EDITORIAL

When the residents at Crystal Cove were removed from the 46 cottages

there in July, the future of the pristine beach was only somewhat clear.

Certainly the beach would be completely opened to the public.

However, the majority of the cottages’ destinies were still up in the

air. Some would be preserved while the others awaited funding and project

proposals.

Fast forward about 10 months. In Gov. Gray Davis’ state budget

revision released last week, about $9.2 million in Proposition 40 funding

has been set aside for the cove. If the money sticks around, we’ll find

out its capabilities this fall. It could help set in motion overnight

accommodations, a vast improvement long overdue at the site.

The $2.6-billion bond that was passed in March helps protect the

state’s air, land and water for future generations by providing funding

for California State Parks, California Coastal Conservancy and cultural

historical resources.

Assemblyman John Campbell, too, searched for money to rehabilitate the

aging cottages and at one point introduced an assembly bill that would

have diverted rent from El Morro Village to pay for the project. With the

passage of Proposition 40, Campbell, as promised, dropped his bill. He

also asked Davis to set aside $16 million in the revised budget.

Campbell’s lobbying on the project should be much appreciated.

Now it’s time to ensure that state parks officials keep their promise

to keep the cottages high on the priority list and to search for as much

additional funding for the cove as possible to expedite that project.

Members of the public have already waited far too long to use this

land that is rightfully theirs.