For those fellow Californians who are tracking Gov. Schwarzenegger’s threatened closing of 48 state parks, the San Jose Mercury News has some updates and analysis of the issue.

The good news: If enacted, the parks likely wouldn’t close until 2009, and groups across the state are preparing counter-assaults on the proposal, pointing out it would only eliminate one tenth of one percent of California’s deficit, and that Arnold would become the first California Governor ever to close State Parks to balance a State Budget.

The bad news: Nobody thought the National Park Service would close the Grand Canyon and Washington Monuments during a 1995 budget crisis, but they did.

Either way, this is a very interesting political situation that I’ll be following closely. And, if it comes down to it, maybe some of us can spend some time volunteering in Topanga State Park to keep it open?

Via Two-Heel Drive.

Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, california budget crisis, Politics, state parks