Lifeguard duty at California state beaches has been cut by 50 percent, as state park officials eliminate 1,000 eight-hour shifts due to budget constraints.
One or two lifeguards will now patrol Torrey Pines State Beach, instead of the five or six who previously to comb the area, according to lifeguard John Knight, a spokesman for CAUSE Statewide Law Enforcement Association.
California’s $17 billion deficit has slashed funds from the state parks’ budget, while services and costs have increased, according to the state’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
“One of the biggest cost increases is waste and garbage collection,” according to a memo sent out by California’s State Parks. “San Diego District jumped 173 percent in two years “¦ Part of this is the disposable society; people buy cheap chairs and coolers and leave them in the park as trash for us to clean up.”
Knight said he isn’t soothed by the budget-cut response. The governor needs to make public safety a priority, he said.
“This is a very easy and inexpensive fix in the big budget picture,” Knight said. “People spend money to come to our state parks. They would expect to have adequate protection, which means let’s compare us to other agencies “” like city beaches.”
Senator Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) has called for the state to restore funding for lifeguards at state beaches.