a nutshell, shows the problem,” Hart said, opening the gate. “We, the taxpayers, paid for this. And we can’t get on it.”

Redwoods, oak and bay trees shade portions of the property, forming cool resting spots for guests on future summer hikes, Hart said.

Wright Hill Ranch sits in the middle of two other large coastal open spaces - the 910-acre Red Hill property, which links Shell Beach with Pomo Canyon, and Willow Creek, the large open space limited in public use for 11 years.

Opening Wright Hill and Willow Creek fully to the public would create a nearly contiguous outdoor recreation area on the coast almost double the size of Santa Rosa’s Trione-Annadel State Park. A new network of trails would criss-cross the landscape, and new sites would be added for overnight camping, Hart said. At Wright Hill, Poff’s farmhouse and barns would be restored and used for environmental programs.

“It will create just an amazing experience for people, like nothing else,” Hart said.

Regional Parks’ expansion plans on the coast also include opening up other properties owned by the Open Space District and creating new trails in and around Bodega Bay that would link with the California Coastal Trail. One of the more visible upgrades could be a new elevated walking path skirting Bodega Bay’s harbor.

Many of those improvements would depend on funding from other sources.

“People ask me, ‘How can we pay for everything in the expenditure plan,’ and I just say, ‘Look at what we’ve done with no money.’ We are experts in leveraging money,” Hart said.

But Drummond with the Taxpayers Association argues funding allocations for Regional Parks have exceeded the rate of inflation and take away from other priorities. He cited figures that he says show a 73 percent increase in Regional Parks’ funding over a 12-year period from 2003 to 2015.

However, county officials point out that while the total budget for Regional Parks has grown over that period, the percentage of that budget from taxpayer dollars has declined significantly, requiring Regional Parks to rely more heavily on revenue from annual passes, camping and day-use fees. In addition, the amount of parkland under county management doubled during that time period.

Throughout her six-year tenure, Hart has pushed for Sonoma County to develop and brand itself as a world-class parks destination.

Wright Hill Ranch is part of that vision. But as she drove back across the ridgetop, Hart was nearly alone on the landscape.

Cresting a knoll, the ground suddenly seemed to give way, and for a moment, it felt like the pickup was driving on the fog bank rolling back in from the sea.

“Whoa!” Hart said. “It’s so intense, isn’t it? It just takes your breath away.”

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 707-521-5336.

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