Keep Veto Ax Off the Parks

Governor, spare that Cornfield!

Well, at least spare the $5 million in the $101-billion state budget that would allow the purchase of 40 acres by that name near Chinatown as part of the Los Angeles River Parkway. The $5 million would be matched by $35 million in bond funds to make the purchase, which must be done by Nov. 1. Otherwise, the abandoned railroad yard might become an industrial park.

On Friday, Gov. Gray Davis is expected to sign into law the $101-billion state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. But first he is expected to veto an estimated $600 million in spending.

The word going around Sacramento is that environmental projects may take a heavy hit as Davis establishes a state reserve fund and offsets pork-barrel goodies dealt by the Legislature to holdout Republicans to get them to vote for the budget. Every program must stand on its merits, of course, but the environment often is the first to suffer in lean economic times.

The Cornfield and several other small environmental spending items in the budget this year are of special importance. If they don’t get done now, they may never get done. The projects include $3 million for a clean-beaches program, including a new testing system to speed closure of contaminated beaches; $4 million for the Mulholland Gateway to provide a San Fernando Valley access to Topanga State Park; $500,000 to local governments to comply with a new state zero-tolerance order against trash in local watersheds, and $4 million for the Baldwin Hills park.

It’s up to the Southern California delegations in the Legislature to let the governor know that these projects may be small but new parks and clean beaches affect a lot of city-dwelling voters.